Newlyweds go to City for justice

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By Ian Palmer BBC News

After the wedding gift service company Wrapit went into administration, an estimated 100,000 wedding guests were left out of pocket. BBC News went to meet some of the newlyweds affected as they staged a protest in the City of London.

Michael O'Sullivan and Sarah Roberts handed petition to HSBC bossesIt is of course a bride's prerogative to keep a bridegroom waiting.

So when Michael O'Sullivan organised a protest to highlight the upset felt by many newlyweds still waiting for presents ordered through the Wrapit service, he dressed the part in a wedding kilt and waited.

The guests - journalists invited to cover the story - were in place, as was the photographer. Or rather lots of press photographers and cameramen.

Michael was just hoping that he would soon be joined by at least 30 angry women dressed in their wedding frocks.

We're angry and we're upset...as far as we're concerned it is our guests' money. Sally Fraser The press waiting for a picture story was just as anxious. Slowly from all corners of Canada Square young women started arriving - two of them were even dressed well enough to say their wedding vows again.

One of them was Sarah Roberts from London, who was married in April but has received just a handful of her wedding gifts worth a total of £5,000.

She pointed out that some of the gifts on her lists were requests she and her husband had made for donations to be made to charity. "I've been in touch with the charities and it doesn't look like they have received any of the money that was meant for them," Sarah said.

"You just really feel bad for your guests that they have to go through all of this with you when it was meant to be a really happy time."

Sally Fraser, who was married just a few weeks ago, was another protester.

She and her husband are angry they have been forced to fight for what is theirs.

"We're angry and we're upset...as far as we're concerned it is our guests' money. They want to support us in our life together and Wrapit and potentially HSBC have stolen that from us. It's not good enough," Sally said.Many newlyweds have only received a handful of their presents

Her husband, David, echoed her feeling.

"Some of these new grooms and brides, it's their first time setting out in life. Gifts are supposed to be there to help them on their way.

"It's a disappointment, a let-down. Wrapit is supposed to deliver and they haven't, HSBC, who knows. We just want to see some justice".

The companies the protesting couples are upset with are Wrapit and HSBC.

Wrapit went into administration and has blamed HSBC bank for withholding its credit and debit card income.

A spokeswoman for the bank said HSBC refuted any suggestion that it was responsible for the collapse of Wrapit, saying it believed HSBC had done all it could to assist the directors.

The bank has says it fully appreciates how Wrapit's customers feel about the issue and was reviewing its options for the business.

'Ridiculously embarrassed'

In the meantime couples have to focus on the positives of their matrimonial experience.

In a red cravat tucked underneath a black collar, Michael O'Sullivan showed me his wedding album.

Frankly we are so ridiculously embarrassed on behalf of all of our guests and loved ones Michael O'Sullivan He and his wife, Tracey, got married in Hawaii and images of the pair against a backdrop of palm trees and surf are breathtaking.

The smiling faces in each picture don't reveal the disappointment that was to come when their presents did not arrive.

Mr O'Sullivan refuses to tell me the amount of money involved but he and his wife are one of the 20 couples worst affected.

It is believed 2,000 newlyweds have been affected by Wrapit going into administration.

Mr O'Sullivan said: "Frankly we are so ridiculously embarrassed on behalf of all of our guests and loved ones, the people we care about the most are the ones who basically funded this company that's gone under and the bank are not willing to honour the debts.

"We feel there is a solution on the table that the bank can adopt but they're just refusing to do so and we want to encourage them to adopt it and do the right thing."

And that perhaps sums up this rather peculiar but heartfelt protest.

If married life is a journey this is one destination no one could have predicted.