Dozens of couples out of pocket as ‘disgusting’ wedding company vanishes with thousands of pounds

Dozens of couples have been left out of pocket after a wedding company vanished with thousands of pounds of customers’ cash. 

Vintage Rose Wedding Boutique, based in Bristol, stopped replying to happy couples calls and emails just days before their big day, leaving them without chair covers, sweet carts and other essential decorations.

The loved-up pairs face the smouldering ruins of their dream wedding as it remains unclear whether they will get any money back, leaving one couple feeling ‘sick to the stomach and heartbroken’.

Dozens of couples have been left out of pocket after a wedding company vanished with thousands of pounds of customers’ cash. Bride-to-be Kayleigh Davies, 27, and her partner decided to get married after she nearly died while giving birth to their youngest son. She was left £600 out of pocket and with no decorations nine days before the nuptials

Sammy Jo Thomas and fiance Alex Jones lost £200 after the business folded. 'I'm lucky that my wedding is in 11 months but it’s just heartbreaking for the women who are supposed to get married this weekend, planning a wedding is stressful enough,' she said

Sammy Jo Thomas and fiance Alex Jones lost £200 after the business folded. ‘I’m lucky that my wedding is in 11 months but it’s just heartbreaking for the women who are supposed to get married this weekend, planning a wedding is stressful enough,’ she said

Bride-to-be Kayleigh Davies, 27, and her partner decided to get married after she almost died while giving birth to her youngest son. They were left £600 out of pocket and with no decorations nine days before the wedding.

‘We put so much trust in the businesses and now with just nine days until our wedding we are missing £600 and have no wedding decorations,’ she said ahead of her wedding in Kent.

‘They were supplying everything from chair covers to a sweet cart and centre pieces. 

‘It has seriously affected us as a family.We have been together 11 years and have three children and have waited to have our perfect day for a long time. 

‘Last year our youngest was born premature and him and I almost died. We decided life was too short and to get married as soon as we can.’

Sammy had just set up a business when she paid £200 to the company for her big day

Sammy had just set up a business when she paid £200 to the company for her big day

A Cardiff couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said they have lost £750 and being left without any decorations nine days before their wedding. 

‘Two weeks before my wedding I wanted to confirm timings and was having trouble contacting them, all modes of contact were going unanswered,’ said the bride-to-be.

‘I found out on social media that they had disappeared and found comments from loads of brides saying that they couldn’t get hold of her.’

‘Some of the brides found out with just a few days to go so I consider myself one of the lucky ones as I’ve been able to find a replacement supplier.’

Alana Francis, 29, from Carmarthenshire, who lost £500, found out the business had gone under when she couldn’t find their webpage.

‘It’s disgusting, we’ve received no information from the company – nothing,’ she said.

‘It’s just a waiting game now, when I saw it I felt sick to my stomach and heartbroken.

‘I have two small children and just can’t afford to replace the money, but am lucky that my wedding isn’t until next June, loads of people’s weddings are this weekend.’

Sammy Jo Thomas, from Gorseinon near Swansea, and her partner also lost money after booking wedding decorations with the business. 

She said: ‘I’m lucky that my wedding is in 11 months but it’s just heartbreaking for the women who are supposed to get married this weekend, planning a wedding is stressful enough.’

‘I have just started a business and £200 is still £200 so I am absolutely devastated,’ adds Sammy.

An email posted online that was received by some of Vintage Rose Wedding Boutique’s customers said the business was filing for bankruptcy after its owner, Sarah Ashwood, suffered a mental breakdown.

‘Sarah has been fighting her mental illness for a while now and due to recent events she has unfortunately had a nervous breakdown and cannot continue.

‘She is deeply sorry and upset that this has happened and we do deeply apologise for the closure’. 

MailOnline has been told the business is going into liquidation and the ‘correct legal steps’ are being followed by someone familiar with the situation. 

A support group has been set up online by a Facebook page, that now has almost 200 members.

One mortified customer said underneath the post that the business was meant to provide items for her daughter’s wedding in two days time.

‘She had payment 12 months ago,’ they wrote. ‘Up to three days beforehand all was fine, emails were replied-to and so on.

‘I’ve had nothing from them telling me, I’m now left with trying to replace things at short notice.’

Another said their daughter had been left in tears after saving up for three years for her dream wedding, only to find out that the business wouldn’t be turning up.

Weddings provided by the business are rated 4.6 out of five stars on Facebook, although some people have sent in complaints.

One person, who previously received decorations from the business, said that they arrived two hours late, had ripped chair covers, and didn’t provide everything that was paid for.

‘Even before the wedding her correspondence was awful,’ they said.

‘Luckily this did not effect my wedding day and we still had the best day. It’s so sad as I felt it was a good business before.’

Another former customer said they caused ‘nothing but trouble and chaos’ when they arrived at the wedding.

‘They turned up and only had half the stuff and I was completely robbed of £700,’ they said.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk