A wedding dress boutique conned brides-to-be out of nearly £12,000 for “hand-made” white gowns, when in fact, they were stitched in a factory in China.
Bridal boutique owner Melanie Bishop, 36, of Cefn Cwrt House, Oakdale, and mum Patricia, 60, of The Barn House, Oakdale, tricked 13 brides into thinking they were buying bespoke gowns for their big day.
At a recent hearing, Cardiff Crown Court was told how the pair, who traded as AnnaSara in Newport, advertised hand-made dresses costing up to £1,000.
Both women now face possible jail sentences after pleading guilty to a total of 18 counts of “engaging in unfair commercial practice” after heartbroken brides complained to consumer watchdogs.
The offences took place between March 2015 and April 2016.
Furious brides first found out they had been duped when they spotted “made in China” labels on their dresses – and launched a campaign to get their cash back.
But Bishop quickly shut up shop leaving more than 100 other brides worried they would be left without their white dresses on their big day.
An investigation by Newport Trading Standards ended with Bishop and her mother being charged with fraud.
The court heard they accepted claiming they had designed and made the dresses themselves.
The pair pleaded guilty to failing to inform customers the wedding dresses were actually made in China, falsely stating they would be made in their local workshop.
Melanie and Patricia Bishop admitted their behaviour was likely to distort the behaviour of the average consumer.
Another 20 charges will lie on file.
Both women were granted bail ahead of their sentencing hearing on Friday, March 9.