FARMINGTON, Mich. – A bridal shop in Farmington abruptly closed earlier this year, leaving a bridal party without bridesmaid dresses just a few months away from the wedding.
The bride called Help Me Hank to track down the store owner and come to the rescue.
Many women know the feeling of driving from store to store, trying on dress after dress to find the perfect one for their wedding day.
Bride Lauren Moran and her four bridesmaids said they tried on hundreds of dresses before visiting Moni's Bridal and Fashion Salon in Farmington.
"It was a beautiful dress," Moran said.
They said they found the perfect bridesmaid dresses, and all four bridesmaids paid for their dresses in full -- $220 each.
When the bride needed to push back the wedding date a few more months to August, she said the owner of the bridal shop was fine with it.
"She said, 'OK, we can still hold your dresses here,'" Moran said.
But in April, when Moran called the shop, hoping the pick up the dresses, she got some shocking news.
"I got to make a phone call and it says, 'Permanently closed,' and I'm, like, (gasp)," Moran said. "My heart sank."
Moran and her bridesmaids said they sent emails and made phone calls but never heard back. No refunds were sent to their accounts for the dresses they paid for and never received, the women said.
"What are my girls going to be wearing for my wedding day?" Moran asked. "What am I going to do?"
Local 4's Hank Winchester set out to get some answers. When he went by the store, it was dark and empty. The sign out front had been taken down.
Hank found an address for the owner and went to her house. Checking online reivews, some people said the owner had moved and others said she retired.
This type of incident has happened before, specifically involving a bridal shop in Shelby Township that also closed its doors.
Were there any red flags? Was the Farmington shop looking empty?
"No," Moran said. "It was full, packed full of dresses, and they were, like, 'We're going to be getting these dresses in and these dresses in.'"
It's also important to look at online reviews.
Also, the Better Business Bureau doesn't recommend paying the full cost for dresses up front. Experts advise paying 50% of the total cost and waiting to pay the rest until you have the dress in your hands.
Even though Local 4 couldn't get the bridesmaids their money back, we found another bridal store to come to the rescue.
David's Bridal came through, agreeing to send the women the same dresses they had originally ordered in the same color they wanted.
"It makes me feel really good to know there's still good people out there," bridesmaid Kristy Moran said.
"Thank you for helping us!" bridesmaid Cheyenne Baize said. "I don't know where we would be without you helping us. I don't know where we would be right now without you guys. I am so thankful for everyone in this situation right now."