Welcome to Every Occasion
Hi, we are Amanda and Debi. Welcome to our shop. Join us and costumer Emmalee at our Every Occasion dress rental and party planning shop. We believe that every girl deserves a Cinderella moment.
A Magical Moment
In 2021 Amanda and Debi met and became fast friends. Together, with their friend Becca, they built up a large homeschooling community in Sanpete County, Youth Leaders for America. Running events, camps, activities and dances for youth, they started talking about doing birthday parties for kids in the area, since there are not a lot of options for activities here. For 2 years, they continued to work together and have run over 30 large events in the community since their meeting.
This last fall, when they were returning a dress to Special Occasions in Fairview, the owner asked them if they might be interested in purchasing her shop, as she was ready to retire from the dress rental business. There was no hesitation, they looked at one another and back at the owner and said “Yes!”
Debi had collected a large inventory of dresses to outfit her 6 girls for every party and dance. Amanda and her daughter Emmalee had made and collected a massive inventory of costumes for over 20 years doing theater and talked of opening a costume shop for years. Adding the dresses to the mix would be the perfect fit!
3 weeks later they opened the doors for Every Occasion! Not just a dress shop! Not just a costume shop! Not just birthday party planning! It is all three wrapped up nicely in one! And Amanda happens to be a photographer too, so they built a photo booth to add a cherry on top!
Amanda Continuing Family Traditions
In 1946, my great grandmother, Beth Laub, opened a dress shop in Tremonton Utah. The La Gra Dress Shop became a staple in the community for years. She worked hard to provide the things her community needed at that time. Her sense of hard work, style and service became a common thread that continues to run in the family.
My mother became a retail manager running large clothing stores including Kohls in Saint George Utah and Ann Taylor in Salt Lake Utah. She was also an event manager for several years at Weber County Fairgrounds in North Ogden Utah.
As a young person, I learned the value of hard work and service. During high school I got involved in pageants and theater. Formals and costumes became the norm in my home. Years later, when I started my own family, we continued these traditions doing theater and running events in our community. Over the last 20 years, we have built up a large costume collection that we have longed to share from our own costume shop.
Another passion I turned into a working hobby is photography. I worked as a semi professional photographer in Utah for 18 years. Setting up makeshift studios in my home with a sheet behind a table or on a wall by a window was typical. Having a studio, even a small one, is a dream come true! If “a picture’s worth a thousand words,” then I have a library the size of the Library of the U.S. Congress!
All of this past experience and expertise has now manifested here at Every Occasion. You can get dresses and costumes for any occasion, get photos for special occasions and book parties to celebrate every occasion. Or just come in for fun and make any day an occasion!
Emmalee Hansen, Costumer & Seamstress
As a young girl I loved dressing up. A piece of fabric and a fancy belt turned me into anything from a princess to a superhero. I was in my first theatrical production at age 12 and from then on I wanted to be a costumer. Two years later I costumed my first production and have costumed one or more productions every year since.
At age 16 I learned to sew. From private tutors to College classes I was trained to make and alter patterns, sew various items of clothing, alter existing garments and use industrial machines. Nowadays I use my skills to make costumes and alter clothing to fit individuals. Many of the costumes you will see in our shop were hand-made on my sewing machine.
