San Antonio brides are in panic mode once again after a second bridal shop shut its doors this week.
A sign outside Destiny Bridal says that the property has been seized for nonpayment of taxes owed to the State of Texas.
Just two weeks ago, Alfred Angelo, one of the largest retailers of wedding dresses, filed for bankruptcy. Stores closed nationwide.
Although brides paid for their dream dress, many never got them. Now, Destiny Bridal, a bridal boutique off Vance Jackson and De Zavala was forced to close.
They failed to pay nearly a year's worth of sales tax, just over $22,000, to the Texas Comptroller's Office.
Chris Brian, spokesperson of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, tells KENS 5 that they attempted to work with Destiny Bridal to come up with payment plans and other methods to pay, but the company never complied.
"I laughed and I was like, 'Thankfully I didn't purchase my dress at Alfred Angelo,'" said bride-to-be Sabrina Garcia. "I'd seen the whole debacle on that and I was like, 'I'm glad I went to a boutique, a locally-owned shop.' Then, here I am in the same situation."
Garcia's seven bridesmaids are hunting everywhere for the same dress. She was supposed to pick it up this week, but since Monday, no one at Destiny Bridal has answered the phone and the doors have been locked.
"When you've shared the moment with your mom and sister and you've had the cry that you wanted when you find the dress, you can't replace that," Garcia said. "You can't duplicate it anywhere else."
Garcia planned to pick up her dream dress this week. Her wedding is two months away.
"We don't have the funds to supplement another dress and we don't have time to purchase another dress that will take 10-20 weeks to get here," she said.
Garcia says that, at the very least, the owner of the boutique should have called or notified everyone of the closure on social media.
"The saddest and hardest thing I've had to face about it is that I may not marry my fiance in the dress that I dreamt about marrying him in," Garcia lamented. "I've had to come to terms that I'm going to have to settle for something else."
Amaré Bridal by Mayfair is one of many local shops stepping in to help these brides in distress.
"We had a lot of them last weekend in here. Some of them were about to cry, they felt sad. We are helping them," said Velida Mesinovic, a store manager at Amaré Bridal by Mayfair.
Amaré Bridal is offering half off a stock piece, plus more discounts for special order dresses when brides bring in a valid receipt.
"When we were little, we all dreamed about that one day in our life," Mesinovic said. "We're looking for that dream dress."
Impression Bridal is also extending a helping hand. If an Alfred Angelo bride or a Destiny Bridal bride provides a receipt showing they've paid 50 percent or more for their dress, they can stop by Impression Bridal and get half off a gown.
If brides don't have the funds to pay the 50 percent, they could be eligible for a free gown at the Impression Bridal outlet store in Houston. Impression Bridal administrators suggest brides call the San Antonio location first at (210) 468-1818.
If you have a dress inside Destiny Bridal, we have some great news.
Brian tells KENS 5 brides can contact the local Texas Comptroller Field Office at 210-342-2300 (extensions 44937, 44910 or 44939). He says let them know you have a receipt for the item, then they will get you the dress.
If you have a remaining balance, you just need to bring cash or cashiers check.
Destiny Bridal has yet to respond to our multiple requests for comment.
Amaré Bridal by Mayfair is located in San Antonio at 8800 Broadway, Suite #110. You can reach them at (210) 999-5735.
Impression Bridal is also located in San Antonio at 602 NW Loop 410, Suite #107. You can reach them at (210) 468-1818.