I paid a $4,500 deposit on my dream wedding dress - nothing could have prepared me for what happened next

• e-mail

A Melbourne bride has been left 'speechless' after discovering the bridal boutique she trusted with her dream gown has quietly shuttered its doors, just months out from her wedding.

Risha Tupou, 25, paid a $4,500 deposit on a bespoke wedding dress after what she described as an 'amazing' design journey with a Melbourne CBD studio.

But she now fears she could be walking down the aisle without the gown she painstakingly designed after learning - via TikTok - that the business is facing a winding-up application in court.

'Oh my God,' Risha said in a video that has garnered over 400,000 views, recalling the moment she discovered her bridal shop had shut.

'I'm actually just speechless. I am planning a wedding and I am looking like I'm not going to have a wedding dress.'

Risha began her wedding dress search in July 2025 after being invited to attend a complimentary appointment at the boutique.

'I was reached out to by [the] bridal studio, who invited me in to come and try on some dresses,' she explained.

'Absolutely, yes, why not? What's the harm? It's complimentary.'

Risha Tupou, 25, paid a $4,500 deposit on a bespoke wedding dress after what she described as an 'amazing' design journey with a Melbourne CBD studio

She said the designer 'was amazing', guiding her through a fully customised process.

'She really talked me through all the options and gave me some guidance on how we would go about doing a bespoke journey - a fully customised dress the exact way that I wanted it,' Risha said.

She selected the fabric, fine-tuned where she wanted each detail to sit on her body and was given a structured timeline of fittings: one in December 2025, another in April 2026, a further appointment in July, and a final pick-up scheduled for August ahead of her September wedding.

To secure the gown, Risha paid a 50 per cent deposit up front.

According to her, the December appointment initially went smoothly, aside from a significant issue with the neckline - a key feature she said had been carefully discussed and sketched during the original design consult.

'They did the wrong neckline, which basically meant that they would have had to redesign the whole bodice,' she said, adding that according to the contract, this was something that could be rectified.

At that point, she had no reason to believe anything was amiss.

It wasn't until January, a month after her last fitting, that Risha stumbled across a TikTok from another Melbourne bride, Madeleine Aleksandra, who claimed she had been left thousands of dollars out of pocket by the same boutique.

After making the unexpected discovery on social media, Risha said she can't help but feel 'sick' knowing she'll never get to see her wedding dress 

Risha (pictured with her fiancee) has been left 'speechless' after discovering the bridal boutique she trusted with her dream gown has quietly shuttered its doors

Madeleine had purchased a $6,000 gown and later discovered an application for a winding-up order had been filed against the bridal shop.

Winding-up orders, typically initiated by creditors, seek to place an insolvent company into compulsory liquidation, although such applications can be withdrawn or opposed.

Madeleine was 'absolutely shattered', particularly as her 86-year-old grandmother had paid for the gown in full with cash as a gift.

'It's absolutely horrible for something that is supposed to be so special,' the 31-year-old told Daily Mail.

'I am so scared that I won't get my Babcia's money back. She's 86 years old and has no idea because I can't tell her.'

She claimed her custom gown had been made using synthetic fabric instead of the 100 per cent silk she had specified and paid for, and that she had been 'completely ghosted' after requesting a refund.

According to her, the December 2025 appointment initially went smoothly, aside from a significant issue with the neckline - a key feature that the boutique said they were happy to fix.(Pictured in happier times)

Daily Mail contacted the bridal shop multiple times for comment but received no response, with calls going straight to voicemail.

However, for Risha, seeing Madeleine's video was a complete shock and a turning point in the planning of her dream wedding.

'That was really odd for me because I had a really great experience,' she said.

But after making the unexpected discovery on social media, Risha said she can't help but feel 'sick' knowing she'll never get to see her wedding dress.

She has since connected with other brides who claim they are in similar situations, describing the unfolding saga as 'blowing up'.

Risha has now disputed the payments with her bank and is awaiting the outcome of the boutique's winding-up court hearing, which was scheduled to happen in the second week of February.

It wasn't until January, a month after her last fitting, that Risha stumbled across a TikTok from another Melbourne bride, Madeleine Aleksandra (pictured), who claimed she had been left thousands of dollars out of pocket by the same boutique

If a company is placed into liquidation, customers who have paid deposits or full amounts can become unsecured creditors - often making it difficult to recover funds.

The situation has sparked widespread anxiety among brides-to-be, with multiple women previously claiming online that appointments had been cancelled and emails had begun bouncing back.

'I have a dress with them for my wedding next year. They are not replying to my calls or emails. I'm actually so nervous,' one woman wrote.

'I was supposed to go try on gowns there this week and they cancelled my appointment last week due to them shutting down the retail boutique,' another claimed.

For Risha, what was meant to be one of the most joyful chapters of her life has quickly turned into a nightmare.

'I've got no harm in talking about it openly [because] there's literally nothing that can be done by the sounds of it,' she said.