WEST PALM BEACH, Florida
Talk about adding to the stress of planning a wedding. Dress retailer Alfred Angelo Bridal filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in Florida on Friday. The dressmaker, which has 60 stores nationwide and sells at 1,400 other locations, has its headquarters in Delray Beach.
The sudden closing has created more bridezillas than usual.
Many brides-to-be took to social media to vent their thoughts and anger at the company for closing without warning right in the middle of the summer, which is the busiest time of the year for weddings.
“My wedding is in 29 days. I’m glad orange is my wedding colour because I’m gonna be married in jail if I can’t get my dresses,” tweeted Ashley Austin.
Patricia Redmond, a lawyer who is representing Alfred Angelo Bridal, told the Sun Sentinel that she will ask the court-appointed trustee to release dresses being held in the stores awaiting pickup.
Other national chains are also trying to help out, discounting dresses by as much as 30 per cent, for affected customers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is planning to file for bankruptcy protection, which has led to the closures. Company employees told the Journal that no warning was given about the stores closing until Thursday morning — when they were told the stores would close for good at the end of the work day. Store managers were told to return their keys after closing time.
According to Syracuse.com, brides rushed to the Arnold Angelo store in DeWitt, New York, on Thursday to pick up their dresses or inquire about ones they had ordered, only to be met by puzzled store employees who had just heard the news hours earlier. The employees encouraged customers to call the company’s customer service line for help.
The Washington Post called the company’s customer service line on Friday and got the answering machine.
