Panicky brides-to-be turned to internet chatrooms for help today after it emerged that Confetti, an online retailer selling wedding paraphernalia ranging from dresses to tiaras and insurance, had collapsed into administration with more than 1,000 orders on its books.

The administrators, RSM Tenon, have embarked on an "urgent" search to find a buyer for the loss-making website, which has nearly 8 million users and annual sales of close to £6m.

One worried bride, Laura Dewar from Ayrshire, complained of being "kept in the dark" about her £150 order: "We are on a tight budget and the staff couldn't answer my questions."

Tonight it was reported that the administrators would honour the 1,100 orders in the system, but they could not be reached for confirmation. The wedding insurance offered by the website is handled by a third party so the policies are unaffected.

Confetti's failure was a surprise to staff who were optimistic about the company's future after it was sold along with the website "I Want One of Those" to The Hut Group, an online retailer that also runs websites for store groups such as Tesco and Argos, for £600,000 just last week.

The business was previously owned by Findel, the quoted home shopping company, and it is not thought to have known of the new owner's plans to appoint administrators the day after it took control.

RSM Tenon has already closed the five Confetti shops, which included a large store on London's Tottenham Court Road, and made 48 of its 94 staff redundant.

The lack of information resulted in anxious posts on the Confetti chat forums as worried wedding planners expressed concern over missing items ranging from bridesmaid's dresses to purple topiary trees and personalised chocolates.

In a statement, RSM Tenon set a closing date of next Monday for offers for the Manchester-based business, which was founded in 1999 and is a previous winner of the "Best Wedding Website" category in the BT Online Excellence Awards.

"Confetti is a very high profile market-leading online brand and enjoys a large customer base," said RSM Tenon director Kenny Craig, adding that it offered an "outstanding opportunity" for an entrepreneur or retailer.

"We would urge interested parties to make contact in the next day or two to ensure they have a chance to bid for the business," he said.