Greater Manchester couple’s wedding plans ruined by shock hotel closure

The pair planned to wed this summer but have been left high and dry after their venue shut suddenly.
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A couple have told of their ‘nightmare’ after a hotel where they planned to wed closed without warning.

Kirsty Catterall and Andrew Porter from Wigan got engaged in 2018 and aimed to marry in 2020 til the pandemic put paid to their plans.

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Their venue, Park Hall in Charnock Richard, Lancashire, offered them a new date in August this year.

Kirsty Catterall and Andrew Porter on their engagement day. The warehouse workers have seen their wedding dream shattered after the sudden closure of Park Hall Hotel on Monday (February 8)Kirsty Catterall and Andrew Porter on their engagement day. The warehouse workers have seen their wedding dream shattered after the sudden closure of Park Hall Hotel on Monday (February 8)
Kirsty Catterall and Andrew Porter on their engagement day. The warehouse workers have seen their wedding dream shattered after the sudden closure of Park Hall Hotel on Monday (February 8)

But now the warehouse workers have seen that dream shattered too after it was suddenly announced that the venue had closed, with the owner's planning to turn the hotel into temporary housing for asylum seekers.

Earlier this week Standish couple Adam Weate and Danielle Sugden revealed their wedding plans had been ruined by the Park Hall debacle, but they have been offered the chance of moving it to Holland Hall Hotel in Up Holland.

Park Hall Hotel in Charnock Richard suddenly closed its doors without notice on Monday (February 7), leaving couple's despairing over their wedding plansPark Hall Hotel in Charnock Richard suddenly closed its doors without notice on Monday (February 7), leaving couple's despairing over their wedding plans
Park Hall Hotel in Charnock Richard suddenly closed its doors without notice on Monday (February 7), leaving couple's despairing over their wedding plans

But at present, there are no such chances for Andrew and Kirsty. Unless the pair can get a full £5,600 refund from the hotel’s owners, they say they won’t be able to afford to rearrange the big day for what would be a third time.

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Andrew said: “So many things have gone wrong since we got engaged that this Park Hall nightmare, while very upsetting, didn’t come as a surprise.

“It was only last week that we were trying to find a new wedding car company because the one we had booked had gone under.

“And we have recently lost a parent and a step-parent. To be honest we just can’t get exciting about the wedding at the moment, especially after what has just happened.”

A sign on the door tells visitors the hotel has now closed until further noticeA sign on the door tells visitors the hotel has now closed until further notice
A sign on the door tells visitors the hotel has now closed until further notice

‘We have not got a penny’

Kirsty and 37-year-old Andrew have been contacted by several hospitality venues offering them their facilities, some even on the date in August on which they had planned to marry.

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But Kirsty said: “Until and unless we get the money back, we can’t afford any alternatives.

“We put down a £600 deposit at the start and later on I paid another £5,000 which was more than the original contract because we wanted some extras.

“After the first time the wedding had to be cancelled, we rather objected to the venue dictating to us when the ceremony would be moved to and then later they tried to increase the bill, but I dug my heels in and said that we had agreed a price in our contract so they accepted that.

“Now however, we’ve not got a penny.

“I first found out about Park Hall being in trouble on Monday night when family and friends started messaging and phoning me.

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“We later received an email giving us another email address we could contact for a refund but we’ve both written to that address five times now but have received no reply.

“It’s very nice of other venues to offer their services, but unless we get that cash back, then nothing can happen.”

The wedding was going to have 50 guests at the afternoon events and 100 at the evening reception. Several guests had already booked hotel rooms at Park Hall but they hadn’t paid anything up front so at least they are not out of pocket.

  • A version of this story originally appeared on our sister title the Wigan Post.