A young Dublin woman said she was left in tears when she discovered the bridal store she had bought her wedding dress from had gone into administration.

Berketex Bridal, a UK bridal chain with one store in Ireland in Jervis Shopping Centre, announced on Tuesday that their 12 outlets were to close with “immediate effect”.

The bridal chain also had stores in UK cities such as Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, London and Glasgow.

Katie Madden (25), from Clondalkin in Dublin, was one of hundreds of brides that bought her “dream dress” from the bridal store, and first saw the news of the closure on social media.

“It was my instant dream dress when I bought it in June. It was the only dress I tried on, I went and had a think about it, but I couldn’t get it out of my head,” Katie told Independent.ie.

“When my mam showed me the news on Facebook, I sobbed instantly when I read it. I thought maybe it was just in the UK but as I continued reading, I felt this pit in my stomach.”

Katie, who is set to marry her fiancée David Lynch next April, claimed that she didn’t hear anything from the store directly but went onto their website to check the news herself, which directed to Wilson Field Limited who are believed to be assisting the company with the closure.

“I emailed them as soon as I found out and they got back to me yesterday afternoon. I was told if it was paid in full, they could try sort the dress, and deposits on card might come back through the provider- but as I paid my deposit in cash, I was added to a creditors list,” she said.

“I was lucky I saw it online or I would’ve presumed my dress was fine. I just felt sorry for the staff that worked there, they were all so lovely and left in the dark.” 

With her big day coming up, Katie didn’t want to leave it any longer to find a replacement dress – and luckily found a similar dress in another store yesterday.

“I was sick to my stomach and needed to relax, so yesterday my mam came out with me to get a new dress. It’s really similar to the last one,” she said.

“They asked me if I wanted to pay a deposit or pay in full and bring it home on the day, so I paid in full. I couldn’t leave it behind this time after all this!”

A statement from Berketex Bridal said the company was to close on November 13, and encouraged brides to contact their helpline for updates.

“This company has ceased to trade with immediate effect. This shop, and all other outlets trading as Berketex Bride, will be closed from 13 November 2018 and will not re-open,” the letter reads.

“Wilson Field Limited of the Manor House, 260 Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield S11 9PS have been instructed to assist the company.

“A notice of intention to appoint administrators over the company was filed on Friday 9 November 2018 in the High Court of justice, Manchester under court number 3401 of 2018.

“This provides protection for the company from the actions of its creditors meaning no enforcement action should be taken in recovery of liabilities without leave of court.”

The statement concluded with an apology from the directors.

“The director of the company wishes to express his sincere apologies for the abrupt closure of the store and any subsequent inconvenience this may cause to customers of the company.

“Wilson Field Limited appreciate that this will be distressing for the customers of the company and will deal with individual queries as quickly as possible however we anticipate a high volume of calls and therefore ask for your patience in advance.”

According to their website, the company had been “making wedding dreams come true” for over 50 years.

A number of other bridal stores across the UK have offered Berketex customers a discount on their collections through the Berketex Bride Facebook page.

Independent.ie has contacted Berketex for comment.

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