What to Do if your Wedding Venue goes Out of Business
Yup, you read that right. True Story.
I was the person who thought it would NEVER happen to me. We found the perfect venue at an amazing price with great owners. Venues were filling up so fast that we had to book a year and a half out to secure our date. If you're in the stage of looking for a venue, I plead with you, please read this entire post. I wish someone would have given me this advice.
So we're 8 months out from our wedding date, and I get a phone call from the owner of our venue. He grimly states that our venue had been on the market for 4 years and it finally was selling, and the new owners were planning on doing renovations during our wedding date. And we get to make the decision whether or not we want to stay with it and see what happens. What a wonderful choice, right!? I think not.
First of all, this news won't ever come to you at an easy time. Guys, it's Murphy's Law. I was driving home from a full day of doctoral classes, on an hour and a half drive, at 8pm, during finals week. So here's my advice:
1. Never discount that this could happen to you. Always always always have a backup plan. I've heard of couples who it's happened to even closer to their wedding. The venue goes out of business, there's an act of God, or the place sells. It can happen. Have a good and thoughtful conversation with your fiance about if this were to happen. Would you postpone? Would you find a new venue? I strongly encourage this conversation. In our case, we never anticipated this, and I'm the kind of person that has a backup plan for table linens. Not trying to provoke unnecessary anxiety, but please have the conversation.
2. Ask prospective venues if they're on the market. It's up to you what you do if they are, but consider our case: the buyers are doing renovations during our wedding. There's just no stopping that. Always ask vendors what happens if they go out of business. If you're uncomfortable asking this, just say you had a friend who it happened to.
3. If it happens to you, don't panic. I'm not saying you can't have a temporary meltdown, but keep your head. Don't think for a minute that I didn't want to give the guy an earful about not telling us our wedding venue was for sale. Try to be as professional as possible and be sure to mention that you require the full refund of what you paid. You're most likely going to need this for a deposit on a new venue. Again, it's okay to mourn once you're off the phone. I was in denial that it happened for several hours after he called. Then deeply saddened, very angry, kinda tried to bargain with the idea that maybe he would call back and say "just kidding!", then I completely accepted it. You worked hard to plan every little detail, it just wasn't meant to be. If the venue was for sale, ask if the new owners will be continuing the existing contracts. It's a questions worth asking.
4. You're not alone. You're fiance is going to try to tell you everything will be alright. And for awhile, you won't believe them. Let people help you. If you have any vendors booked, alert them of what has happened immediately. You will eventually need to reformulate contracts with them anyway.
5. Make an informed decision. There are a ton of factors to consider before taking further steps: distance from the wedding date, who is paying for the wedding, availability of venues, season, guest count, etc. Luckily we were 8 months out, however, this is still VERY close and difficult to find a new venue. If your wedding is in summer or fall, this is even trickier. As is a large guest count. Having a conversation with those involved financially in the wedding about whether or not to continue or postpone the wedding is critical.
6. Accept your decision. If you're choosing to continue with wedding planning, act fast. The night I found out, I send a dozen messages out to venues on WeddingWire stating my situation. Always include your guest count in the message. For many, I even included my maximum budget and whether or not it would be a feasible option. If you booked vendors, ask for their suggestions as well, they know the wedding world well! If you're not continuing with wedding planning, you need to alert your guests, especially if they're travelling from afar. Be completely transparent about the venue situation, and state that you will keep them updated with future events.
7. Your future wedding venue will be even better than the one you lost. Another venue owner actually said this to me and it just stuck. It will be better all-around. Go for a tour, ask for a complimentary stay, have a menu tasting. Re-experience everything you want for your wedding day. Because no matter what, at the end of the day, it will always be the best day of your life :)
I hope this post gives some insight to engaged couples out there. If anyone has any other pressing questions about wedding planning, give me a shout in the comments below, or write me an email. We're all in this together.
Much love,
Shannon
