PHOENIX — For most brides, the wedding dress is one of the most important parts of the day. They want to pick one that helps them feel beautiful and confident and will make their future spouse's jaw drop. Sarah Robertson knew she had found that dress when she saw it. Unfortunately, her dream of wearing it down the aisle won't happen.
"I was so excited because I hadn't seen anything like it," Robertson told 12News. "It was perfect, and I was geeking out over it. It made my heart so happy."
Robertson, who lives in Oregon, spent a lot of time searching for the perfect dress with friends. They went from store to store but couldn't find 'the one.' Her friend suggested she try Etsy, so she went online and found it. A strapless, ballgown-style dress with flowers on the bodice.
"I was sending all my girls a picture of the dress, and everyone loved it and said it was perfect for me," she said. "It felt like my moment."
That moment though was taken away because after buying the dress in February, she began noticing red flags.
"After I noticed it, I noticed when I was showing the girls that the shop owner had only two sales," Robertson said. "My heart kind of dropped when I saw that because I forgot to check into the owner, but I brushed it off because the dress was so beautiful, and I wanted to be optimistic, and I thought everybody has to start somewhere."
She said she communicated with the shop owner a few times, that she was nice and polite, and was told the dress would be ready by April.
"On Monday I clicked [the page]," she said. "I was going to message her to see if my dress would be sent and it said the shop owner no longer sells on Etsy. Instant tears, I just knew, I just knew."
Robertson was scammed. She said she was refunded her money by Etsy, but with about a month and a half to go before her wedding, she was starting over on one part of the wedding planning that usually takes months. She said she didn't know what to do.
"I was crying to my big sister who lives in Gilbert, Arizona because my wedding is in a month and a half and I was a puddle on the floor," Robertson said. "It's an awful thing to do this to somebody on their big day."
Her sister, Autumn, decided to go onto 'Go Gilbert,' a community Facebook Page asking for help. The response surprised Robertson.
"Multiple women offered their dresses for free, they sent me pictures," she said. "Others offered their dress at a discount and one found a similar dress on a different website and sent it to me."
A dress, at no cost, is now on the way to Robertson who's excited and hopeful it'll be a perfect fit. And as she waits for its arrival, she can't help but thank everyone who reached out. That is was their acts of kindness that made her excited again for the big day.
"It's a big deal to a woman," Robertson said. "You want to feel pretty for your man on your day and you want to feel beautiful and it totally shattered my hopes of that. [These women] kind of fixed that in a way. They made me feel better and supported and it made a difference."
Whether it's a wedding dress or something else, she's now encouraging others to do their research when buying online, especially for big events like a wedding.
"Scammers are everywhere," she said. "You have to do your research on who you're buying from and normally I do that, but I was just so excited to find this beautiful dress that I forgot."
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