Hotel in U-turn after hiking up wedding prices

A LUXURY Northumberland hotel slammed for almost tripling the prices of weddings has made a U-turn confirming it will now honour the original bookings.

Matfen Hall has faced a huge backlash since hiking up its minimum spend to £20,000, leaving many heartbroken couples’ wedding plans in tatters.

Couples were told to cough up the extra cash – as much as £13,000 – to hold their original date or find an alternative venue after claiming it could not continue operating at a loss with the fees previously agreed.

Those who had their hearts set on Matfen Hall for their big day told The Chronicle how they were “devastated” but also “disgusted” at the way they had been treated.

Following a public outcry, Matfen Hall has now revealed all those impacted have now been offered to have their weddings at the original price.

But some couples feel as though it is too little too late and that the venue had lost their trust by the way they had handled the situation.

Chris Marshall, 32, and fiancée Laura Davies, 31, were due to tie the knot at Matfen Hall on November 5 next year and were told their wedding had been cancelled via email on Friday.

He said: “The fact it’s taken this huge outcry for Matfen Hall to change their minds proves even more that they do not care. They are not doing this for our benefit, they’re doing it for their reputation.”

The South Shields pair, who had agreed a £9,000 fee for their big day, will now get their £1,000 deposit returned as they seek a new venue in the region.

If they are unable to find somewhere for the same date, however, the couple could lose around £500 in other deposits paid to suppliers.

“The past few days have been ridiculously stressful for us,” said Chris.

“We’re both physically and mentally drained from it all.

“We were so excited to get married at Matfen Hall because we fell in love with the place. We now have no intention of getting married there, the damage has already been done.”

Matfen Hall underwent a multi-million pound renovation during the national lockdowns after being purchased by Northumberland hospitality firm Walwick Estate Group last summer.

Zac Mavin and Beth Roberts, both 26, were devastated at having to cancel their wedding on July 14 – what would have been their 10-year anniversary – due to Covid-19.

The Ashington couple agreed with Matfen Hall to put the date back a year and keep the same terms of paying around £7,000 for their wedding.

But they were stunned when they received a new bill which had almost tripled despite a number of special extras being removed from their package.

Zac said: “I was absolutely speechless. We thought £20,000 was a joke.

“We were supposed to have exclusive access to the East Wing and Grand Hall which were taken away due to the refurbishment.

“Beer and wine with the wedding breakfast was changed to tea and coffee and there were many other things too.

“We were then made to feel like second-class citizens because we could not afford a £20,000 wedding.

“We have now booked another venue and we’re really happy with it.”

Matfen Hall says it has honoured 119 weddings agreed by the previous management, costing the hotel more than £1.2m.

The venue previously said it could not continue “running a loss” adding it was a “difficult decision” to make in what is a challenging time for the hospitality sector.

However, it has now confirmed it is working to find a resolution with affected couples, including honouring the price from the original booking.

A spokesman for the venue said: “We unreservedly apologise for the hurt this decision has caused. It was never our intention to cause any upset for the couples involved. We have invested heavily in upgrading the wedding experience at Matfen Hall to make those occasions extra special for our guests and as a result, many people have been booking their weddings for 2022 with us.

“It is clear that we have not explained this to a number of guests and that has caused a lot of hurt.”

Matfen Hall Hotel in Northumberland