Brides who 'went through hell' form unique friendship and support group in Milton Keynes

The brides-to-be had all ordered their dream wedding dress from the New Beginnings Bridal Boutique in Newport Pagnell High Street.

But in May the shop closed down without warning, with owner Rhian Jenkins blaming family problems.

In an apologetic post on social media, she promised all brides would get their dresses.

However, numerous women who had paid either in full or in part reported otherwise, saying they’d been left with no dress and no money to buy a replacement. Some were getting married within days or weeks.

They set up a Facebook page called Brides of New Beginnings Help Group and it soon attracted more than 460 members.

Within days the community rallied round to help, with former brides offering their own dresses and local bridal shops offering discount and extra speedy service.

Almost four months on, many of the brides have had their big day and others have managed to source new dresses after their banks stepped in to refund the money.

Meanwhile friendships formed through the Facebook group and last week the brides organised a mass meet-up for the first time.

"We had amazing night with getting to know each other more and sharing our stories with each other,” said member Lisa Herriott.

"We are now such a strong group of friends that message all the time about anything and everything. So not only did we keep on going with our dresses and having our happy ever after weddings, but we made true friends.”

The women started their evening with a flower crown making workshop offered free by The English Rose florists from Oldbrook.

They then went on to Bistro Live, who offered a discounted rate and free round of drinks.

“We were dancing on the tables and having a great time!” said Lisa.

“We will all be meeting up again soon and also do another flower workshop and dance the night away.”

Meanwhile Brides of New Beginnings owner Rhian announced shortly after the closure that the business was going into liquidation.

She said in a statement at the time: "Sadly, as soon as we announced that we were closing, rumours began spreading. We are fully aware of where these began and the intentions behind them. These rumours, as they so often do, spiralled out of control despite attempts to set the record straight. A very unfortunate result of these rumours; however, was that many Brides were led to believe that they would not get their dresses nor their money which was completely untrue. This then resulted in many people requesting full refunds, issuing chargebacks and refusing to pay the remaining balances on their orders.

"It became apparent... we were in a very precarious and difficult financial situation, which we would not have been in had these rumours not spread.

"Unfortunately, we have no other option than to go into liquidation. We have sought guidance every step of the way during this very difficult period and have done everything with the best interests of our Brides in mind.

"We recognise and understand how stressful this situation is and sincerely apologise for any upset caused.”