A Coventry couple have had their wedding plans shattered after the collapse of a bridal company.
Crystal Allwood and Peter Monger, from Stoke Heath, say they will have to start their wedding plans from scratch after being left more than £1,000 out of pocket.
Halesowen-based wedding cake firm 'Bake a Cake' announced through Facebook that it was no longer trading.
The pair, both 24, had spent over £1,000 with the company to provide a photo booth, table decorations, catering and a wedding cake.
Warehouse worker Peter, and his fiancée Crystal, who works at a builders' merchants, had even been to the home of Bake a Cake owners Lisa and Ryan Holt before they committed to spending money.
But now, they appear to be one of hundreds of couples whose plans have been left up in the air by the company during the run up to their big day.
Crystal said the disruption had left her in tears and fearing for the future of her wedding in August next year.
She said: "We placed our order in March, but a couple of weeks ago we started to see more and more bad reviews on Facebook and I got worried.
"I rang her and she said everything was fine and that there had been a hate campaign against her on Facebook, she reassured me.
"But then on Monday we saw the message on Facebook that the business was no longer trading."
She added: "I was just crying all day. We're basically going to have to start from scratch.
"All that money has gone down the drain, and it's a lot of money for us. Our friends and family are shocked, they're being really sympathetic.A lot have said they will help out, but it's not their problem, they shouldn't have to. We don't want to feel like a charity."
The Bake a Cake website claims the company "adds a personal touch to any special event". The number provided online rang out when the Telegraph tried to contact the company.
Crystal and Peter have now contacted Action Fraud – a government agency which deals with complaints from consumers who feel they have been ripped off.
Action Fraud said they could not yet say how many people had been affected, but the issue was being assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.
An email from Lisa Holt to desperate customers this week said the firm had been forced to stop trading as a result of a burglary and a campaign of harassment. She also promised clients a refund once the insurance company had processed the firm's claim.
Reports of a break-in at the Holts' address has been confirmed by West Midlands Police, which says it was alerted to a burglary at their home on July 19, when business papers were stolen. Police were contacted again on August 12 following an arson attack.
Source: Stoke Heath couple's wedding dream wrecked after collapse of bridal company Bake A Cake
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