In the winter of 2011, Melinda Ladyzinski went shopping for wedding gowns with her newly engaged daughter, Haley. During their weeks of searching for the perfect gown, never once did they have the special time they both had dreamed about.

Even in higher end salons, sample gowns were not always clean, there were broken zippers, torn beading, and missing buttons. Rarely was there a place to hang coats. Dressing rooms were not clean. Salespeople were pushy. No refreshments were offered. And no consideration had gone into caring for anyone who might have accompanied the bride-to-be.

In other words, the situation screamed, “It could be so much better! That’s when Melinda decided it should be. And that she was the one to do it.
No longer in real estate (she sold The Corcoran Group Brooklyn in 2005), she tossed business savvy, people savvy, and an incredible focus on customer service into the Cuisinart, and voila! Morristown, New Jersey now has a high-end bridal and evening wear salon: Elizabeth Johns.

As Melinda says, “ our sales philosophy isn’t based on how many dresses we sell, but how many clients will walk out and refer us to others. Shopping Elizabeth johns should be memorable – in a good way. It should be personal. And literally, the beginning of something beautiful.”