Hundreds of brides-to-be turned up at a hotel in Cork yesterday to get their hands on €250,000 worth of cut-price wedding dresses and accessories which went on sale following the liquidation of a bridal store in the city. Close to 1,000 gowns from The Wedding Dress shop went on sale at the Rochestown Park Hotel.
Michelle Hickey (23), from Youghal, Co Cork, who is marrying Mark Fitzgerald next year bought a wedding dress, two bridesmaid dresses and a veil. Her dream dress was on sale at €750, down from €1,300, while her two bridesmaid dresses were a bargain at €90 each.
Ms Hickey said she was thrilled with the outcome of her visit but expressed frustration at not being able to try her gown on. The dress she bought was a size 12, so as a petite size 10 a minor alteration will be called for, but she did not expect it would be a problem.
She was accompanied to the sale by her sister Laura (24) who lost a "large deposit" when The Wedding Dress on Penrose Wharf in Cork ceased trading in March with debts of €1 million. Michelle Hickey said she felt terribly sorry for her sister who is marrying fiance Declan Barron in Youghal in July.
"My sister lost loads of money. She lost her deposit. She had to order the dress elsewhere and pay for it. It is hard. I just chanced coming up today and I got my dress, so I was lucky. I am delighted."
Other bargain hunters included Catherine Mason from Montenotte in Cork city. She was one of the lucky ones when The Wedding Dress closed suddenly as she had paid for her dress by credit card and it is due to arrive in six weeks. She saved €200 yesterday when she bought a tiara, veil and shoes at discount prices.
No fittings were allowed during yesterday's sale, but by 11am one plucky bride was miraculously donning a wedding dress having stripped to her underwear behind a rail of dresses. Brides were also only allowed into the tiny hotel room in small groups, so hundreds queued patiently for the chance to view the designer gowns.
Just 10 minutes into the sale one wedding dress that originally cost €1,800 had been sold for €600, while a €1,500 dress went for €500.
The most expensive dress ever stocked by The Wedding Dress, a size 12 Venetia Hollywood dress as featured recently in Hello magazine which originally cost €4,000 was "open to offers."
Loose tiaras were being sold at 50 per cent off and men's patent shoes were considered "a steal" at €25. Grooms dress suits were also on sale from €120, but by 11am only two men had turned up for the sale. Even then, the men said they were "forced" to do so by their eager brides-to-be.
Liquidator Gerard Murphy said he was amazed by the reaction to the sale. "A lot of women coming this morning already have dresses and are looking for accessories. We expect a busy few days. This is all new to me. It is different from construction sales anyway."
The sale was staffed by former workers at The Wedding Dress and Brendan Linehan, husband of the owner Judith, who said he was glad the sale was going well because there was always a good atmosphere at the store.
Liquidators selling off the assets of The Wedding Dress aim to raise up to €80,000 from the sale towards the store's debt of over €1 million. Money from the sale will go to reimburse preferred creditors like the Department of Employment. Unsecured creditors such as women who paid by cash or cheque will receive nothing because of the size of the firm's liabilities. The sale continues at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork until Thursday.