Couples get those wedding day recession blues

And she was only one of about 300 brides-to-be who did not receive their orders when the shop closed in late April, police said. They said they were collecting the names of spurned customers and were trying to determine whether Lori Parsons, the shop’s owner, would face charges.

Fish said she got a discount and ordered new dresses from another shop, but paying for two weddings is still tough to take.

“It’s your wedding day. It’s not like it’s not a big deal,” she said.

It wasn’t an isolated event:

• Brides in Rockwall, Texas, had to scramble to make new arrangements after The Wedding Cottage, a popular wedding chapel, shut its doors without notice in the spring. “This is supposed to be the nicest day in your life, and then you’re in your wedding dress in front of a closed door,” said Mariana Schmidt, who had planned to marry Jerry Sanders at the chapel.
• Ellen Scott had already put down a $500 deposit to get married at Captain and the Cowboy, a plantation in Apopka, Fla. She paid $7,000 more on May 10. The next day, the plantation closed. “Obviously, there is no food,” Scott said. And “we have no wedding cake.”
• Jesse Stanley and Kelly Bristol of New Britain, Conn., had planned to have their wedding reception in August at Joe Black’s, a restaurant in Hartford. They put down a $2,000 deposit nine months ago. Then it closed, without warning, in late March. “I didn’t read anything in the wedding book that told me how to plan for your reception place closing,” Stanley said.

• Dozens of brides were left dressless last month after La Bella Sposa closed overnight in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s a very bad feeling, like, what am I going to do?" said Lisa Justice, who paid $3,200 for a dress four months ago. “I had seen it in a magazine. I splurged!” 

Nationwide, news reports and forums at Web sites like Weddingbee and Project Wedding bristle with tales of caterers’ closing, photographers’ folding and dress makers’ disappearing. Often, marooned couples have no one to turn to.

But not always.

Timberly Belk’s father put down a $1,200 deposit to reserve Zinfandel Grille for her wedding to Ben Rudeen in Rocklin, Calif., next month. The restaurant closed last week.

Get hitched without going broke Heather Lowenthal, a wedding planner in Jupiter, Fla., offers these tips: — Buy flowers that are in season. — Limit the menu: Offer fewer courses. Serve appetizers instead of loading up serving stations. And get an elegant cake from the local supermarket. “You know, you can get a cake at Publix for $3 per slice, and at the high-end cake shop over down the road, you’re paying $10 to $12 per piece on a cake.” — Hire a deejay instead of a live band, especially if you plan to dance the night away. — Choose simple, classic invitations — nothing overly ornate. — Don’t be afraid to buy a wedding dress right off the rack. “Designers like Isaac Mizrahi are designing gowns for Target!” WESH-TV

It’s “horrible, and there’s not much you can do,” Rudeen said. “She’s not too happy. I’m not too happy.”

Bob Leach, owner of the Rocklin Park Hotel, where the independently owned restaurant did business, said he would rebook events at another venue or refund deposits. He’ll hire a caterer and put on the events himself if he has to, he said.

“We’re not about to let some bride, mom or dad lose their opportunity to have a wonderful wedding situation,” Leach said.

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