As Alfred Angelo announced it would not be able to deliver brides’ wedding gowns, a former seamstress for the company is swooping in with her needle and thread to offer customers free alterations.
The nationwide bridal company announced it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 14, shuttering 60 bridal stores with no warning. Bridezillas rushed to locations and banged on doors in an effort to get a hold of their gowns, most of them without luck.
Less than a month later, the future brides' hopes were dashed when Alfred Angelo released another statement saying it will "no longer [be] possible" to fulfill the rest of the orders.
"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," the statement read.
"Thus, to the extent any order has not been fully delivered to a customer, it shall have to remain unfilled," it said.
Customers who were still owed money were prompted to fill out a form through a link, but they were still missing their dress.
Former Alfred Angelo seamstress Rose Ellis, however, is looking at another way to help out — altering the dresses for women free of charge.
"Out of a job. No contract. No notice. And, I have people's belongings, their gowns," Ellis told KFOR.
Ellis told KFOR she worked at the Tulsa and Oklahoma City stores for seven years and grabbed nearly 80 gowns before the company locked stores' doors for good.
"I just felt that, with my integrity, I had to do what I could do and, if I'm not getting paid for it, so what, you know? That's par for the course," Ellis said.
Stephanie Huey, who brought her bridesmaid dresses from Alfred Angelo, sought out Ellis' help and paid for a hotel room in Oklahoma City so the seamstress can do the alterations for the next few months.
"They're going to get a gown that's going to fit them perfectly even though they paid Alfred Angelo for the work, not the seamstress for the work, they still have a gown they can be happy with," Ellis said.
Huey also created a GoFundMe page to help pay for the hotel and alterations' costs. The campaign has raised more than $23,000 as of Sunday afternoon.
Ellis joins scores of other women stepping in to help jilted brides. The hashtags #AlfredAngelo and #dressmatchmaker also began trending on social media days after the store closings, with women offering to send their old gowns to brides-to-be.
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