Delray Beach, Florida-based wedding gown retailer Alfred Angelo filed for bankruptcy and shut all of its stores Thursday, including the one on Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville.
Brides who ordered gowns from Alfred Angelo are not only out a dress, they’re also out the money they paid for it – in some cases, thousands of dollars.
Plus, Jacksonville wedding planner and G.G. Events owner Terri Gilbreath says many of them are now scrambling to get another dress in time for their wedding. Unless a bride is lucky enough to get one off the rack, it could take as long as 20 weeks for a wedding gown to be delivered.
“But some of these girls,” she said, “they’re getting married in September.”
All may not be lost, however. According to Gilbreath, the wedding-business community is rallying support for brides left in limbo by the Alfred Angelo bankruptcy.
“They can check their wedding Facebook groups,” she said. “There’s a ton of forums, things like WeddingWire, The Knot. Every Last Detail is a local blog as well. There’s going to be a lot of people putting information out there for girls to see what they can do next and shops that are offering help for them.”
And Gilbreath advises future brides-to-be not to make their final payment until their dress is actually in their hands.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
