Bridal shop’s gowns came

A WEDDING dress boutique owner and her mother misled brides-to-be into handing over £12,000 for “handmade” white gowns which had been stitched in a Chinese factory.

Melanie Bishop, 36, and her 60-yearold mother Patricia led 13 brides to believe they were buying bespoke gowns for their big day, it had been alleged.

The pair, who could now face jail, had advertised hand-made bridal dresses costing up to £1,000 from the Bishops’ workshop in South Wales.

But furious brides found they had been duped when they spotted “Made in China” labels and launched a campaign to get their money back, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

The women complained to consumer watchdogs. But Bishop quickly shut up shop – AnnaSara Bridal in Newport, South Wales – leaving more than 100 other brides worried they would be left without their dresses on their wedding days.

One bride, Nichola Pakau, 34, said: “It has been an awful experience. It has affected my home and work life.”

Another bride’s mother Kim Burroughs, 55, said: “You expect everything to be perfect for your daughter’s wedding. “I didn’t expect this.” The Bishops were warned all sentencing options are available after pleading guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 18 charges of engaging in unfair commercial practices. Another 20 charges will lie on file.

The court heard they accepted claiming they had designed and made the dresses themselves.

The pair admitted failing to inform customers that the wedding dresses were actually made in China, falsely