Alfred Angelo
Brides-to-be try to learn fate of the wedding gowns they purchased from the bridal retailer.
They thought they had found the perfectwedding dress.
But those visions turned into nightmares for thousands of brides-to-be who are nowtrying to learn the fate of thewedding gowns they purchased frombridal retailer Alfred Angelo, which abruptly closed its stores Friday and filed to liquidate its business under Chapter 7 of theU.S. Bankruptcy Code.
OnMonday, the main avenue available to customers for informationwas an email address posted with an apology note on the retailer’ s website.
“If you wish to be contacted regarding your order status once information is available please send an email to: alfredangelo@mjstrustee.com,” the company said on itswebsite. “We will post additional information regarding the status of dresses on this web-site as it becomes available. We apologize for the inconvenience and hardship resulting from this event. We appreciate your patience. Thank you.”
In South Florida, Alfred Angelo operated locations in Boynton Beach, Sunrise and Coral Gables. Nationwide, the retailer operated at least 60 stores and maintained operations in Canada, Europe and Japan.
TheU.S. Bankruptcy Court appointedM argaret J. Smith of West Palm Beach to manage the estate. Efforts to reach her by phone and emailMondaywere not successful.
In an interview with the Sun Sentinel last Friday, the company’s Miami-based bankruptcy attorney Patricia Redmond of the lawfirm StearnsWeaver MillerWeissler Alhadeff& Sitterson, said she planned to ask the trustee to release dresses thatwere in store awaiting pick-up. She also said she would try to persuade the trustee to release a $1.2 million shipment coming fromChina so that affected customers could get their ordered dresses.
Redmond also could not be reached earlyMonday for an update on the gown-retrieval process. Late Friday, she said her lawfirm email address had been deluged with inquiries frommore than 7,000 people.
“Now we’re justwaiting for a response,” Pembroke Pines resident Stephany Alvarez saidMonday. She sent emails Saturday to Alfred Angelo and to Redmond inquiring about a $300 mother-in-lawdress ordered fromthe Coral Gables store.
Although Alvarez’s wedding isn’t until Feb. 17, the store’s sudden closure and the uncertain fate of the dress, has left her mother-inlaw“upset and disappointed,” she said.
“When you fall in love with a dress, finding another one is difficult. It’s just not the same,” Alvarez said.
Finding the money for a replacement dresswould also be an extra
burden on her mother-inlaw, she said.
One customer, now scrambling to find a new dress, was at least fortunate to have received refunds of her deposit.
Erin Jones, of Altamonte Springs, had contacted Alfred Angelo as soon as she heard Friday the bridal shopwas closing stores nationwide. But since she only paid a deposit, $500 of the $766 total cost, shewas told she would not get the dress or her money back, she said.
However, shewas issued a credit over the weekend by her credit card company.
“Iwas in love with that dress,” lamented Jones. “I kept envisioning walking downthe aisle in that dress.”
On Friday she planned to begin the hunt again for a new dress atDavid’s Bridal ahead of her November wedding. “Just hoping I find something that doesn’t take too long to come in,” she said.
Acreditors meeting is set for 1p.m. Aug. 28 at 1515 N. Flagler Drive, Room 870, inWest Palm Beach, according to bankruptcy court papers. All proofs of claims against Alfred Angelo must be submitted by Nov. 27.
In the interim, other bridal retailers have been stepping up with discounts for the affected Alfred Angelo customers.
David’s Bridal and Camille LaVie, which both have stores in South Florida, are offering discounts ranging from15 to 30 percent off select new purchases with the presentation of original receipts fromAlfred Angelo.
“They are trickling in andwe’re seeing about one to two [Alfred Angelo] customers a day, mostly bridesmaids,” said Yolanda Torricella, sales manager at theDavid’s Bridal shop in Sunrise. “It’s not a big amount, but people are taking advantage of the discount.”
On Friday, David’s Bridal tweeted itwas offering 30 percent discounts on replacement wedding gowns to affected customers with an Alfred Angelo receipt and 20 percent discounts for bridesmaid dresses. It also said it is waiving rush fees on alterations for those withwedding dates around the corner.
At the Camille LaVie store at SawgrassMills mall, the retailerwas offering 15 percent discounts for brides or bridesmaids who presented receipts fromAlfred Angelo, said Catalina Eckert, an assistant manager.