Update
MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A wedding planner from Mossel Bay, Werner Gilroy, appeared in the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court on several charges of fraud on Monday 9 September.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies confirmed the court appearance but said no other information could be divulged at this stage.
"The accused was summoned to appear in court on several fraud charges. He was released and warned to appear in court again on 24 October," he said.
Gilroy's brief court appearance follows an article from 2021 after various distressed brides from across the country contacted George Herald and Mossel Bay Advertiser.
They were at their wits' end after Gilroy, the owner of the then Blue Lilies Wedding and Events company, allegedly defrauded them of thousands of rand amounting to a total of about R1 million, during 2020/21.
Allegedly, the money would be deposited into Gilroy's bank account after which he would continue to plan the wedding, only for the couples to find later that most of the service providers, if any, had not been paid in full.
"We paid him R95 000 last year [2020] to organise our wedding at a venue in Great Brak River. We invited 88 guests who all live in Pretoria. Their plane tickets and transport arrangements were all confirmed," said Bibi Bieldt from Pretoria.
"A week before the wedding I contacted him to tie up some loose ends, but he was nowhere to be found. His phone went straight to voicemail and his mailbox was full; he also didn't answer WhatsApps or SMSes.
"I started phoning the service providers and quickly learnt that Werner was in fact in hospital. After phoning all the other providers - the venue, the guests' accommodation, the caterer, the people who were responsible for the flowers - I realised that none of them had been paid."
Shortly after speaking to one bride-to-be, George Herald, sister newspaper of the Mossel Bay Advertiser was inundated with WhatsApp messages and phone calls from angry brides, all wanting to tell their story.
At that stage, the newspaper made numerous attempts to contact Gilroy for comment, but his phone went straight to his voicemail.
Facebook statement
In a statement Gilroy placed on the Blue Lilies Wedding and Events Facebook page on 17 March 2021, he blames the Covid-19 pandemic.
"With the events of the past year and the devastating effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on companies in the events and social gatherings industry, I have tried to best keep Blue Lilies Wedding & Events / C&W Weddings financially operational and viable. It has unfortunately taken a tremendous strain on my financial and psychological wellbeing.
"After much consideration and emotional toll on myself, I have no alternative but to inform you that Blue Lilies Wedding & Events / C&W Weddings will cease operations with immediate effect," Gilroy said in the statement.
Previous article: Wedding planner woes: Angry brides want their money back
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
