Calvary Bridal House in Millburn

Sorry I've been MIA for a bit... From November 7-12, I was in Newport Beach, CA, attending the Association of Bridal Consultants' annual conference. This was my 7th straight year attending conference, and once again, it did not disappoint! I was able to reconnect with old friends from across the globe, meet new and exciting people working in the wedding industry, and learn a great deal from the educational seminars! Colin Cowie was this year's featured speaker, and he brought amazing photos of weddings he's done and graciously posed for many photos! In my next post, I'll publish some of the photos that I took in CA!

However, I wanted to point out an issue that's been going on in NJ - the bankruptcy filing of Calvary Bridal House in Millburn. According to reports, the bridal salon took bride's deposits and orders and simply pocketed the money without submitting the orders to the designers! There's a pretty good article about this in the NJ Star Ledger: http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2008/11/calvary_bridal_leaves_town.html. Apparently, the shop has now relocated to Livingston.

Now, in a former life, I was a bankruptcy attorney. Essentially what will happen is all the brides who purchased gowns - or put money down for dresses but never received them - will be deemed "unsecured creditors." They will be required to file a Claim and will be processed amongst all the other creditors to Calvary Bridal House. The Bankruptcy Court essentially will look at all the money available to pay Calvary's bills, and divide that money up among the creditors. In cases I worked on, unsecured creditors received anywhere from 2 cents on the dollar all the way up to over 90 cents, all depending on a multitude of factors. I can't help but feel really badly for anyone who bought their dress from Calvary, as you will more than likely have to go to another shop for your dress and wait until the bankruptcy is finished before receiving a portion of your deposit back.

Calvary Bridal House isn't the only wedding business to file for bankruptcy and/or disappear lately. Celebration Studios comes to mind, and just a night or two ago I heard of another photography studio in Staten Island closing up without warning. The lesson for you is to check out - as much as you can - how well established the company is, check with the Better Business Bureau, etc. One thing you can do for yourself, though, is to hire a professional wedding consultant who knows the local industry and reliable companies. Sometimes we hear rumblings about companies before they become known to the public; other times, we can steer you to professional vendors who more than likely will provide you with service that exceeds your expectations.

Until next time, happy planning...