Bridal retailer won’t fill orders

Bridal retailer Alfred Angelo broke its silence Thursday, telling customers worldwide that they won’t be receiving the wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and accessories they ordered.

It was the company’s first announcement since filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last month to liquidate its holdings.

In a statement on the company’s website, the trustee for the firm said it would be unable to fulfill remaining customer orders. “The Chapter 7 Trustee greatly regrets the upset that Alfred Angelo’s July 14th bankruptcy filing has caused its customers,” the statement said. “To the extent any order has not been fully delivered to a customer, it shall have to remain unfilled.”

Customers who think the company owes them money should submit a form that is available online, it said.

The announcement was the first public statement by the bridal chain since it abruptly closed all its stores July 13, sending brides into a panic during the traditionally busy summer season. At the time, company employees said they were given no warning of the stores’ impending closure. They were told that morning their stores would close for good at the end of the business day. Managers were instructed to return their keys after closing time.

Employees encouraged customers to call the company’s customer service line, which went to voicemail when the Washington Post tried it at the time.

Competitors have capitalized on Alfred Angelo’s closure, offering deals to wedding parties who had ordered from Alfred Angelo but not received the goods.

Based in Delray Beach, Fla., Alfred Angelo operated at least 60 locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan, including several stores in Southern California. Its dresses were placed with 1,400 retailers worldwide.