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Something Burned, Brides Are Blue

Bridal, Floral Shops Among Those Damaged In Blaze

UPDATED: 6:14 p.m. EDT May 6, 2002

The nerves of many area brides-to-be are rattled after a fire ripped through a local bridal salon Sunday night.

NewsChannel5's Tracy Carloss reported that many brides are now hoping that their dreams for a perfect wedding didn't go up in smoke.

The fire broke out in a shopping plaza late Sunday night on Mentor Avenue in Mentor.

Cristin Weaver will walk down the aisle in a month, and on Monday morning, she found out that fire ripped through the bridal store that will outfit her entire bridal party.

"I was hysterical this morning," she said. "I was screaming in the phone at my mother."

Luckily for Weaver, her wedding gown had been shipped out to be altered, and so had her mother's. But her bridesmaids' gowns were inside the store.

"My inventory of any customer stock appears to be fine, (with) possibly (some) smoke damage," said Judy Mattingly of Belle Donna Bridal. "(My garments) are in zipper bags, and I'm grateful for that."

But the bridal salon wasn't the only wedding-related store that sustained damage; the entire plaza houses various wedding services. A florist, a disc jockey, a jeweler and a photographer all had fire damage to their buildings, and all had upcoming weddings booked.

Now, nervous brides-to-be are wondering what's next.

"We're going to honor all the contracts (we) have for the weekend," said Bill Hovecar of My Special Bouquet. "(We'll) get a cooler and trailer set up in the parking lot."

Wedding pictures are very important to most couples, and luckily for couples married this past weekend, their film is on the way to the lab and not in the rubble.

"It will be a load off the bride's mind," said John Harper of Cirino and Harper Photography. "We had a few calls, (and) I've told them everything will be all right."

The fire is believed to have started in the basement. Luckily, no one was injured in the blaze.

Investigators are sifting through the debris trying to find a cause, and they hope to have one within a couple of days. They're not ruling out anything, including arson, and a dog trained to detect an accelerant went through the building Monday afternoon.

Damage to the plaza is set at about $500,000.

Call Belle Donna Bridal at (440) 255-6066, My Special Bouquet at (440) 974-7740 or Cirino and Harper Photography and Video at (440) 974-9091 with questions if you are using those services for your wedding.





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