Angry couples have found their wedding plans in tatters after a bridal boutique suddenly went bust.

Calls from angry brides flooded in to The Argus after we broke the story on Friday.

Some were left with only a few days to find new dresses after the sudden closure of Pretty Brides and Formale.

Those who went to the shop in Broadwater Street West, Worthing, found it shut.

Phone calls to the firm's numbers went unanswered over the weekend.

Jo Barron, 24, was devastated when she saw on The Argus website that Pretty Brides had shut.

She and fiance Jason Bridger had paid £1,500 for four outfits for their big day at the Ravenswood Hotel, Sharpthorne, on June 10.

Jo, of Tisbury Road, Hove, said: "I was looking on the internet for a number for the shop to arrange to pick up some of Jason's things on Saturday.

"I went white as a sheet when I saw The Argus website story on Friday.

"We tried ringing the numbers for them but none of them were answered."

Miss Barron and Mr Bridger have been engaged for four years and have been planning their wedding since then.

She said: "We went to Pretty Brides in Worthing in 2005, it was the first shop we tried.

"I saw my gold dress and immediately knew that it was the right one.

"I paid £650 for it there and then and we bought four burgundy and ivory bridesmaids dresses from them in October last year.

"Jason went back in February and paid £400 to hire six suits and I bought my veil and tiara last month.

"We have heard nothing from Pretty Brides and I don't know if we are going to be able to get the things we have paid for.

"I have already been to another bridal shop in Hove and they are going to be able to help me out with another dress."

Sarah McCowan, 25, was left in tears when a friend told her about the story in The Argus.

Fortunately her £1,000 dress was with Pretty Brides' seamstress who had taken it home to make the final alterations before her wedding to Darren Twort on Friday. (27th) The couple, from Aldwick, Bognor, will marry at Arundel Town Hall before a reception at the Beechcroft Hotel, Felpham, near Bognor.

Sarah said: "Luckily, the seamstress had it at home with her when the shop closed or I could have lost it.

"She rang me on Saturday and said it would still be ready in time.

"By then I had spent another £1,500 on a replacement dress from a bridal shop in Chichester.

"We have still lost £350 for my bridal hoop and hiring suits for Darren and others.

"Some of the other brides have had letters from the shop asking them to collect their things for insurance reasons.

"We got nothing and I am very angry and upset by the way we have been treated. I was devastated and was in tears when I found out.

"Now I just feel fortunate that I am one of the lucky ones who has got her dress back."

Elizabeth Appleton, 34, and groom Nick Rubino, 40, have been together for ten years.

Elizabeth, a secretary, of St Matthews Road, Worthing, found out she was expecting a baby a week after they got engaged.

She had ordered a dress in a larger size because she will be six months prengant when they marry at Brighton Town Hall in July.

Elizabeth said: "The shop was going to do the alterations for me just before the wedding because I did not know how big I will be by then.

"Now I am really panicking because I don't know if I will be able to find another maternity bride's dress in time."

Other devastated brides who contacted us included Gemma Marwick, 25, from Angmering, says she has lost £4,000 and fears she may have to cancel her wedding in August.

Andrea Smith, 38, of Upper Brighton Road, Worthing, who is getting married in June, bought two bridesmaids' dresses from the shop and has colour co-ordinated everything else at the wedding around those two dresses.

The problem came to light when bridegroom James Glover and his best man Simon Taylor went to the shop to pick up their suits last week.

They found a note on the door saying that Pretty Brides had ceased trading from Wednesday.

Mr Glover, night news editor of The Argus, was left with less than 24 hours to find replacements for his wedding to Harriett Shelley, 25, in Arundel on Friday.

The Argus has been unable to contact the shop's owners who are believed to live in St Leonards, near Hastings.

A spokesman for West Sussex trading standards urged customers who have been left out of pocket to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 for advice.