Located just off of West Center Road lies a quaint boutique. Though it may appear to be small, inside lies dresses of all shapes and colors, just waiting to be worn on a bride’s special day. And one of the people that contributes, senior Elizabeth Sook, a consultant at Spotlight.

Sook has been interested in this position ever since she was young and in the recent years, has sought to make her childhood dream a reality.

“I have always loved looking at dresses especially the large poofy ones,” Sook said. “This past year, I was looking at Prom dresses at Spotlight Formal Wear and when I found out the boutique was hiring, I just knew that this was the job for me.”

Her family was very supportive and ecstatic to receive the news that Sook had been hired, especially her mother Kristie Fichter.

“I was very happy that she found a job that she was interested in,” Fichter said. “I was proud of her and this job gives her good sales experience and prepares her for future jobs.”

Though the thought of obtaining this dream job may sound like the ideal working situation, the daily tasks that must be performed can prove to be quite the challenge. Sook steams multiple dresses daily, which can take some time because of the many layers of crinoline, the petticoat worn under the dress in order to help keep its shape. She also manages many appointments, which requires some paperwork to be filled out, and is constantly pulling dresses from the back room. This process can repeat multiple times depending on the number of brides booked that day, as well as how many dresses that bride chooses to try on.

“One of the main challenges is when a bride comes in and doesn’t know what style she likes,” Sook said. “This can make it quite tricky to find the perfect dress.”

Even though Sook has only been employed at Spotlight for seven months, she has strengthened essential customer service skills, organization, as well as her overall knowledge of dress design and terminology.

“Beth is definitely a team player and is always ready to help with anything to make things go smoother for everyone,” Spotlight store owner Robbin Harris said. “She contributes thoughts and ideas and is again a great role model for the team. She is a great supporter of our bridal stylists during appointments and is able to assist with and give suggestions to help with any task needing to be done.”

While the difficulties of this job can prove to be quite overwhelming at times, the overall experience is quite rewarding.

“The best part of being a consultant is seeing someone come into our store and finding a dress that they feel beautiful in,” Sook said. “It gives me a really good feeling that I contributed to making a memory that will last forever.”

Still, the thought of a high school student having this particular job does draw quite the reaction from family members and friends that find out.

“A lot of teachers, family and friends think it’s pretty crazy that a high school student can work at a bridal boutique,” Sook said. “It’s actually pretty amazing seeing someone find something that they feel beautiful in.”

Sook plans to stay at her job, helping create more memories for all the brides that step into the boutique.