A couple say their wedding venue cancelled just two days before they were due to tie the knot – forcing them to desperately seek another location for their 200 guests.
Sharan Dehele and her partner Patrick say they were booked in to get married at the Dunchurch Park Hotel on September 3, but their booking was terminated just 48 hours before, with the venue closing to the public.
They also claim they found out about the cancellation through an events planner, not the hotel, reports CoventryLive.
Sharan then had a battle against time to find another venue for their 200-guest party after being told by her events coordinator the hotel was no longer open to the public.
There have been unconfirmed rumours that the venue was closed to house Afghan refugees.
The couple had to desperately find another location with 200 guests invited
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Image:
Sharan Dehele)
The hotel has since deactivated all social media pages, their website and phonelines.
However, they confirmed they have not gone into administration – and another upcoming wedding that was cancelled did lead to a full refund.
Sharan told CoventryLive: “On Tuesday, August 31 at around lunchtime I received a phone call from the events company that Dunchurch Park had closed and my wedding had been cancelled.
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“I spent the two days before my wedding frantically running around trying to find another venue and our request to get married had to be sent to the General Registers Office to be legally waived as you have to give 28 days notice.
“I was not given full confirmation that me and my partner could get married until the Thursday morning.
“The two days were hell.”
Sharan and her now-husband had already had their wedding postponed three times due to Covid and said they would have done anything to get married on that Friday.
Sharan said she had not received an apology or a refund yet from the venue
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Image:
Google Maps)
She claims she hasn’t heard from Dunchurch since speaking to the general manager about the news – and hasn’t had an apology.
She said: “If it hadn’t been for me and my partner going through all the efforts of getting the General Register Office to agree to the waiver, then we would have faced the possibility of not being able to get married on the original date.
“I still haven’t received my refund.
“They have five grand of my money at the moment and I had to spend another five on the new venue. They need to provide answers.
“Myself, my husband and my mum are ill with stress and it’s affecting our mental health.
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“I want other couples who booked with Dunchurch to feel reassured that you can still get married. I did it with two days’ notice and the wedding day was perfect.”
The couple ended up tying the knot at Warwick House and said they can’t thank the venue and staff enough for everything they need to make their day stress-free and amazing.
Announcing their closure on Facebook, Dunchurch Park Hotel wrote: “With immediate effect, Dunchurch Park Hotel is no longer open to the general public, or able to facilitate weddings or events.
“However, we are operational during this period and can clarify we are not in receivership or administration.
“In the meantime, we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause, any concerns or questions regarding the impact of our closure should be emailed to [email protected] where a member of our team will be happy to contact you by return.”
Dunchurch Park Hotel were contacted for a comment regarding the cancellation of the couple’s wedding but have not responded.
However, earlier this week CoventryLive reported on another couple whose wedding was cancelled after the closure and they have been paid back in full by the hotel.
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