The holidays are upon us, and during this time of year when the weather begins to change, we look forward to seeing glittering snow and beautifully wrapped boxes with perfectly placed bows and ribbon. When our customers are thinking about the holiday season, the Henri’s staff is thinking about prom season!

We are working around the clock to make your prom the best part of the holidays. Prom dresses for the following year start arriving at the store in early October. Not nearly as pretty as the packages under the Christmas tree, these behemoth boxes weigh upwards of  50 pounds.

But for all of us at Henri’s Cloud Nine, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Gathered around the shipping and receiving area, we stare in awe as each gown is revealed, unwrapped, and hung side by side like the biggest, most sparkly ornaments you’ve ever seen. The girls are going to love them!

By November, we are ready to start releasing the first images of our Cool Book dresses. How exciting! Nine months of working with manufacturers and stores and hours spent shooting, choosing, and retouching every photo in the book. Like excited little kids pointing out our favorites,  the Cool Book is our annual Toys Are Us Christmas catalog.

When December comes and the snow starts falling in Ohio, we’ve already received, prepped, and started selling prom dresses. Early shoppers begin to trickle in, scoping out the latest arrivals and hoping to be the first of their friends to find their dream dress. The colder it gets outside, the more prom girls find their way to Henri’s in search of that perfect gown.

Before we know it, it’s January first. The new year breathes new life into the store as we get ready for the biggest and best prom season yet. We’ve changed the window displays, booked the DJs, scheduled the trunk shows, and straightened every rack of ball gowns in the building. Finally, it’s the first day of prom season!

The holidays might be behind us now, but the fun part has just begun. From January to April, every week is a new adventure. We meet and dress thousands of young ladies of all shapes and sizes, from first time freshmen to veteran seniors. We listen to their stories about how their date asked them to prom and why Mom prefers high necklines to cut outs. We make them feel beautiful and deliver the Henri’s experience again and again no matter what time of year it is.

Now tell us what you think! When do you start thinking about prom? What colors and styles are you most looking forward to seeing this year?