This New Hampshire Bridal Shop Has Been Helping Brides Say “Yes” for 50 Years

Senior stylist, Jodi, putting the finishing touches on one bride’s look for the big day. / Photo by Christina Sveda Photography

It’s been 50 years since bridal shop Madeleine’s Daughter first opened its doors in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. While the location and inventory may have changed over the years, the store has remained a destination for brides across New England searching for the dress. Current owner Elizabeth Dirom says the boutique’s focus remains on making the shopping experience better, positive, and different from everywhere else.

When did you become the owner of Madeleine’s Daughter?

I started working at the shop in 1996 as a bridal stylist and then left for a period to start a family. I came back in 2005 and worked under the founder, Janice Wood, for a year, learning the ropes, and then I bought it from her in August 2006.

What is the “Madeleine’s Daughter moment”?

That’s when we get to celebrate when a bride says “Yes.” We work a little differently than some of the other bridal shops, but we have always been a closed-concept bridal store where we don’t have any of our inventory out on the floor for customers to peruse. So it’s really an intimate and one-on-one setting where a stylist works with the bride, goes through a brief interview (where they’re getting married, what they like, what they don’t like, what they envision seeing themselves in), and then takes all of that information and goes to the closet and shops for the bride. We bring out dresses based on what she tells us. So it’s really a good collaboration, but I think it takes a special type of person who can listen and really ascertain what the bride likes, knowing what is in our closet, what will look good on her, what will fit well, and bring that out. And then when they finally say “Yes,” it’s a celebration for both the bride and the stylist.

Owner Elizabeth Dirom. / Photo by Chris Keeley Photography

What sets you apart from other bridal shops?

I do think our stylists make the difference. You can probably get a dress that we sell somewhere else, but I hope that when you come here, you build a relationship with your stylist that you might not be able to replicate elsewhere. Part of a stylist’s job is to style the bride based on her aesthetic, and that can be done with an overskirt, a pair of gloves, a headpiece, a different veil…so putting that all together and actually styling the bride is something unique to Madeleine’s Daughter.

You sell more than just bridal gowns, correct?

Yes, our mom’s department has grown substantially over the past couple of years. We have a dedicated mother-of-the-wedding stylist here, and she actually is a mom who has been in this industry for 35 years, so I think mothers shopping can appreciate that. We also carry suits and tuxedos, and then there’s a hybrid, an in-between that isn’t quite a suit and isn’t quite a traditional tuxedo. We’ve seen a huge uptick in men wanting to have their own look for the wedding, which has been exciting to see.

A bridal gown styled and provided by Madeleine’s Daughter, published in the March 2024 issue of British Vogue. / Photo by Lexi Foster Photography

What is the typical experience like for a bride shopping at your store?

Even pre-appointment, we hope to ascertain more about the bride’s vision for the wedding: who they’re bringing to the appointment, what their budget is, where the wedding will be, what the colors are, where they gather their inspiration. When they get here, they have their own bridal suite they use throughout the appointment, and the stylist is there to help zip and clip and make sure that the dress looks great on them. Then, when they narrow it down to finding the dress, we can style that dress to make it their own. But the appointment should be fun. This should be a fun part of [wedding planning], right? It’s the furthest back from when the wedding is happening, so we get to hear about how they got engaged and the exciting parts of the wedding before it gets a little too stressful.

Speaking of timing, how far in advance do you recommend brides shop for their dress?

If you want to give yourself that breathing room to shop, it could take around nine months to find the dress, and then you’ll probably want to allow two to three months for alterations. So honestly, you should make a decision a year before your wedding, and then work backward from there; if you want to do three months of shopping, then make it 15 months before your wedding.

What are some dress trends you’re seeing for 2026?

I’m seeing a lot of textured fabric, so jacquards and printed fabrics, not color but embossed fabrications; a lot of lace, and a lot of long-sleeve lace. Ball gowns are still prevalent; Basque waists are still out there.

Bride Kayla, wearing Eva Lendel, and groom, Brooks, were both styled by the team at Madeleine’s Daughter for their August 2025 wedding at the Viewpoint Hotel in Maine. / Photo by Maddie Thornton Photography

How does that compare to what was in style when you started in 1996?

There was a lot of satin, which I think is coming back. The Empire waist was huge when I was styling…that has not made a resurgence yet. Long trains were a big thing, taffeta was big—I’m seeing a little bit of that come back; everything does cycle back in. But even when we have to choose thousands of dresses for our inventory, we will always buy 70 percent that are classic, whether it be silhouette, fabrication, neckline, or lace. That’s really our strength. I mean, we’re New England.

What are your hopes for the shop for the next 50 years?

Success; wanting to have the best experience for our customers; an educational component, so we’re here to help the bride navigate the whole process. Honestly, I want to maintain and continue the legacy of Madeleine’s Daughter that was started in 1975 with the original owner, Janice, and have her be proud of what she started….. It’s not very often that we get to celebrate in this industry, which is forever changing, something that has been here for 50 years, so I feel really proud of it.
First published in the print issue of Boston Weddings 2026 with the headline, “Say Yes to the Dress.”

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