Guilty plea to fraud after wedding firm businesswoman left brides-to-be in the lurch

Angry customers set up a Facebook page called Burned Brides to hit back at Sarah Cawthorne and her A Little Bit of Bling business.

Cawthorne, of Hickmerelands Lane, Sedgley, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading between July 2012 and September 2013 when she appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Mr Mark Jackson, prosecuting on behalf of Dudley Trading Standards Department which launched an investigation into her business dealings, said the 31 year old had defrauded customers. "But we accept that it was not set up for fraud," he said.

Couples paid up to £1,400 for the services of A Little Bit of Bling, which advertised its ability to provide a wide range of decorations for wedding receptions including bespoke bouquets, table centre pieces and chair covers.

It also offered chocolate fountains, starlit back drops and snow machines.

But scores of upset brides and grooms claimed that the business did not honour bookings to provide the promised decor and launched a Facebook campaign demanding their money back.

At least one claimed to have been left in tears on the morning of her wedding on September 20 after the firm failed to turn up with the decorations that she had chosen. No details were given to the court after her guilty plea and the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to May 30 when the facts are expected to be outlined in full.

Cawthorne was given bail.

The Burned Brides Facebook page was a coordinated attempt to get the couples' money back.

Sarah Broadley discovered just hours before her wedding that the decorations she paid £180 for had not been delivered and claimed at the time that she was being fobbed off in her demands to get a refund.

Mrs Broadley, whose maiden name was Yarwood, married Ben Broadley at the Village, Dudley, on September 20, 2013.

She said at the time: "I went to check that everything was OK and Sarah Cawthorne had told me that she'd be there at 9.30am.

"At 9.45am I got agitated and phoned her, then texted a message asking if all was OK. She said she wasn't coming – it was 11am and the wedding was at 4pm. I broke down and was absolutely gutted."

Another bride, Tamar Banks, of Rowley Regis, said she paid a £50 deposit to Cawthorne and a balance of £225 to book decorations for her reception. Her order included 100 chair covers and sashes.

But, two weeks before her wedding, the Facebook page for A Little Bit of Bling went down. She said she spoke to Cawthorne, who said she had been in hospital, but would still provide the decorations for the wedding.

"After advice, I requested a refund," Mrs Banks said in October 2013. "She bank transferred me £125 and I am still waiting for the rest."