A young woman left in tears buying her prom dress has set up her own shop in Horsforth selling gowns for school leavers so every girl can feel like a princess.
Lia Brehmer, 23, was made to feel fat by an assistant who suggested she buy a floaty dress to cover up her weight.
Lia was so upset that she nearly pulled out of her prom before her mum Donna found her another dress with another supplier.
Seven years later, Lia has opened The Prom Den in Horsforth to make sure no girl goes through the terrible experience she endured in Halifax.

Lia said: “I remember the stress of prom night and how tough it can be finding the dress of your dreams which no other girl will be wearing on the night.
“I was so badly treated when I was preparing for my prom as a 15-year-old.
“I was a healthy size eight but the woman in the shop made me feel like I was fat and suggested we get a floaty dress to cover up my weight.
“I was in tears and my mum was so angry that we went to another supplier. After that she set up her own prom dress shop so that no other girls went through the same experience.”
Donna’s shop in Brighouse has been so successful that she has roped in Lia to open a second Prom Den store in Horsforth to serve clients in Leeds and North Yorkshire.
Lia had no hesitation in joining mum in the family business.
She said: “I give every girl who comes through the doors the wonderful prom experience that I never had. I won’t sell the same dress twice to the same school so no girl has to worry that their big night will be overshadowed by another pupil in the same outfit.
“We make every girl feel special with their own individual stylist so that they get the dress of their dreams and feel like a princess.”

The average price of a dress is between £299 and £495 and Lia works closely with schools and social workers to support families and young people by giving away dresses to pupils who, without help, would not be able to experience prom.
Most mixed schools in Yorkshire – state and private – have proms to celebrate the end of the school year after GCSEs – a tradition picked up from America where the prom has been part of the high school calendar for decades.
Lia, who lives with her primary school teacher boyfriend Harry Groves, 26, in West Vale, near Huddersfield, loves being in business with her mum Donna, 55.
Lia said: “I was helping out in the Brighouse shop for years when I was growing up so I had a good mentor in mum.
“She had a very simple philosophy which was to make every girl feel special and I hope that I am continuing that tradition in the store in Horsforth.”
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