As a result, all stores and wholesalers are closed. 'Alfred Angelo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 14, 2017. The company released a statement on its website Sunday, providing more information about the closures and offering an apology to customers. For others, it was still unclear what would happen. Young ladies have already ordered their gowns and some of them have gotten calls that they're canceled,' said Beverly Showell, the mother of a bride-to-be.Įmployees said if a customer's dress had already been ordered and paid in full, they should receive it in the mail. 'To come to work and find that you no longer have a job - that's devastating. And finally, the store would only accept cash. Then, customers could no longer get alterations. Store employees told News 6 they found out about the closure Thursday morning, but they started to become suspicious about a month ago.įirst, they said, the entire store was 50 percent off. 'Am I going to get it? Is it going to get sent to my house? Can I get to the store in time?' another bride said. 'I might not get my dress before the wedding or I might have to get another one,' one bride said. Some brides told News 6 they ordered and paid for their gowns months ago. 'I'm hoping that somebody opens this door and tells us what's going on, at the least, at the very least,' said Suzette Rainey, who was waiting outside an Alfred Angelo store.Įmployees of Alfred Angelo Bridal locked their doors for the last time after telling customers the company had gone bankrupt. The news blindsided many brides-to-be and left employees jobless. – Sixty-two Alfred Angelo stores around the country closed their doors for good last week. “That’s where all of Alfred Angelo will be in the next couple of weeks.ORLANDO, Fla. “Once a dress is no longer orderable, it makes its way to the clearance rack,” said Vatcher. Most of the Alfred Angelo stock is discounted up to 50 per cent. We’re getting tons of people coming in asking if we are selling off the brand.” “Pretty much everybody in this industry knows about this now,” said Pitcher. They were able to find dresses in a very similar style, while offering the same affordable price. Watson told The Telegram that the staff at The Bridal Salon went above and beyond her expectations. “Since the Alfred Angelo dresses were really well priced, I was nervous we weren’t going to find something as affordable.” “At first it was stressful, because I’m getting married down south, so it’s costing my bridesmaids quite a bit of money for my wedding already,” said Watson. She didn’t have trouble with her wedding dress, but with her bridesmaids’ dresses. Jillian Watson is one of Vatcher’s clients, and is getting married in April 2018. “Our clients were fabulous, and we got everything figured out pretty quickly.” That’s where the trust lies,” said Vatcher. Vatcher said she made sure this incident didn’t prevent her clients from having a stress-free day. We just ate the costs ourselves if it was more.” “So all of our customers are getting merchandise from another supplier, at the same price that the Alfred Angelo dresses were. I just knew that the clock was ticking for some of the girls. “It wasn’t the clients who were at fault,” said Pitcher. “If you dealt with Alfred Angelo directly, you wouldn’t have gotten your money back.”īoth owners told The Telegram that they made sure they put the needs of their clients above all. “Since we didn’t have the merchandise yet, we hadn’t paid for it. “If you come through The Model Shop, we don’t pay Alfred Angelo until we get the merchandise,” Pitcher said. Many brides-to-be in the United States made their deposits directly to Alfred Angelo, and therefore have no chance of getting a refund.īrides-to-be in St. The statement also explained that although the company successfully delivered many dresses to its customers, filling every open order is no longer possible. “It was a major shock.”īoth shops have been carrying the Alfred Angelo brand for more than 30 years.Ī release on Alfred Angelo’s website states: “The Chapter 7 Trustee greatly regrets the upset that Alfred Angelo’s July 14th bankruptcy filing has caused its customers.” “I haven’t heard a squeak,” said Vatcher.

Tilly Vatcher, owner of The Bridal Salon in St. “They were pretty much the biggest bridal supplier in the world, so no one saw this coming.” To this day, the company has not contacted us. “It happened overnight,” said Lori Pitcher, owner of The Model Shop in St. Brides-to-be worldwide were left scrambling to find a new dress for their big day.

Alfred angelo website