Yonkers Women Blow Up At Wedding Dress Shop Owner

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

A pack of women gathered outside of Lily Fleur Bridal Dress Shop in Yonkers yesterday, confronting owner Michelle Mears about allegedly scamming them and demanding their dresses or their money back. Screaming in the street over a wedding dresses, brides fighting all day long, accusations of assault, police being called—sounds like the craziest episode of Bridezillas ever!

The shop owner later claimed to WCBS that the brides changed their minds after the dresses were already ordered and have "an unfair sense of entitlement because they're getting married". She says the women were being difficult about being held to a contract and think they deserve things for free, which might be believable if Mears hadn't been thought to have done this before.

Bringing the big guns in, State Sen. Jeffrey Klein claims that Mears has previously opened shop, happily taking payment from blushing brides-to-be for their dresses, and winds up closing her shop before giving customers their wedding day attire or a refund, only to later open under a new name, in a different area.

The Westchester County district attorney and attorney general will be handling the investigation, though Mears invites any disgruntled customers to come discuss their problems with her in her shop. Now that sounds like some good television. —Carlye Wisel

· Brides-To-Be Stage Bitchfest Outside Dress Shop [Gothamist]
· Bridal Warfare! Women Riot Against Dressmaker [WCBS]