Bridal Chain Alfred Angelo's Bankruptcy Just Turned Into A Disaster

When bridal gown chain Alfred Angelo closed all of its stores suddenly last month, brides across the country began freaking out. For weeks, customers have had no idea if they would get the gowns and bridesmaid dresses they'd already paid for, or if refunds were even possible. On Thursday, the company finally posted an update to its website with bad news: If you haven't already received your dress, it's not happening.

"The Chapter 7 Trustee greatly regrets the upset that Alfred Angelo’s July 14th bankruptcy filing has caused its customers," reads the statement on AlfredAngelo.com. "While we have been successful in obtaining customer records and delivering many dresses and accessories for customers all over the country, even after the bankruptcy filing date, it has now become apparent that the logistical and financial strain of fulfilling each and every open order makes continuing that course of action no longer possible. Thus, to the extent any order has not been fully delivered to a customer, it shall have to remain unfilled."

Employees at Alfred Angelo's 60-plus stores didn't know about the bankruptcy until a conference call on Thursday, July 13, so they had been selling gowns — or the promise of gowns — up until that moment. That day, the Palm Beach Post reported that the employees of the company's headquarters in Delray Beach, FL had left their office building carrying boxes and personal belongings. Many store workers, facing imminent unemployment and unsure about their last paychecks, reportedly worked late into the night on Thursday, trying to get what dresses they could to the brides who had bought them. On Friday, July 14, Patricia Redmond, an attorney for Alfred Angelo, told Michigan's WZZM that they were filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and working on the details of liquidating assets. She didn't make any promises, but her email appeared on the "closed" signs on many of the stores.

This statement, however, makes it seems as if they have delivered all the dresses they ever will. It advises customers who believe the company still owes them money to fill out a proof of claim form to submit to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The link they include for doing so was not working at the time this story was published.

The silver lining in all this: Women are back on Twitter and Facebook, offering up their used gowns to brides affected by this mess.