HARRIS COUNTY – Several brides-to-be reached out to KPRC 2 looking for a new wedding dress after the boutique they ordered their dream dress from closed with no notice.
KPRC 2 first reported on the Princess Bridal Boutique last night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, we spoke to an attorney about what’s next in the wedding saga.
Attorney Lara Hollingsworth who works for the Rusty Hardin Law Firm said the brides have entered a contract and they have the ability to enforce the contract by going to court, but it’s not the fastest way to get some relief.
“It’s unfortunate. I don’t know if there is a quick resolution,” she said.
Attorney Lara Hollingsworth spoke to KPRC 2 about the soon-to-be brides who were left in limbo after learning the Princess Bridal Boutique located in north Harris County closed without any notice.
Many brides showed up to the store on Tuesday only to find the doors locked and a notice of lockout on display.
Attorney Hollingsworth said the brides should be reaching out to the owners.
“They need to be reaching out in writing and they need to let this owner know that they either want their dress or they want their refund,” she said.
Its steps many of the brides are already doing, but they said the owners are ghosting them. Hollingsworth said it’s important to keep copies of emails and receipts.
“That will help them if they do decide they have to take legal action in the future. The hope is that they don’t have too, and they are able to come up with a resolution, but it sounds like the owner is in a bad position and I’m not sure if they will be able to do that,” she said.
Soon-to-be bride Megan had no idea the boutique was having any issues. Back in January she made a deposit for over $1,000 and now she wonders if she will even get her dream dress.
“After watching the news story and looking at stuff on Facebook I was like there is probably, we will be lucky if we get our deposit back,” she said.
It’s an unfortunate situation for 100 or so brides who spent a lot of time and money planning their big day.
“You do all the things you’re supposed to do and now it is disappointing thinking myself and the other brides may have to go to a store and find something off the rack,” she said.
On Tuesday, KPRC 2 spoke to one of the owners over the phone who said she is communicating with all of their brides.
“We are working through with our brides with daily communication through email. If they have any questions they can reach out through email, and we will respond to them it may take some time,” she said.
“There is no communication from the bridal store. I know she said she was in contact with brides, but I checked my email, I went back and looked at my phone for missed calls and voicemails and I didn’t see anything,” Megan said.
According to the company’s website the boutique carries hundreds of dresses from different designers.
Designer Justin Alexander released a statement,
“We were very sad to learn of the shop’s closure. We know it is traumatic for brides as they have no way of knowing how they can get their gowns, but we are working diligently to resolve the situation. Our service team has reached out to all nineteen brides that have yet to receive their Justin Alexander gowns to ease their concerns and provide next steps to ensure that they receive their dream dress on time for their wedding day. We will work with them directly to fulfill their dress orders.
Although this unexpected experience is extremely stressful for the brides, we are doing everything we can to resolve it quickly and give the best service possible considering the unfortunate circumstances.”
Attorney Hollingsworth said the designers could get involved in a conflict with the landlord depending on what’s in the lease between the owner and the landlord.
“If those dresses are owned by the designers still, I would think they have a right to go and request that they get those dresses back and the landlord can’t attempt to use that property to pay off any delinquent rent,” she said.
Attorney Hollingsworth adds there is a possibility that the owner can go and request access to the shop from the landlord and remove any items.
KPRC 2 reached out to the owner. The law firm who represents the landlord had no comment.