Deborah Chan
The recent bankruptcy filings of several wedding dress designers and retailers have left many brides-to-be scrambling to secure their dresses and recover their money. Notable examples include the North Perth wedding store NOA Bridal, American designer Alfred Angelo, and major bridal chain JLM Couture. David's Bridal, the largest wedding gown manufacturer in North America, has also faced financial troubles, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in both 2018 and 2023. These developments have caused concern among brides, who worry about receiving their dresses in time for their weddings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of bankruptcy | July 2017 |
| Company name | Alfred Angelo |
| Location | Florida, USA |
| Number of stores | 60 |
| Bankruptcy type | Chapter 7 liquidation |
| Dress price range | $700 to $2,000 |
| Recent bankruptcy | JLM Couture Inc. |
| Bankruptcy date | 2nd October 2023 |
| Bankruptcy type | Chapter 11 |
| Liabilities | Over $2.1 million |
| Assets | $1 million to $10 million |
| Other bankruptcies | David's Bridal, NOA Bridal |
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What You'll Learn
- David's Bridal Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and again in 2024
- JLM Couture Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023
- Hailey Paige Gutman was a designer for JLM before a clash in 2022
- Alfred Angelo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017, affecting 60 stores
- NOA Bridal in North Perth declared bankruptcy in 2024, affecting 40 brides
David's Bridal Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and again in 2024
David's Bridal Inc., a company that has dressed American brides for over 70 years, filed for bankruptcy in April 2023. This was not the company's first bankruptcy filing, having previously filed in 2018.
David's Bridal has been struggling with debt for years, with a private equity firm buying the company in 2012 and saddling it with debt. The company also faced challenges due to industry changes, such as couples marrying later, smaller and more casual weddings, and the rise of online and second-hand gown purchases. The pandemic further exacerbated these issues, with David's Bridal accumulating hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.
Despite the bankruptcy filing, David's Bridal assured shoppers that its stores would remain open and that all orders would stay on schedule. However, the company planned to lay off thousands of workers, with notices filed for the layoff of 9,200 workers over a four-month period.
David's Bridal CEO, Jim Marcum, expressed confidence in the company's comeback, highlighting their ability to cater to a wide range of brides with dresses ranging from $199 to $2,000. The company also launched Pearl, which the CEO believes will be a secret weapon in their recovery.
Unfortunately, despite these efforts, David's Bridal found itself in financial trouble again and filed for bankruptcy for the second time in five years in 2024. This recent filing highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the company and the wedding dress industry as a whole.
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JLM Couture Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023
JLM Couture, a major bridal dressmaker and leader in the wedding gown industry for 30 years, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, 2 October 2023. The company cited a legal dispute with one of its former designers, Hayley Paige Gutman, and pressure from legacy creditors, including potential liability stemming from New York City landlord-tenant issues aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as reasons for its bankruptcy.
In the filing, JLM Couture declared over $2.1 million in liabilities and listed between $1 million and $10 million in assets. The company plans to restructure by significantly scaling back its business and safeguarding its assets to continue operations. A spokesperson stated that this decision is "the most strategic move to protect our valued operations and assets."
The bankruptcy filing by JLM Couture follows a series of challenges, including a dispute with Gutman and financial pressures from creditors. The company also faced issues with its physical premises, as evidenced by the landlord-tenant legal dispute, which resulted in a Business Notice of Petition/Holdover action filed in the Civil Court for the City of New York in July 2023, seeking rental arrears and related fees totaling $840,072.37.
JLM Couture's bankruptcy has left many brides-to-be concerned about their wedding dress orders, similar to the situation faced by customers of Alfred Angelo in 2017 when the designer abruptly declared bankruptcy, leaving brides worldwide without their ordered gowns. It is unclear how JLM Couture's bankruptcy will impact its customers, but bridal stores often band together to ensure brides have dresses for their weddings.
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Hailey Paige Gutman was a designer for JLM before a clash in 2022
JLM Couture, a bridal design and fashion company, has been in a legal dispute with one of its former designers, Hailey Paige Gutman. Gutman was a designer for JLM before a clash in 2022, which led to her resignation. The dispute centred around control and ownership of certain social media accounts created during Gutman's relationship with JLM, particularly the Instagram account "@misshayleypaige", which had over a million followers as of January 2022. This account was used to promote both Gutman's personal life and JLM's "Hayley Paige" brand.
