Most brides-to-be take a lot of time and consideration when planning their weddings to ensure that nothing goes wrong. But for a group of local brides, their worst nightmares may be coming true.

Brides who ordered their wedding dresses from Jo-Marie Dress and Bridal Shoppe in Newburgh say they?ve been calling the store for weeks looking for their gowns, but their calls went unanswered. The brides say the dresses they?ve ordered are all paid for ? they just haven?t received them yet.

The brides say that when their calls went unanswered, they feared that the store had closed without notice. On Thursday, a group of angry brides-to-be bombarded the store, demanding answers.

The shop?s owner, Deborah Gebbia, is missing in action. A seamstress at the shop says that Gebbia has been sick for two days and that the shop was only closed on Tuesday. She hid behind the racks on Thursday when the brides stormed into the store.

According to many of the brides and their loved ones, it?s been longer than two days since the trouble started. ? For the last two weeks we?ve been calling because our dresses were supposed to be coming in a couple of weeks ago,? bridesmaid Olga Kirby says. ?We haven?t heard anything.?

When asked if people who didn?t receive their dresses would be given refunds, the seamstress claimed she didn?t know. She did say, however, that the store is not closing and that the only reason Gebbia hasn?t returned any calls is because she has been sick.

The Orange County Consumer Protection Agency doesn?t believe the seamstress? claim. ?If you?re sick, I understand that,? Commissioner Chuck Mitchell says. ?But you need to have some contingency plans in place and we can certainly hold [the owner] accountable for that.?

News 12 Hudson Valley reached out to Gebbia, but no calls were returned. The storeowner was apparently not at work Thursday because she was meeting with her attorney.

One woman says she wanted to give the shop the benefit of the doubt, but to play it safe she was going to shop at a different bridal store this weekend for a backup dress.

The Orange County Consumer Affairs Office and the Attorney General?s Office are looking into the matter. However, many brides are still left in the dust with weddings just days away and no dresses.