Dozens of heartbroken couples have been left looking for a new wedding venue after an 18th century hotel announced it was closing.
Hadlow Manor Hotel in Tonbridge, earmarked to be turned into 12 flats and homes, was set to shut in September, but that has been brought forward to Sunday, January 29, due to financial difficulties.
It means 37 weddings planned for the Georgian hotel have been cancelled and 29 staff members left without a job earlier than expected.
Sarah Nunn, from Loose, near Maidstone, was left heartbroken on Monday after the hotel rang to tell her that her big day was off.
She was due to marry her partner of three years, Peter Rastall, 44, after they got engaged at The Savoy in London in 2021.
The 41-year-old, whose brother is flying in from Canada and has 85 guests coming from around the country, became concerned for her wedding when she read reports the hotel would be closing in September.
“We were told by staff they guaranteed everything would be going ahead,” she said.
“I would get married in a marquee in a garden at this rate…”
“They said even if they have to grab staff from other venues or chains they would do so.
“I got the call on Monday morning and was absolutely devastated.
“Trying to find a venue for a Saturday in July is impossible. There’s such a big backlog at the minute from Covid – everywhere is busy.
“I’ve looked everywhere at every kind of venue. I would get married in a marquee in a garden at this rate.”
Sarah, a pastoral support lead worker, rang around 10 different venues the same morning, and has had positive talks with the Weald of Kent who could save the day.
The pair were set to fork out £6,500 for the venue and have already paid the £1,850 deposit, which Hadlow Manor have agreed will be refunded.
But Sarah, who had only just received her wedding invitations to send out, thinks finding a new venue will be much more costly.
She added: “It has to be on the same date. My brother is flying in from Canada and it will ruin his flights and we might lose suppliers if we change.
“If we cancelled when we had our initial concerns last year we would have been without a deposit.”
The shock news has affected other weddings, with some angered family members taking to TripAdvisor to give the hotel a bad review.
One person named Pat wrote: “Be very careful booking anything at Hadlow Manor.
“With less than three months until my son’s wedding they have cancelled the whole thing to financial viability and they are closing and turning into flats.”
Last July a similar story happened to an Aylesford couple whose big day was ruined after a late cancellation.
A Hadlow Manor Hotel spokesman said: “Regretfully, due to the current market conditions, increased costs across a range of services and supplies, as well as challenges with recruitment and wages, following a consultation with employee representatives, the Hadlow Manor venue is to now set to close on Sunday, January 29.
“This is extremely disappointing news for the 29 employees who are currently going through a consultation process lasting for a minimum of 30 days from Friday January 6 2023, when representatives were elected on behalf of the employees.
“In addition, the management team has no choice but to cancel customer bookings for future events.
“We are currently speaking to customers and returning deposits paid, and where possible, looking for other solutions, such as finding availability at other venues.
“We understand this is distressing for the clients and sincerely apologise for the disruption caused. We are doing our best to communicate to customers on a one-to-one basis as quickly as possible.”
The Georgian Manor dates back to 1812 and was historically known as Leavers Manor, which is thought to derive from Stephen Leaveres, the owner of the property back in medieval times.
The conversion plans, still awaiting planning permission, are to turn the main building into six flats, demolish modern extensions and build six further houses in the grounds.
A spokesman for the venue previously explained: “The current management has tried to make a success of this business since 2001 but, despite huge expenditure of remodelling, refurbishment and marketing, has not been able to make it profitable.”