Gutman and JLM originally entered into an employment agreement on July 13, 2011, with Gutman hired as a designer for a fixed term, which was set to expire in 2016 but was extended until August 1, 2022. During her time with JLM, Gutman and the company together designed, manufactured, and marketed a successful line of bridal wear, generating $220 million in sales of "Hayley Paige"-branded apparel in the six years preceding the lawsuit. As JLM's business grew, Gutman's persona and bridal line rose to prominence in the industry, and she became a well-known personality through her activity on several "Miss Hayley Paige" social media accounts.
Following her resignation, JLM claimed ownership of three of the disputed accounts: Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. The company argued that Gutman created these accounts as an employee and that they were therefore owned by the company. However, Gutman disagreed, arguing that she had wide discretion as JLM's agent to operate the accounts as she saw fit. The contracts between the parties stated that upon her resignation, Gutman would not be able to use her name in connection with promoting goods and services for the duration of the contracts, nor could she use the social media accounts to do so.
In May 2024, a Delaware bankruptcy court approved a settlement agreement between Gutman and JLM Couture, releasing Gutman from all rights, restrictions, and obligations to JLM and granting her ownership of the Hayley Paige-related intellectual property portfolio. Gutman will pay JLM $263,000 and will regain the right to compete with JLM, including using the Hayley Paige name and corresponding social media handles on bridal designs.
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Alfred Angelo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017, affecting 60 stores
In 2017, the Florida-based wedding dress designer Alfred Angelo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, affecting 60 stores and leaving brides-to-be worldwide without the gowns they had already ordered. The company, which had 60 of its own stores and 1,400 locations worldwide that sold its products, abruptly closed its Delray Beach, Florida headquarters and 61 stores across the country.
The bankruptcy filing left many brides and bridesmaids panicked about how they would get their dresses in time for their upcoming weddings. In New York state, 57 people filed official complaints, with 28 in Syracuse, 17 in Buffalo, nine in Rochester, one in Albany, and two from New York City. Many brides-to-be took to Twitter to express their frustration, with some standing in their future wedding dresses, tears in their eyes, upon hearing the news.
Some other bridal retailers offered discounts to those affected by the Alfred Angelo closures. David's Bridal, a Conshohocken, Pa.-based chain, offered 30% off wedding dresses and 20% off bridesmaid dresses for Alfred Angelo customers who did not receive their orders, with a valid receipt. The Bridal Boutique of Naperville, Illinois, also offered 20% off wedding apparel for affected brides.
Patricia Redmond, a lawyer for the Florida firm Stearns Weaver Miller that handled the bankruptcy filing, said she had received thousands of emails from concerned women, but assured them that the company would work to fulfill all orders that had already been purchased. Redmond added that many Alfred Angelo stores sent dresses by mail before the closures, which may not have arrived yet, and that she would provide a list of seamstresses for customers needing alterations.
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NOA Bridal in North Perth declared bankruptcy in 2024, affecting 40 brides
Wedding planning is stressful enough without having to worry about the financial stability of your chosen bridal designer. Unfortunately, this is the situation that many brides-to-be have found themselves in recently, with several bridal designers declaring bankruptcy and leaving their customers in limbo.
One such example is NOA Bridal in North Perth, which declared bankruptcy in 2024, affecting 40 brides. This has left young couples scrambling for dresses and likely thousands of dollars out of pocket. Administrators have stated that it is unlikely that these couples will recover their money, leaving many unsure of their options. This situation highlights the risk of booking with a smaller designer, as even if the designer themselves do not go out of business, there is a risk that their suppliers or administrators could, causing a ripple effect of financial loss.
NOA Bridal is not the only bridal designer to have faced financial troubles in recent years. Davids Bridal Inc., a well-known bridal retailer with over 300 stores, filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in five years in 2023. CEO James Marcum reassured customers that their orders would be fulfilled without disruption, but the company has struggled to differentiate itself from its competitors, making it challenging to attract and retain customers.
Another notable example is Alfred Angelo, a Florida-based bridal retailer with over 60 stores, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in 2017. This left brides-to-be around the world without the gowns they had already ordered and caused a scramble to find alternative dresses in time for their weddings.
These cases highlight the importance of thorough research and careful planning when choosing a wedding dress designer, to ensure that your big day is not overshadowed by financial worries or last-minute scrambling.
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Frequently asked questions
JLM Couture Inc., a major bridal chain and leader in the wedding gown industry for 30 years, filed for bankruptcy in October 2023.
David's Bridal, the largest wedding gown manufacturer in North America, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2025. This was the second time the company had filed for bankruptcy, the first time being in 2018.
Alfred Angelo, an American wedding dress designer, declared bankruptcy in 2017, leaving brides-to-be around the world without the gowns they had already ordered.
