Attorney General Ellison holds wedding dress shops accountable for breaking promises to Minnesota brides

Hopkins wedding dress shops delivered wedding gowns late, sometimes within days of a wedding; will pay restitution for brides who suffered damages and change business practices to ensure future deliveries.

AUGUST 18, 2021 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that his office has obtained relief for brides jilted by their wedding dress stores, Posh Bridal Couture and m. Elizabeth Bridal. 

“You should always get what you pay for when you pay for it. The days leading up to your wedding day should be filled with joy and excitement, not dread and anxiety about whether you’ll have something to wear down the aisle. Minnesotans trust shops like this with some of the biggest purchases we’ll ever make. When companies violate that trust by failing to deliver, my office is here to make sure Minnesotans are protected,” Attorney General Ellison said.   

Following a local news report about Posh, the Attorney General’s Office received a flood of complaints from consumers sharing similar stories. “This case highlights how the media, Minnesota consumers, and your elected officials can work together to bring accountability to businesses in our state,” Attorney General Ellison said.  “If you have a problem with a business, you might not be the only one, contact us. We may be able to help not only you, but many others,”  Attorney General Ellison continued, urging Minnesotans to report deceptive and unlawful business practices through the Office’s online complaint form. 

The Attorney General’s Office alleged that the two jointly-owned-and-operated wedding dress shops told buyers to expect gowns in six months or fewer, but often delivered late.  Some brides reported receiving their dress only days before their wedding, resulting in rush alteration fees, or, in some cases, forcing the brides to buy back-up dresses. 

The Office further alleged that Posh and m. Elizabeth falsely represented the reasons for the delays, blaming the tardy deliveries on international customs or on dress designers, when, in fact, delays resulted from the stores’ failure to pay the gowns’ manufacturers for the products.  The Office further alleged that the stores’ owner instructed her employees to pass misinformation on to consumers. 

Under the terms of an Assurance of Discontinuance filed in Hennepin County District Court today, the stores — now consolidated into one entity — agreed to make significant changes to their business practices; not make misleading, deceptive, false, or fraudulent statements to consumers; open its books to Attorney General’s Office review; and pay $50,000.  Settlement funds can be distributed to residents by the Attorney General or remitted to the general fund of the State of Minnesota.