Bride-to-be fears her big day is in jeopardy as Thrapston hotel enters administration

A Geddington woman has described her '˜living nightmare' after the hotel she had booked for her wedding went into administration.
Sheri Bee and Allan Murby.Sheri Bee and Allan Murby.
Sheri Bee and Allan Murby.

Sheri Bee, 36, is marrying her fiance Allan Murby, 32, on June 3 this year.

They have booked to hold their reception at the Bridge Hotel in Thrapston, but Miss Bee says everything is now up in the air after the venue’s owners, Abbot Grange Ltd, called in the administrators.

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She said: “They never said anything to us, we didn’t even know the hotel was up for sale.

The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.
The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.

“Last month I got a phone call from the DJ saying ‘where’s your wedding being held?’ because he’d been told it had gone into administration.

“I’d heard nothing from them at all and I’d only gone in three days before to pay in full for the booking.

“It’s absolutely awful and we have no idea what will happen.

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“They say they will try to honour bookings, but if they go out of business before our wedding we haven’t got a venue and if it gets sold before our wedding they [the new owners] might ask for more money.”

The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.
The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston.

Miss Bee paid £3,000 to book the venue and stands to lose about £5,500 if her big day doesn’t go ahead as planned.

While she has wedding insurance, she would only get a payout in the event of the the business going bust - meaning she still wouldn’t have time to organise a new venue.

She said: “Both of us have been married before and we want to make a big fuss of this wedding.

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“What the wedding insurers have said is that if the Bridge Hotel closes they will pay for the venue to be moved.

“But where are you going to find a venue on a Saturday in June at that notice?

“We do not know what’s going on and there are so many scenarios.”

She added that she and her partner have also paid for their honeymoon to Cape Verde on June 5 meaning that, if their wedding is moved, they could have their honeymoon before their wedding.

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Administrators Duff & Phelps say the hotel, as well as Dovecliff Hall in Staffordshire which they are also running, continues to trade normally and that they are committed to honouring bookings.

Matt Ingram, joint administrator, said: “We are continuing to operate the hotels while we enter into discussions with potential purchasers.

“I can reassure customers that they should notice little impact as a result of our appointment.

“We are aware that a number of people have weddings and other celebrations booked in advance at the venues and have been in touch with those parties to assure them of the commitment to honour bookings that have been made and to advise them of our contact details should they have any concerns.

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“These are established venues and present an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and visionary operator.

“I am optimistic that we will have positive developments to report in the near future.”

Miss Bee has set up a Facebook group for those affected by the Bridge Hotel or Dovecliff Hall going into administration.

To join, click here.