A group of B.C. brides has been burned after an Abbotsford company suddenly locked its doors and laid off its staff. 

Aynsley Caldwell's wedding planning was going perfectly, until she learned the business hired to supply her wedding décor, Classic Party Rentals in Abbotsford had suddenly gone bankrupt.

A sign on the company’s door reads "Closed until Further Notice".

“I'm heartbroken, and I just wonder why would you do that? It just seems so unfair and kind of mean actually," said Caldwell.

Caldwell is not the only bride who was burned. Linda Limb's son and fiancé pre-paid Classic Party Rentals $7,000 dollars for their July wedding.

"There are a lot of brides out and a lot of them are very frustrated with nowhere to turn," she said.  

Steele on Your Side tracked down the owner of Classic Party Rentals, Ron Wiebe. He admits the company has gone into bankruptcy and that brides should be making other arrangements.

In an email to CTV News, Wiebe wrote, "As of Friday last, we were forced to cease operations; being unable to meet our many vital financial obligations such as rent and payroll.  With much sadness, I bring my sincerest apologies to our many loyal clients and the exceptional staff."

A bankruptcy trustee has been appointed to dispose of the assets, and deal with the creditors and clients who've made deposits.

"It would have been nice if they could have emailed a little sooner to let people know, give someone the heads up for brides who are having weddings in the next week," said Sheilagh Tepassy, whose daughter is out $1,800.

Fortunately, Caldwell has time to make new arrangements for her August wedding, but others aren’t as lucky.

She’s now hoping her credit card company will reverse the $300 charge she's already paid to Classic Party Rentals

But she's not impressed with the way the Abbotsford business handled things and doesn't think brides should have been forced to go to the media for answers.

“You can email a bunch of people all at once and just let everybody know so we're not all kind of standing here wondering like what's going on," she said.

If the brides paid with a credit card there’s a good chance they can get some of their money back. Visa says cardholders are protected against goods or services not received.  Call the customer service number on the back of your Visa card to report the situation. Most MasterCards also have purchase protection, but it's up to each individual bank. 

Anyone who's been affected by the Classic Party Rentals closure should be getting a notice from the bankruptcy trustee Boale, Wood & Company so you can file a claim, or you can call the toll free number at 1-888-850-6585 to have your name added to the list of creditors.

After hearing about the bankruptcy, another wedding décor business has come forward to help these brides out. Chic and Unique in Coquitlam is offering a 30 per cent discount to brides who have been impacted by this shutdown.