Couples 'in limbo' as wedding venue suddenly shuts

Couples have been left in limbo over their wedding plans after a popular venue suddenly shut.

News that The Villa Levens near Kendal, Cumbria, had closed started circulating on social media on 1 April, leading many to believe it was a tasteless April Fools' Day prank.

The venue confirmed to the BBC it "reluctantly closed" its doors due to the "huge strain" on the business in "the current economic climate", and said creditors and employees would be contacted by the liquidator.

Kerrie Tremble, from Morecambe, Lancashire, who was due to get married there on 3 May to fiance Jack Riley, said she had been left "in a state of disbelief".

The couple had booked the venue two years ago and were sent the final bill for their upcoming wedding on Monday.

Miss Tremble, 37, said: "We've just been left in complete and utter limbo to just work it out for ourselves."

Couples who want to marry in England must give notice to a registrar four weeks before the ceremony and confirm the venue.

It means if Miss Tremble and Mr Riley had not been able to secure an alternative venue and give notice on Wednesday, they would not have been able to get married on their chosen date.

The couple said the timing was a "silver lining" but they had to call up to 40 venues to find a new one.

"[The date] was really important to us, we picked that bank holiday weekend two years ago because we've got a lot of family travelling in from all over the UK," said Miss Tremble.

Mr Riley, 39, said he was grateful to the many suppliers who accommodated the switch to the alternative venue, however they lost deposits on some who said the change was a breach of their terms and conditions.

The couple said they had "luckily" recently taken out insurance, after seeing another local venue close and the impact it had on couples.

Miss Tremble added: "It will take a while to get any money back and of course we still need to pay the new venue - it's not ideal by any stretch."

Kendal couple Brandon Carder and his fiancee Poppy Rhodes had recently signed a contract to book The Villa Levens and had paid the deposit on Monday.

"We went along on Monday to pay and everyone was all smiles – they must have been completely unaware," said Mr Carder, 29.

"When I saw the posts on social media I thought it was a really distasteful April Fools' joke. When I told my partner about it she was really upset."

He said they had spoken to the bank and they were hopeful to recoup their deposit.

Sarah Capstick, 48, booked the venue with her fiance Phillip King, 46, for their wedding on 25 May.

When Miss Capstick, of Kendal, saw social media reports of The Villa Levens having ceased trading, she decided to go there after being unable to reach them on the phone.

She said: "There were people emptying out the building, so I asked if there was someone there I could speak to.

"[A member of staff] came out to speak to me and was in tears, saying she'd only just found out."

Miss Capstick said they had paid the final balance two weeks ago and having paid cash she feared they would be "stuck".

She added the couple were visiting a different venue with availability for their dates, but they "can't afford to pay out again".

A spokesman for The Villa Levens said the owners had "reluctantly closed the business with immediate effect".

"Like many hospitality businesses, the current economic climate has applied a huge strain on the business with increased costs and employment costs which are increasing further from April of this year," they said in a statement.

"Whilst every effort has been made to sell the business as a going concern sadly, we have been unable to do so, therefore it has been sold on a closed basis.

"A liquidator will be appointed shortly to deal with all matters, and creditors and employees will be contacted over the next few days."

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