The Bridal Atelier wedding dress shop in Sydney and Melbourne closes
Hundreds of Australian brides have continued to ‘beg’ for their wedding dress after a popular bridal boutique abruptly closed its doors.
The Bridal Atelier, which has stores in Sydney and Melbourne, has gone into liquidation with a public notice posted on ASIC’s website on Monday.
The boutique, which specializes in bohemian-style dresses, will now be managed by joint liquidators Mark William Pearce and Michael Dullaway.
Georgia Schroeder, the company’s retail and operations manager, said in a lengthy LinkedIn post Monday that she was a “broken woman.”
Since the closure, she has received “hundreds” of calls from devastated brides-to-be “crying and begging” about their dresses and the loss of money.
Hundreds of Australian brides have continued to ‘beg’ for their wedding dresses after a popular bridal boutique abruptly closed its doors
The Bridal Atelier, which has stores in Sydney and Melbourne, has gone into liquidation with a public notice posted on ASIC’s website on Monday
“The past few days have been the toughest I’ve ever experienced, both professionally and personally,” she wrote.
‘Being hired as the new Retail and Operations manager at the Bridal Atelier was a dream come true. Or so I thought…
“After less than two months in this role, I received a text on Friday that the company was closing — effective immediately.”
Ms Schroeder claimed the shop owner ‘unplugged her phone’, forcing her to answer hundreds of calls from brides desperate for answers.
“Personally, I’m completely devastated. And even if it won’t mean much to the hundreds of affecte.
“We are all in the dark. This is a lesson to put your pride aside and, as an entrepreneur, reach out if you need help.
“I was ready to help with the bookkeeping, but I never got the chance.
“I apologize from the bottom of my heart to all those affected and want them to know that if there was anything I could have done, I would have.”
The boutique, which specialized in bohemian style dresses, will now be managed by joint liquidators Mark William Pearce and Michael Dullaway
Ms Schroeder, the boutique’s operations manager, claimed the owner ‘unplugged her phone’ leading her to handle hundreds of calls from desperate brides
TikToker ‘party girlclauds’ who describe themselves as ‘your wedding bestie’ urged those involved to file a claim with Fair Trading and the ACCC as soon as possible and contact their designer to see if they could help.
She said hundreds, if not thousands, of brides were left without a dress.
“They don’t have a website, they don’t have social media, and they haven’t notified any bride that they’re closing or that they’re going to pick up dresses that have been paid for in full,” she said.
“They haven’t advertised anywhere that they’re closing.”
Several brides-to-be shared their experiences with the boutique in the comments.
“I am one of the affected brides. My dress was supposed to arrive this month and now I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said one.
‘Devastating! I am waiting for 2x dresses paid in full,” wrote a second.
A third shared, “This happened to me. I was supposed to receive my dress in the first week of May and I’ve been chasing them ever since. My heart is broken.’
Affected brides have been left in limbo by the closure, with many yet to receive their dresses
Ms Schroeder commented on the video: ‘I am gutted and cannot apologize enough to those affected. Please get in touch.’
Anna Campbell, one of the brands that stocks the boutique, encouraged brides who had recently ordered a dress from them to get in touch.
“We are devastated to hear of the sudden and heartbreaking closure of our Sydney store, ‘The Bridal Atelier’,” the brand wrote on Facebook.
“Even in these uncertain times, you, our bride, are our number one priority and focus. You can rest assured that we remain committed to delivering on our commitment to you and will ensure that the highest level of service and care is provided every step of your remaining honeymoon.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Schroeder for comment.