With less than a month to go before her big day, bride-to-be Stephanie Allen is finalizing all the details for her wedding in Charlevoix.

But in the final weeks before the Oct. 25 event, Allen hit one “devastating” snag in the planning process: The Milan-based bridal boutique where she ordered her wedding dress and veil in April 2012 appears to have closed abruptly, leaving Allen scrambling to find a new dress and seek a refund for her $1,100 purchase.

Stephanie was storing her dress at the store in advance of the wedding.

"We've been in complete shock since (last) Thursday night," said Stephanie's mother, Vicki Allen, who's helping her daughter plan the wedding. "(I'm worried) we're not going to get the merchandise and we're not going to get our money back."

“It’s devastating. Stephanie loved her wedding dress,” she continued.

Sarah's Bridal and Prom Boutique, located at 525 S. Redman Road in Milan, closed without notice in early September, leaving brides and bridesmaids frantically trying to get in touch with the shop's owners, Christine and Herman Marquardt.

The shop’s doors are locked, and the business’ voicemail message says it’s operating with new September hours: 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday; closed Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The shop was closed when The Ann Arbor News visited at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, when several customers were gathered in the parking lot to check if the store was open so they could retrieve their dresses.

Phone messages and emails sent to the Marquardts by The Ann Arbor News this week have not been returned, and the business’ voicemail box was full on Wednesday morning. The voicemail box for Christine Marquardt's personal cell phone is full.

“The store just looks like it’s closed, but there’s not a sign as to why it’s closed,” Vicki said. “I’m suspecting it’s closed for good, because (the owners are) not returning calls or anything.

"I’ve left no fewer than a dozen messages.”

Sarah's Bridal and Prom Boutique's Facebook page and Google Reviews page each have about a dozen comments from angry customers, claiming the shop owes them money or merchandise.

“(They) took our order for my daughter’s wedding dress and $847 was charged to my credit card for a Sept. 14 wedding,” one reviewer wrote in July. “Only to find out that the dress still has not been ordered. …Now, it is too late to order from anywhere else and as of right now, Sarah’s Bridal still has our money.”

Sarah's Bridal and Prom Boutique is located in a warehouse building — formerly occupied by Herman Marquardt's Controlled Wire Forms business — on the southwest corner of Platt and Redman roads. Milan property records show Herman owns the building, which has a 2013 assessed value of $484,300.

Milan Mayor Kym Muckler said: "I'm just kind of shocked. Hopefully, there's a good reason for all of this, and I'm just going to hope they're planning on working to try and fix this and make everything right with everybody. …There really isn't anything I can do."

Milan City Council Member Michael Armitage said his wife worked at Sarah's Bridal and Prom boutique for about six months, but she left recently. He said his wife is still owed three weeks of pay.

Bride-to-be Rachel Matteson said her bridesmaids ordered and paid for their dresses from Sarah's Bridal and Prom boutique over the summer, and were told the dresses would arrive in mid-August. When Matteson tried to contact the shop's owners in August, she was told the dresses weren't in yet but would be soon.

“I’m calling, trying to figure out where things are and I’m given the run-around for a week or two,” Matteson explained.

Then, the store closed for Labor Day weekend and didn’t reopen with its listed hours.

Matteson said she was recently able to get the shop’s owner on the phone and demanded refunds for the bridesmaid’s dresses, threatening legal action if her request wasn’t granted. The dresses were refunded in mid-September.

As for her bridesmaids, Matteson said they’re scrambling to find dresses before the Oct. 12 wedding.

“They’re either having to buy off the rack or order online. We’re getting there,” she said.

Vicki Allen said she's concerned about whether she'll receive a $1,100 refund for her daughter’s wedding dress. She continues to try and reach the owners and drives by the Sarah’s Bridal and Prom Boutique building several times per week. Vicki said she contacted the Milan police and plans to file a case in small claims court.

“I probably won’t recover my money, but I don’t want anyone else to get ripped off,” she said.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-623-2584, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.