A bride’s attempt to expose a wedding dress designer on TikTok has taken an unexpected turn after the latter shared her version of events.

The situation began when the woman, who goes by @shesdaddi on the platform, found the account of Ma Corsetière and was captivated by the tailor’s wedding dress designs.

After communicating for several months, they agreed on the details of the purchase in April 2024, with the bride set to pay a $700 deposit and the dress to be shipped at the beginning of August.

As the first week of August came and went, the bride grew increasingly anxious as red flags began to appear. Despite her repeated requests for progress photos, the designer failed to provide any.

By August 5, with the deadline missed, the bride discovered that only the corset was finished and that the skirt had not been started. To make matters worse, the designer informed her that the veil would not be completed either.

Feeling deceived, the bride decided to share her experience online, arguing that since the corset alone was worth the $700 deposit, she should receive it even if the rest of the dress wasn’t finished. 

Ma Corsetière, however, refused to send the corset or issue a refund unless the bride paid for the entire dress. This prompted her to issue a chargeback on her initial deposit, leaving them in a standstill.

Bride goes viral on TikTok after being “scammed” out of $700 by her wedding dress designer, prompting the latter to issue a response

Image credits: shesdaddi

The virality of the original clip, which has more than 70,000 likes at the time of writing, forced Ma Corsetière to upload a response video.

Sporting what some commenters labeled as a “stress rash,” the designer defended her actions and provided what she claims to be a more accurate account of the issue.

“I am here to speak against the allegations of an unhappy customer that canceled a custom gown once the gown was already in production,” she began.

Image credits: shesdaddi

According to her, the design wasn’t finalized until early spring, and the bride didn’t place the deposit until late April. Despite the tight timeline, the designer said she wanted to honor their long communication and was transparent throughout the process.

“No matter the design of the corset, the timeline would be around the beginning of August,” she explained, noting that the dress was in production when the bride canceled on August 9th.

“She expressed concern that the wedding was stressing her out,” Ma Corsetière recalled.

They then agreed that photos of the dress would be shared on August 10, with the dress planned to ship on August 12 via express delivery.

The bride’s version is slightly different, as she felt frustrated with the lack of communication, and suspected the designer was purposely withholding information about her progress

@shesdaddiI’m intending this to share my experience and as a warning to all brides that have considered ordering @ Ma Corsetière♬ original sound – blankslots

@shesdaddi Replying to @houseofcb ♬ original sound – blankslots

“Throughout the span of April to July I was constantly texting her to get an idea of where she was at with the dress,” she stated. “Honestly I was very annoyed, but something in me told me that she wasn’t going to be able to complete it in the timeline we discussed.”

Her suspicion only grew after both started discussing the materials with which the outfit was to be made. “After we confirmed the fabric and she ordered it, she told me it had arrived in June,” the bride said.

However, the tailor did not send the pictures until a month later, on July, 5, 2024.

It is at this point that the bride confesses to have started to “freak out,” thinking the designer was not being completely honest about her progress. She convinced herself to be patient though, due to the quality of Ma Corsetière’s product.

“I had tried many dresses in the past, but nothing gave me ‘wow factor’ like the ones she made.”

According to the client, the designer reached out of her own volition for the last time on July 19, when they agreed on the price of the gown and the rest of the dress.

“I heard nothing from her until after the first week of August, when I reached out to her, after our deadline had passed.”

Their relationship fell out due to a disagreement around the delivery date, with the designer thinking she was still working within the agreed deadline

Image credits: macorsetiere

Image credits: macorsetiere

This is the first point of contention, as the parties did not agree upon what “the beginning of August” meant. For the bride, having no photos of her purchase as late as August 9th was enough to feel scammed.

The designer also shared screenshots of messages between herself and the bride, showing that the latter was initially understanding.

“Just four days ago, she was sending me hearts and smiles,” she explained, confessing to having been caught off guard by the cancellation.

“I needed her to understand that, if she canceled the gown, she would have to pay for the entire job regardless,” Ma Corsetière said, citing her policy that custom orders, especially those in production with unique fabrics and designs, are non-refundable.

When the bride decided to terminate their relationship, she requested the completed corset due to her having already paid $700.

Their conflict escalated when the bride requested a chargeback for her initial deposit, leaving the designer with a half-finished dress, ordered fabrics, and no money for her work

Image credits: macorsetiere

Image credits: macorsetiere

“She wants the corset sent to her. It doesn’t work like that. It just doesn’t,” the designer stated, emphasizing that the bride was not entitled to anything without paying for the entire gown.

This is the second point of contention, as the bride had already agreed to the terms of service of Ma Corsètiere.

“Clients who choose to cancel their sales contract are not entitled to a refund of any money already paid through the cancellation date,” the designer’s refund policy reads.

“I know you put time and effort into this and I don’t expect a refund, but I will take the corset top when it’s completed,” reads a message sent by the bride and shared by the tailor.

The situation escalated to a standstill when Ma Corsetière received a chargeback for the $700 deposit, leaving her without the money or the ability to offer a refund due to Shopify’s rules.

“This was entirely unnecessary. If she was willing to wait three days, she would’ve received her entire gown in full,” she lamented, adding that she would only work with brides who truly understand her terms moving forward.

However, the designer’s explanation did little to sway public opinion. Though most sided with the bride, there are a few people defending Ma Corsetière for following her store’s policies

Image credits: macorsetiere

“Why would she still get the corset if she canceled her dress & only paid the deposit?” pondered one user, siding with the tailor.

“The bride has to know the fabric for the gown was custom ordered for her already?” explained another. “That would be at least an additional expense over the $700.”

“Why cancel the day before you were told you would get photos?” one viewer asked.

@macorsetiere♬ original sound – Ma Corsetière

On the other hand, some were not convinced by the designer’s arguments, thinking that despite her refund policies, she should’ve been sending progress pictures to reassure her customer.

“If my wedding was in September and you started making my dress in August I would literally have a panic attack,” one commenter wrote.

“Early August means before the 10th. Her cancellation on the 9th because you hadn’t even finished the skirt is absolutely valid,” another added.

“‘An estimated time around the beginning of August’ what does that even mean? To me that’s by the 5th,” one user argued.

“If my wedding dress was made single handedly in a week i would be concerned too,” shared one, implying the tailor was lying and had only started working on the gown last minute.

As for the bride, she was later revealed to have been contacted by another womenswear label, House of CB, which offered her a free dress.

“Sorry this happened to you! We just dropped our latest collection and would love to give you one for your big day,” the brand said in a message to @shesdaddi.

Ma Corsetière, on the other hand, has put a disclaimer on her site, explaining that they would only be accepting orders for December 2024 or later due to experiencing “unprecedented growth.”

“I’m on your side.” The designer’s account drew support to her side, but the overall perception of the controversy remains mixed

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