‘Why were some of our dresses never ordered? Why, when you took our money, are we now being told by suppliers that they did not receive a cent?’

IN one great bridal march, they clipped their way across the foyer of the Clarion Hotel, hell bent on getting answers from the wedding outfitters who had let them down.

They were the belligerent brides-to-be who had ordered and paid for gowns from The Wedding Dress Ltd, the company which last month ceased trading, owing creditors over €1 million.

In an upstairs room, up to 200 wrathful women, many accompanied by fuming fiancés, demanded to know where their money had gone.

They featured on a list of 192 named creditors distributed at the meeting convened to appoint a liquidator.

To gain entry, security men asked them to prove their names were on the creditor’s list, but those who did not figure were not to be denied. They had letters from The Wedding Dress proving they had parted with money for goods not yet received, even if the list of creditors did not reflect their investment.

In they all piled, standing room only, hushing when solicitor Jim O’Riordan rose to his feet, present to oversee the appointment of a liquidator.

He opened proceedings by introducing Judith Linehan, the public face of The Wedding Dress bridal shop, one of two directors and sole shareholder of The Wedding Dress Ltd, Penrose Wharf, Penrose Quay, Cork city.

Hair perfectly coiffed and looking suitably sombre in a black polo-neck and stylish skirt, Ms Linehan, whose husband Brendan was in the background, began with an apology that her company had become insolvent.

An angry audience demanded that she “stand up” to better hear what she had to say. She obliged and with perfect composure delivered her speech.

“Our hearts and souls went into this company and into trying to made it a success,” she said.

She had personally invested over €120,000 in the business and, since the company’s insolvency, had personally guaranteed to meet the €139,000 owed to the banks.

She outlined how the company had moved from being loss-making in 2004 to making a profit of €40,000 in 2005.

“We thought we had turned a corner,” she said.

“However, we had a large debt to the Revenue and we knew we needed to increase sales.”

She said sales figures had dropped from €94,900 in January 2005 to €64,900 in January 2006. In February 2005, the figure was €108,220, in February 2006, it was €61,500.

Every penny she had went into the business, Ms Linehan said. She explained that the internet had played a major role in their difficulties, with brides-to-be ordering dresses online at a cheaper price, after first trying her shop for styles.

“We cut wages, staff, advertising and gave back cars on lease,” she said.

Their solution to falling sales figures, she said, was to open another shop, this time in Kenmare, Co Kerry, just before Christmas. This was met by hoots of derision, with demands to know where the money had come from to fund a second premises.

Ms Linehan continued, saying it was only on March 21 that their “obvious difficulties” led to them calling a meeting of staff to brief them on what was happening.

“The rumour got out that we were closing down and by 1pm members of staff were getting personal threats,” she said.

She said she and her staff had worked tirelessly in the weeks since closure to ensure customers received their entitlements. To date, more than 190 dresses and supporting accessories had been processed, she said.

Her audience was not appeased. A torrent of questions followed.

“When did you realise you were insolvent?” they asked. “Why did you continue to take deposits when you must have known you were in trouble?”

“Why are all our names not on the creditor’s list?”

“Why were some of our dresses never ordered?”

“Why, when you took our money, are we now being told by suppliers that they did not receive a cent?”

“Were you acting responsibly in taking our money when your monthly sales figures were dropping?”

“Have you property in Florida?”

“What financial controls did you have in place?”

“Where did you get the €120,000 that you personally invested?”

“Who carried out the renovations to your premises at a cost of €235,000 and was that person paid?”

“Why does your statement of affairs [circulated at the meeting] show a deficit of more than €1m when the last set of accounts filed [February 2005] show a profit?”

Some of the questions were answered, but not to the satisfaction of the crowd.

It was standard retail practice, Ms Linehan said, to order a dress when a deposit is placed.

It was the shop’s policy not to accept delivery of the dress until six to four weeks before the wedding because of storage problems. Upon delivery, the supplier sends an invoice and the dress is then paid for. This was the system she operated.

She admitted her husband’s company, Linehan Construction, had carried out renovations to her shop, but this did not reflect the €235,000 cost of alterations, she said.

Up to €50,000 had been spent on the Kenmare shop, and this did not involve Linehan Construction.

Work on the Cork premises had been carried out over a number of years, she said.

Linehan Construction was not on the list of creditors.

Eventually, after more than two hours, Jim O’Riordan put a halt to the questioning and asked that the creditors approve a liquidator.

Gerard Murphy, based in Midleton, Co Cork, who unbeknown to creditors had been present throughout the meeting, was appointed.

The spotlight switched and brides-to-be queued with their questions for Mr Murphy, the burning one being - “Will we get our money back?”

An emphatic “No” was the answer.

By the time the mop-up cost of the liquidation operation is paid for, the unfortunate brides are unlikely to see even the price of a garter.