A celebrity favourite Sydney hair salon figurehead has broken her silence after scathing comments about a bride's wedding day hairdo went viral when they were accidentally sent to the bride herself.
Marilyn Koch, co-founder and matriarch behind renowned Double Bay hairstylist Joh Bailey, spoke out after the hurtful messages were read by newlywed Jessica Leis.
Ms Leis had used the salon to style her bridesmaids for the luxury wedding at La Gemme Estate, a French château in the NSW Southern Highlands, late last month.
Ms Koch believed she was privately messaging staff in a group chat after Ms Leis hired the salon for her bridal party, but not for the bride's own hair.
But the bride was still in the group chat.
When approached by the Daily Mail at her flagship salon on Thursday, Ms Koch distanced herself from the scandal.
'Darling, we don't speak about our clients, that's our company policy,' she said.
'We love our clients and we don't speak about them. We're not getting involved, we run a good, healthy business. We're busy, we love our clients... that's it.'
The saga came to light after a friend of Ms Leis shared a TikTok captioned: 'POV: Your hairdresser forgot to remove you from the group chat on your wedding day…'
New bride Jess Leis is seen getting her hair done by Dom Pelli
When approached by the Daily Mail at her Double Bay flagship on Thursday, salon matriarch Marilyn Koch (pictured) distanced herself from the scandal
Bride Jess Leis and her 11 bridesmaids pictured at her wedding at La Gemme Estate, a French château in the Southern Highlands, late last month
She included screenshots in the video which appeared to show a photo of the bride followed by a string of catty remarks.
'Have you ever? Worst hair!' the message read. 'They missed out! Idiots. The husband looks awful also xx.'
Another stylist chimed in with a disparaging comment about the bridesmaids' dresses.
'Those dresses are so w***y yum,' the message read.
Ms Leis replied with a pointed 'thanks' and a kissing-face emoji.
The tone of the chat quickly took a sharp turn with Koch trying to heal any rift.
'All look happy that's the best thing,' she replied.
'What we think doesn't matter. Thanks for all your efforts.'
Joh Bailey was responsible for doing the bridesmaids' hair while bride Jess Leis (pictured) was styled by Dom Pelli
Groom Jay Fink was close to tears after learning he too was a victim of the nasty messages that went viral on social media
'Darling we don't speak about our clients, that's our company policy, we love our clients and we don't speak about them,' Marilyn Koch told the Daily Mail
Groom Jay Fink, the co-founder of popular cafe S'WICH in Bondi and Redfern, was unaware he was also criticised in the messages exchange.
'Was I? Yeah, I don't want to get involved,' he told the Daily Mail on Thursday.
He was later seen engaging in an emotional phone call, understood to be with his newlywed wife, and was seen with his hands covering his mouth in shock.
Hairstylist Dom Pelli, who was behind Ms Leis and her mother's hair for the big day, has since taken to social media to address the scandal.
'It was sad to see this hairdresser has rubbished my work and the worst hair she had ever seen, that cut me up a little bit,' he said on his TikTok account.
'We had one job to do, hers was to do the bridesmaids, mine was to look after the bride and the mum.'
He said the bride had engaged his services because of his expertise in that area.
'I do this every weekend,' he said. 'I've worked hard to find my place in the bridal industry.
The nasty messages found their way to TikTok and have since gone viral
Marilyn Koch is the right-hand woman to salon icon, Joh Bailey
Jay is the co-founder of popular sandwich shop S'WICH in Bondi and Redfern
'Most of the brides I do aren't my clients - they're not reaching out to their hairdressers, they're reaching out to someone in bridal.'
Since the message scandal, Ms Leis, who works nearby at a local medical practice, is now believed to have switched to a rival Double Bay hairdresser for her regular styling
The newlyweds had married at a lavish ceremony with 11 bridesmaids dressed in yellow floor-length gowns, neck tie and oversized bows at the back.
The bride wore a strapless lace gown with a lace veil and a corset back by Velani Couture.
The pair spared no expense on their big day, hiring After The Rock wedding planners, currently the go-to planners for Sydney's elite.
