Bridal e-commerce sites and brick-and-mortar retailers are swooping in on clients of Alfred Angelo Bridal, the 84-year-0ld chain that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last week after closing all 61 of its stores, leaving brides-to-be at the altar without the dresses they paid for.
Just as quickly as jilted brides took to social media to vent their frustration, other wedding retailers came forward with offers of assistance. Some seemed less altruistic than opportunistic.
“Alfred Angelo brides, we want to help!” a banner at the top of the Foravere.com home page reads. The e-commerce site, which sends prospective brides boxes containing as many styles as they want to try on, created a hashtag, #bridepocalypse. “All of the gowns from our last two collections are in need of new homes and we’re giving them away – totally free – to brides in need of new dresses,” the site says.
Related Articles
For brides who want to design their own gowns from Floravere’s latest collection, the site is giving 30 percent off any new dress.
You May Also Like
Brides who’ve already gone through the time-consuming, stressful dress-shopping experience can find “comfort in knowing they can try on Floravere’s sample gowns in the comfort of their own homes, on their own schedules,” said founder Molly Kang, adding that the direct-from-designer short lead times enable Floravere to have a delivery window of five weeks or less.
Designer bridesmaid rental site Vow To Be Chic is offering 10 percent off wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses to Anthony Angelo customers.
David’s Bridal is giving 20 percent off bridesmaid and flower-girl dresses, and a 30 percent discount on wedding gowns with an Alfred Angelo receipt.
Offers of help came from as far as Jaipour, Rajasthan, India, where designer Angel Peyush Kumawat posted a message on Alfred Angelo’s Facebook page: “Hello friends, how are you all? Are you sad due to Alfred Angelo’s closing? Don’t worry, because you could enjoy your wedding in a very new [style]. We’ll make your dress up, so contact us and it will be amazing.”
There’s even a grassroots movement to help brides who may never get their dresses from Alfred Angelo. “I live in L.A. and would like to donate my bridesmaids dress if someone needs,” said one post. NPR affiliate station KPCC in Southern California is using #dressmatchmaker to help facilitate dress exchanges.