COUPLES are scrambling to save their weddings after the venue operator at Hunter Valley's Calvin Estate announced in an email it had gone into liquidation, leaving them stranded on what is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives.
Among them, Newcastle Jets goalkeeper Michael Weir and his fiance Marcheyell Moka were busy planning their June wedding when their celebrant notified them that Calvin Estate had gone into liquidation.
The couple had already paid a $2500 deposit in August, last year, and have no idea if they'll get the money back.
"Now we're in a position where we're down a bit of money, we still have six months but we're struggling to find something to fit our budget, that will let us keep our vendors and that has availability on our wedding date," Ms Moka said.
"We have family flying in from overseas and interstate, we can't change our date because we have a limited window for our wedding before my partner goes back to work.
"It wasn't great, I obviously had a bit of a cry about it and then realised there wasn't any point to crying and I just had to get on with things, we're too far in now to pull out."
In an email to the couples, Venue 1 director Richard Wake, who was operating out of Calvin Estate, said weddings were unable to go ahead "due to the business being liquidated".
He told the Herald he was just a month-and-a-half in arrears with the landlord when he was locked out of the venue.
"There's no money to give them [the couples] - largely it went to the landlord to pay rent, it goes into operating the business, wedding businesses typically rely on a forward cash-flow basis, we take deposits and that keeps us running the business but by-and-large it's gone to try and keep up the rent," he said.
"We basically paid our contractors to do what they do to keep the property alive and put in a lot of unpaid effort ourselves to run weddings and do the business and also put in a lot of personal money to buy the things we need to buy like power and electricity, but it's just got to the point where personally, we're out of money and the business is out of money as well.
"It's horrendous, nobody wants to be in this situation."
Mr Wake said he has advertised the business online with the lease available and has contacted other vendors to try to find someone who might be able to host the weddings.
A search of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on Wednesday did not show the business had been formally placed into liquidation, and Mr Wake said he was in the process of appointing accountants to advise him on next steps.
Central Coast couple Emily Faulks and Jacob Mosley had their wedding date set for March 25, the same day they met about seven years ago.
It was only on Saturday that the couple had toured the venue - by Sunday afternoon she received an email saying Venue 1 had gone into liquidation.
"I had a little breakdown as I'm sure every one of the Calvin brides did," she said.
"I didn't want to believe it, I thought it was a joke at first but it started making sense when the communication started getting bad."
With just 10 weeks until their special day, the pair had already put down $7500 at Calvin Estate, having booked the venue two years ago.
The day after they received the news, the couple were desperately calling close to 30 venues to find a replacement with family and friends travelling from overseas and interstate, touring seven on Monday.
"My fiance and I were talking about this the other day and we got to the point where we just wanted to elope and not have this wedding we've dreamed of," Ms Faulks said.
"We got engaged two-and-a-half years ago and planned our wedding for ages, every detail was thought out and it was honestly really devastating.
"You dream of this day, it's supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life."
Ms Faulks has been working two jobs and her partner wracking up close to 60 hours a week to afford the wedding.
She said there has been no communication about how to get their money back, except for the email advising them to contact the landlord.
"The thing that gets me the most is we made our $5000 payment on November 4, eight weeks ago, and in eight weeks you know if you are having financial difficulties," she said.
"It has been really stressful, I'm a pretty level-headed person but I've felt a lot of stress and strain and so has my partner.
"You know the saying when you put on your wedding dress you know it's 'the one' - it's the same with the venue and we didn't get that feeling for any of the other venues which was really sad, but you just have to deal with it."
The property itself was bought by Rajiv Shah in May, 2022, with an ongoing lease to Mr Wake's Venue 1.
Mr Shah has advised all of the couples to pursue legal action regarding their own situation against the business that has taken a deposit from them.
"Our position is like many customers, and we are pursuing legal advice in consideration of the fact Venue 1 is owing us money in the form of rent," he said.
"Venue 1 is shifting blame and responsibility to the property owners in an attempt to justify the liquidation or proposed liquidation of their business.
"Venue 1 has never paid their rent in time, we have granted significant leeway to each of their excuses and reasons for delayed or missing rent."
Mr Shah said he had discussed a way forward with Venue 1 in person in October, last year, agreeing to let them pay rent in instalments or as per their cash flow until December 31, 2022.
"Following this, from January 1, 2023, they should abide by the lease terms, failing which we could exercise our rights under the lease agreement as property owner," he said.
He said that at 8am on New Year's Day he was notified that Venue 1 was unable to meet its obligations and were still in rental arrears.
Mr Shah said Venue 1 provided his personal details to couples in the email about its liquidation.
"I have received and responded to non-stop calls from Venue 1's clients," he said.
"I spoke to every one of their clients who rang or texted me. We understand the frustration of people who have booked this venue, as the property owners we are looking for a better operator for the venue and rebrand of the property so that clients are able to hold events at the venue."
Mr Shah said he will keep all clients up-to-date regarding the process in the hopes some can continue their weddings at Calvin Estate.
Sheridan Hopkins and her partner Steven Oliver were due to be married on September 23, she said she found out on Facebook that the venue was making cancellations.
"We feel hurt, devastated and heartbroken, we have two small children as well," she said.
"We paid $2700 for our wedding and we had the $10,000 package.
"Everyone is asking if we're okay and all the vendors have been offering so many discounts, 40 to 50 per cent off my hair, 50 per cent off my makeup and DJ's are slashing their prices as well for every Calvin couple, so that's been good in a way.
"I just don't think it's really professional to find out you aren't going to be having a wedding day reading Facebook."
Vendors have rallied around the affected couples, offering everything from free marquees to discounts in the hopes they can make their day as special as possible.
Among them is makeup artist Taylah-Jane Turner who offered 50 per cent off her services after seeing all the posts flooding in from brides.
"Weddings aren't just one vendor and don't affect just one person," she said.
"I pictured being in their shoes and it made me feel upset seeing what they're going through - it's been a rough trot for so many couples and businesses over the last few years in this industry.
"I hope my offer has encouraged others to contribute when and if they can, and that all the couples find the vendors they need to get back on track."
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