Brides-to-be left angry as Monster Munchies wedding firm collapses

Staffordshire-based Monster Munchies shut down earlier this month, leaving couples without many of the finishing touches needed for their wedding.

Some brides claim they have been left out of pocket, but trading standards officers at Staffordshire County Council say no investigation had been launched.

The firm was run by Samantha Cox and Darren Bott. Ms Cox spoke out against the accusations, saying there were "a lot of lies flying around".

Ms Cox, who declined to comment when contacted by the Express & Star, said in a statement on Facebook: "We started our business in 2014 and ran very successfully for many years.

"But unfortunately we became victims of our own success and cracks began to appear. We managed to hold it together for a very long time. We had our issues along the way and we made mistakes but always tried to rectify as much as possible.

"We did accidentally double book some items through stupidity not intentionally. Some of these jobs were fixed with a refund or an offer of a different item.

"The situation stands that we have ceased trading. We have honoured a few more local and recent bookings until our equipment has sold but we will no longer be taking bookings and in the process of selling everything we own in the hope we can pay everyone back what we owe.

"This is not going to be a quick fix. Let it be known we have not run away with anyone’s money."

A support group has since been set up on Facebook for affected couples.

An admin member of the page, who was been a wedding photographer for the past 10 years, said 103 people affected had been identified.

Brides got in touch with members running the online page to claim they paid for photo booths, DJs, dance floors, wedding cakes, chair covers and table clothes and had not been refunded.

One bride, who wished to remain anonymous, said she booked a £500 package with the company - which included a flower wall, photo booth and DJ.

The mother-of-two, who lives in South-East London, said she was refused a refund and instead offered chair covers as compensation, but would have to travel to collect them.

The 32-year-old said: "I feel really foolish. I have been waiting 17 years for my wedding. But I'm lucky, my wedding isn't until April."