About Us

Sarah and her husband, Mike, opened Elegance in December 2006 and have been going strong since.  Sarah loves every part of the bridal and prom business! She really enjoys the excitement of going to market and shopping the new styles and trends year after year. One area of specialization is the tuxedo department. She loves helping the brides and grooms or the prom guys decide on their tuxedos for their big day. Since December of 2006, Sarah has expanded the business next to the Lake Okoboji Resort (previously Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center) and has increased the boutique clothing department to include something casual to something more elegant. Sarah loves this job because she has gotten to know and help so many great people in the community and has made some awesome friends in the business! In her spare time, you can find Sarah spending her time with her family and gaining knowledge on the latest trends in the business.  Since opening Elegance, Sarah & Mike have expanded their family with 4 beautiful children, Savannah, Sierra, Sophia, and most recently, Wyatt!  

Courtney, the store manager and a bridal consultant of Elegance, specializes in helping clients finding the perfect attire for a special occasion, whether it’s proms, weddings, red carpet events, or just everyday attire. Courtney grew up in Okoboji and enjoys cooking, being on the lake, and going on long walks with her dog. Spending time with her family is very important to her. One thing she loves about her job is accessorizing people and being creative to get customers outside of their comfort zone to try something on they didn’t think they would like. She has several favorite memories during her time at Elegance, but one she will never forget was around the time she first started. She was helping a young lady, who said she never wore dresses, find a dress for prom; once the young lady found her dress she broke out into tears saying she had never felt beautiful until she tried that dress on. Courtney then realized this job isn’t just about helping people try on beautiful clothing, but it’s about helping someone feel better about themselves when they walk out the door than when they walked in.

Shannon, our assistant manager, and a bridal consultant of Elegance joined the Elegance team in October 2017, shortly after being a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding, which was purchased from Elegance! Shannon & her family weren’t new to Elegance as she has gotten all of her prom dresses, as well as her sister’s wedding party attire from Elegance.  Shannon’s favorite thing about working at Elegance is working with prom girls and brides, especially plus size women! She loves the excitement of helping each girl or bride find a dress to make them feel beautiful, excited, and confident! Shannon is a jack of all trades at Elegance!  She is one to jump in and help where she can whether it’s steaming, adjusting tux & suit lengths, tightening up beadwork, or going over tux measurements to ensure everything will fit correctly!  Shannon also runs our online boutique store by updating and adding new inventory as it arrives to the store!  When Shannon isn’t at Elegance you may find her spending time with her family, especially her nieces, and fishing or golfing!

Kaitlin, a bridal consultant of Elegance, has been working at Elegance since August 2022, and has no problem jumping in & helping customers with anything they may need.  Kaitlin joined Elegance while planning her own wedding, and quickly learned so many things about the industry as she was going through the process herself!  She enjoys getting to know customers on a more personal level and helping them with their special upcoming events. Her favorite things to do at Elegance is creating our email blasts, updating the website with our newest arrivals, and making sure each item that arrives in the store is perfectly steamed! When Kaitlin isn’t at Elegance you will find her spending time with her daughter, Sofia and golfing and date nights with her husband, Craig. She also loves going & supporting local events in the Iowa Great Lakes especially events that are filled with painting and crafts! Kaitlin grew up here in the Iowa Great Lakes, graduated from Spirit Lake Highschool and enjoys being apart of and supporting this community.

Jeannie has been a staple to the Elegance team since 2019, and has always had an eye for fashion!  She specializes in working with prom girls & mother of the bride or groom’s  to find their perfect dress, and accessories.  Jeannie is always the “life of the party” and we are so lucky to get to work with her!   We first met Jeannie and her family when her grandson got married and they purchased their apparel at Elegance! As her family grew, so did Jeannie’s time at the store!  Since then we have been lucky enough to get to know Jeannie and her family as her granddaughter, Sunny, did an internship at Elegance!   If you know Jeannie, you know she has a big & beautiful family, and many women in it!  Jeannie and her family are always celebrating, whether it’s birthdays, life achievements, or expanding their family!   When Jeannie isn’t at the store you’ll find her traveling to see her family or hosting them at her home with her husband, George!  

Jackie has been a sales consultant of Elegance since December 2022!  When Jackie isn’t helping prom girls, or mother of the brides & grooms you will find her making beautiful jewelry displays and organizing the store! Jackie loved helping her niece & daughters with prom dresses so starting at Elegance she knew she would love helping prom girls! She can’t wait for the new prom dresses to arrive!  Most recently Jackie was able to help her son & family with their tuxes & suits for his wedding, and she is loving learning the tuxedo process!    When Jackie isn’t at Elegance you will find her baking, shopping, or traveling with her husband!  

Amanda, a sales consultant, started at Elegance in 2024 to help with homecoming, prom, and mother of the bride or groom dresses!  Amanda isn’t a stranger to Elegance as she has prom dress shopped with her daughters at Elegance!  Amanda started at Elegance during homecoming, and she was able to hop in and catch on quickly!  She is great at listening to customers and making recommendations!  When you stop in to Elegance you will find Amanda helping not only homecoming, and prom girls, but also mother of the bride/grooms!  When Amanda isn’t at Elegance you’ll find her spending time with her family, and attending her daughters events!  

Linda is Elegance’s part-time in-house seamstress! Linda started at Elegance in 2021 to make adjustments to tuxedo & suits the week of the wedding!  When Linda is at Elegance, you’ll find her working on anything, and everything in the store from tuxedo and suit alterations to beading repairs on bridal and prom gowns!  Linda has over 50 years experience in sewing garments and doing alterations.  Linda’s favorite part about working at Elegance is the atmosphere, and the people she works with!   When Linda isn’t at Elegance you can find her spending time with her family! She has 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren!  She also enjoys walking and reading.

Lora has been a part of Elegance from the very start!  As Sarah’s mom, she has had the opportunity to go to the different markets with Sarah, work with a large variety of customers for different occasions, and model in Elegance style shows.   Lora and her husband, Steve are the proud parents of 2 children, and 3 grandchildren. When she isn’t chasing her granddaughters & newest grandson around, you can find her helping on the family farm or spending time with family.