Jesse Moltenbrey: Gown preservation firm holds woman’s wedding dress 'hostage' over Bed Bath & Beyond's unpaid bills
BEDFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: A New Hampshire woman recently claimed that a dress preservation firm has held her wedding dress "hostage” over unsettled debts with Bed Bath & Beyond, who recently filed for bankruptcy. Jesse Moltenbrey, who was married in 2018, wanted to preserve her black wedding dress and bought a $120 gown preservation kit from Bed Bath & Beyond in March.
The 40-year-old Moltenbrey followed the instructions on the kit and shipped off her dress to Memories Wedding Gown Preservation in Houston. A few weeks after the shipment, Moltenbrey received a letter from the firm, stating that they are keeping the item over Bed Bath & Beyond's unpaid debts, totaling $42,000. "I read it and I just felt kind of sick and helpless for a little while, thinking, how am I supposed to get a bankrupt company to pay a debt?" she told People. On April 23, Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying that all 360 of its stores will eventually close, endangering 30,000 jobs.
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Moltenbrey said in order to make space for her new arrivals, she initially thought to move the bridal dress to the basement but later decided to preserve it instead. "I had to clear out that closet, and I was afraid that something could happen to it. And it's a very unique dress. It's a black wedding dress. My kids probably won't want to wear it," she continued. Moltenbrey’s trumpet-style wedding gown stands out for its one-of-a-kind midnight black hue and is embellished with white flowers that decorate the skirt from the hem to the ribs.
‘It is special to me’
The strapless gown, which has a lengthy train fit for every bride, was ideal for Moltenbrey, who admitted that it might not be suitable for everyone. She said even while she doesn't think her own children would ever want to wear it, she believed it was at least crucial to "have that option." "I mean, who knows, but I just figured it, it's special to me. I will hold onto it, and if one of them wants to do something with it in the future, then that's up to them. I wanted it to at least have that option," she said.
Moltenbrey said she reached out to the preservation firm and told them she didn't care if the preservation was done, but that she just wanted her dress sent back to her. "Then after a few hours of reflecting, taking a few deep breaths, I was like, all right, "We're going to make a TikTok, we'll contact the news. We're going to do everything we can,"' she said. Moltenbrey shared her misery on TikTok and asked users to help her get her dress back. Numerous TikTok users have commented on the situation, offering everything from encouragement to suggestions for how to exert pressure on the company, according to Daily Mail.
'My goal is for ALL dresses to be returned’
The suggestions and remarks encouraged Moltenbrey to keep looking for her gown. She revealed that she again contacted the preservation firm and this time they gave her a tracking number for the dress. "I have received a tracking number, but there's no movement on it. It says the label has been created, but it hasn't shipped out yet," she said. Moltenbrey claims in Facebook posts that she is now standing up for other women who have had similar hardships. "I did tell the VP that my goal is for ALL dresses to be returned. Not just mine. So I don’t feel bad they are still getting bad press. And the story will have the update that mine is getting returned," she wrote.
Responding to the claims, Memories Gown Preservation said in a statement that they are assisting the affected brides in finding a solution. "We informed Bed Bath & Bed Bath brides beginning March 11, 2023 (before they filed for bankruptcy) that we would no longer be processing their gowns," the firm said, adding, "At that time Bed Bath had outstanding invoices that date back to March of 2022. Memories is a small business and could no longer afford to 'clean, preserve, box, & ship gowns' without payment."