It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives, but some Connecticut brides say their wedding days were ruined when a Danielson bridal shop shut down and left them without a dress!
Sherry Hart of Moosup had her heart set on an Alfred Angelo strapless gown to wear to her May wedding. She ordered it from Classic Images in Danielson.
"It was the dress. I didn't want to try on anything after that. Put my 50% deposit down, paid it off by June 27th, 2008 which is what she required. She said my dress would be in the last week of October," said Hart.
But that last week of October came, and even though it was all paid for in cash, the dress wasn't delivered. Classic Images had abruptly shut down.
"I called Alfred Angelo, the manufacturer directly, and they said no you're not one of the dresses we're making, so she didn't even place my order. She promised a dress for the end of October, but never placed the order, so she essentially took my money and didn't deliver anything," said Hart.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says that practice broke the law. His office has filed a lawsuit against the bridal shop for leaving 18 brides without their wedding attire.
"Classic Images is a runaway bridal shop. It cost brides tens of thousands of dollars as well as panic, heartbreak, major inconvenience, when couples were planning the biggest day of their lives," said Blumenthal.
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He wants Classic Images to refund every penny to the couples.
"We can't bring back the wedding day, but we can make sure that money is brought back to these consumers," said Blumenthal.
Fortunately for Sherry Hart, she had enough time to get another dress for her wedding next month.
"I was fortunate in that respect that I had time to find another dress. There were brides that I heard of whose wedding was in a week or two and no dress," said Hart.
The owner of Classic Images couldn't be reached.
