A Mossel Bay wedding planner is in hot water after allegations that he defrauded several brides by accepting their money, ‘planning’ their weddings and then disappearing.

Werner Gilroy, owner of Blue Lilies Wedding and Events company which has since closed down, allegedly stopped answering couples’ calls and messages after receiving money from them. Brides then found out that their service providers were either unpaid or not paid in full.

During an article about Gilroy in March 2021, the George Herald and Mossel Bay Advertiser received complaints about the Garden Route based wedding planner from brides as afar as Pretoria.

Gilroy was summoned to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s court on September 9 facing a string of fraud charges. His case was postponed until December 3 for copies of the docket to be supplied to the defence during his latest court appearance on Wednesday.

In a response published in 2021, Gilroy’s then-appointed attorney, Dawie Bezuidenhout, said that Covid-19 and lockdown regulations caused the downfall of his client’s company. He also said Gilroy was admitted to hospital when he realised his company must close down.