‘I GOT ‘HOAX’ EMAIL SAYING MY WEDDING HAD BEEN CANCELLED’
BRIDES-TO-BE LEFT FURIOUS AFTER SUDDEN CLOSURE OF VENUE
FURIOUS couples have spoken out after their dream weddings were cancelled when a popular venue in Brough suddenly closed last week.
Rudstone Walk general manager Laura Greenwood told the Mail the firm has entered liquidation and the owners are “terrible sorry”.
But two couples have now revealed the email they were sent at 11pm on September 9, just 24 hours before the closure, was so lacking in detail and apology that they thought it was a hoax.
Lauren Brown, of Market Weighton, who had booked her wedding to Simon Raper, 29, at the venue more than a year ago said she refused to give her bank details as she believed the email was a hoax, and she did not receive her £750 deposit until her cousin travelled to the venue and refused to leave until the money was returned.
“I just can’t believe I was there just two weeks ago discussing timings for the DJ and they didn’t say anything about the closure,” said the 25-year-old.
“The annoying thing is we have already had the invites printed and we have booked the registrar, so it is going to cost us an extra £1,500 in fees.”
But she said she has now found a “better” alternative at The Beverley Barn.
Olivia, 24, and fiancé Andrew, 28, booked Rudstone Walk for their rustic-style wedding in January last year and said the venue “didn’t seem to want to” refund their £1,200 deposit.
The email sent to couples read: “Dear Sir/madam, your booking at Rudstone Walk has been cancelled.
“Due to family breakdown Rudstone Walk is no longer trading.
“Please email by return immediately your bank details for us to process your refund.”
Ms Greenwood said the reason for the email sent to all bookings was to make sure people received their refunds as quickly as possible, and to spread the message as efficiently as possible.
She said: “The sole purpose of the emails was to get the message across as efficiently as possible.
“We are terribly sorry if anything was misconstrued, but our priority was giving people their money back.”
Olivia, of Driffield, said: “All previous emails had been sent to my personal email address, so I couldn’t understand why it went through to my work account and I thought it was a scam.
“I tried calling them, but it kept going to a voicemail and, in the end, my mum and brother drove down to the venue to find out some answers.
“When they arrived the venue was shut and they found a couple in the car park who had booked to stay the night and they couldn’t get in.
“Eventually, after walking around my brother found the house where the owners lived and they seemed to be packing up and moving.
“We had paid in cash for the bond and deposits on the hotel rooms, but they didn’t seem to want to give us it back at all.
“They just kept saying we would be refunded by ‘some means’, but eventually we got them to give us back the cash.”
On Saturday, disgruntled staff members revealed they were told of the closure in the middle of the night via text message.
Ms Greenwood added: “The tenancy became commercially unviable and the director has taken the decision to close the business.
“All bookings have been refunded and staff have been paid, but it would have been immoral of us to continue with the business.”