Airdrie bridal shop owner charged with fraud after brides left without gowns

An Airdrie woman is now charged with fraud, two years after the abrupt closure of her bridal shop.

An Airdrie woman has been charged two years after the abrupt closure of her bridal shop left many brides out thousands of dollars and scrambling to find dresses.

In April 2025, a warrant was executed and 31-year-old Marisza Zembik, was charged with fraud over $5,000.

Zembik went by the name Marisza Cottam when she closed her Airdrie-based business Taffeta & Tulle Bridal in 2023, saying the company was insolvent.

“I think it’s about time she’s held accountable,” said Bailey Jacobsen-Koehler.

After she says she paid $2,600 for a custom design Jacobsen-Koehler was left without a gown, two months before her wedding.

“Now that she’s getting charged for it, that part gives me a little bit of closure,” said Jayde Syrnyk, who says she spent $3,000 on a custom design for a black wedding dress only to be empty-handed less than a month before her big day.

Thanks to the help of other local bridal shops both women ended up finding other solutions, but not without a lot of stress and thousands of dollars of added costs.

“Stuff happens, businesses go bankrupt, what frustrated us more was that she strung us along, and there was this big fabricated story,” said Syrnyk.

Airdrie RCMP received reports from at least 14 people about Taffeta & Tulle, which was consolidated into a single charge.

“When we assess whether a situation involves a criminal fraud or a civil matter… so the main element of the offence is if there’s evidence of intentional deception for personal or financial gain," said RCMP Cst. Cory Riggs.

Zembik continued promoting herself as a fashion influencer on Instagram since closing her bridal shop.

“The way she’s conducting herself I don’t believe she has any remorse,” said Jacobsen-Koehler.

Syrnyk and Jacobsen-Koehler are glad what happened to them is getting attention again, thanks to the RCMP charge.

“Anything online about it was basically erased and she changed her name so she basically was free to go,” said Syrnyk.

“I just want it to be recognized that hey this happened, she gets charged, this goes on her record,” she added.

“We just want the courts to do some thing so this doesn’t continue happening,” said Jacobsen-Koehler.

“It’s completely damaging and it’s more than just the wedding day, more than just the dress,” she added. “You lose trust in people.”

CTV News reached out to Zembik online and by phone for comment but she did not respond.

Zembik is scheduled to appear in Airdrie court May 1.