Bride Sues Over Shoddy Sewing, Gets Wedding Present From Judge

Ask any bride and they’ll tell you: it’s all about the dress. That’s why they have an entire television show dedicated to the dress. It’s not “say yes to the flowers” or “affirm your choice of ministers,” it’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” Nothing, other than the bride and groom themselves, is more important than the dress.

Nothing ruins a wedding faster, either, than a bad dress. Samantha Shea described her experience with an altered dress as a “nightmare” in a recently resolved small claims case. She bought the dress for $599 and paid a seamstress $600 more for alterations. At some point before the wedding, the seamstress replaced the zipper, which she said was broken, reports Reuters.

Zip. Rip. Split.

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An hour before the ceremony, and shortly before the reception was due to start, the bride tried to put her dress on. The new zipper split, sending the wedding party into a panic. Fortunately, the hotel staff were able to sew Shea into her dress, but it meant a delayed ceremony (which cost another $100 for the minister), an unremovable dress (which meant no trips to the bathroom for six hours), and of course, another $200 to the hotel staff who sewed her up.

Other than the dress, the wedding went off without a hitch.

Shea eventually sued the seamstress in small claims court. The case was basic contract law. The seamstress breached the contract to produce an altered dress suitable for Shea’s wedding. As a result, she is responsible for the damages, including any foreseeable damages that would result from producing a defective dress.

The bride only requested an amount sufficient to cover what she paid for the dress, which had to be torn off of her. The judge granted her request, plus the $200 spent to have housekeeping sew her into the dress and the $100 that was paid to the minister due to the delayed ceremony.

A fabulous wedding and a free dress? It almost makes that six hour wait for the restroom worth it.

Related Resources:

• Consult a New York Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
• A Bride Sues Over Her Wedding Dress Woes — And Wins! (Above the Law)
• ‘My Fair Wedding’ Planner Sued for No Wedding Cake, Excessive Bill (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice Blog)
• Sue the Wedding Photographer? Lawsuit Seeks to Recreate Wedding (FindLaw’s New York Personal Injury Law Blog)