MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) – A bride said she is out thousands of dollars after the venue she booked for her wedding closed without telling her.
Bonnie Sheridan said she booked 409 South Main in Memphis, Tennessee, for her December wedding, but the business is now permanently closed.
“There are so many better ways to run a business. There are so many better ways to close a business, and they did not do any of it,” she said.
Sheridan said she put down the first half of her deposit, $3,600, and signed the contract in March 2024.
She reached out to the venue after her wedding coordinator suggested checking in with them, and on Friday, Jared Welch, a representative for the venue, said in an email that the building was “in the foreclosure process.”
Welch told Sheridan that “all bank accounts have been closed, and the owner/investors are no longer able to fund the business.” He suggested she “file a lien out against the building” to get her money back.
“I got no word,” Sheridan said. “I’m blown away by the disrespect that you can do to somebody like that. Like, they put so much money into it because it’s not an inexpensive venue, and that’s their wedding day. And you didn’t even have the decency to tell anybody.“
Daniel Irwin with the Better Business Bureau said it is important to make sure to have something in your contract protecting you if the venue suddenly closes, and avoid paying with a debit card.
“The biggest advice would be to make sure you’re paying all your vendors with a credit card because just in case something does happen, you do have a lot more recourse with a credit card than you do any other payment method,” he said.
Social media pages for the venue have not been active since summer 2024. The venue’s website is down, along with the venue’s phone number.
“I’m just going to move forward and hopefully something good can come of it,” Sheridan said. “Hopefully I can reach out to other brides, you know, and just at the end of the day, I know I’m getting married to the person that I love.”
Sheridan said she was able to book another venue for her wedding.
WMC learned that an incentive loan issued by the Downtown Memphis Commission in 2023 for renovations to 409 South Main Street was canceled and the building was listed for sale.
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