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Local brides scramble after Alfred Angelo sudden closure

Published July 17, 2017 1:35 AM

Brides across the country are scrambling after getting the news that the stores where they bought their wedding dresses are closing.

Coachella Valley bride-to-be Brittney Calhoun got a call Thursday afternoon from Alfred Angelo saying the bridal shop chain is closing its doors.

“It’s 3 o’clock. We’re giving you a courtesy call. You have until 6 p.m. to pick up all of your items and your gown or the doors will be locked and you will not be able to get them,” Calhoun said.

Luckily, she already had her dress, after ordering it last year and opting out of alterations though the company. But it was all the accessories she was missing, from the petticoat to the veil, even down to the belt.

“A hair broach, all crystal, with sparkle on it, and it matched the dress and the veil. So we had to compromise and pick something else,” Calhoun said.

Her parents had less than three hours to drive to Riverside to get the items they’d paid for before the shop closed for good at 6 p.m.

“The panic in her voice, her demeanor changed and it was like we have to get there now to get our stuff,” said Brittney’s dad Andy Calhoun.

Other brides showing up only to find out they weren’t going to get their dresses.

“Seeing these other poor girls thinking ‘What are we gonna do?’ and the people working there were like we have no answers. And you know the wedding dress shopping should be fun and joyful and it was sad to see these ladies not getting their dress,” said Andy Calhoun.

Many out thousands of dollars for a dress they’ll never get.

“Overall with all the accessories, the gown and everything that makes a bride look fabulous, you are out a couple of thousand dollars,” Calhoun said.

Women from across the country now banding together forming a facebook group. Some offering other brides their dresses and bridesmaid dresses.

Calhoun said she feels lucky and knows it could be much worse. But after avoiding a disaster she’s thankful for her parents and ready to marry her man.