Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Matfen Hall cancelled 2022 weddings

47 replies

Biancadelrioisback · 14/09/2021 08:27

I live in Northumberland and know loads of people who've got married here including a friend who was meant to be getting married June 2022. The venue is beautiful and an award winning wedding venue, yet the new owners have decided that any weddings from 2022 onwards must have a minimum spend of £20k regardless of what was agreed in the customers original contract. For some this is apparently a 400% increase and for many, they only have a few months to either find a new venue, cough up the money, or cancel.

I've worked as a wedding manager in many venues in the north east, including venues which changed hands during my time there and we always honoured prices wherever possible.

Could you imagine if this was your wedding, especially those who are already onto their second/third dates due to the pandemic?

OP posts:

RampantIvy · 14/09/2021 08:42

What a shitty thing to do.

LaurieFairyCake · 14/09/2021 08:43

They will likely still get a whole load of new bookings

It's a really desirable place

Original poster

Biancadelrioisback · 14/09/2021 08:57

Surely there aren't many people looking to book a wedding now who can shell out £20k+ in just a few months time?

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Weddings

Lazydaisydaydream · 14/09/2021 08:58

Journalist?

Spandang · 14/09/2021 09:00

It’s the market though isn’t it? I’m not denying it’s a shitty thing to do but no doubt they’ve got people queuing up to get married there now because of the pandemic, and costs have escalated for both food and staff.

Add into that the fact the government is requisitioning venues for displaced Afghan’s and you’ve got demand outstripping supply.

LukeEvansWife · 14/09/2021 09:03

It’s a business though. If it’s that popular, they will find plenty of customers who will pay that. It’s a shame for the people who have booked but it is what it is

PersephoneJames · 14/09/2021 09:07

That’s so shitty on existing bookings with contracts signed. Like the dickheads who cancelled uk airbnbs reserved before it would be clear that people were going to stay in the uk and relisted them for much higher. Misery profiteers.

MrsFionaCharming · 14/09/2021 09:08

How is that legal if a contract has already been signed?

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 14/09/2021 09:10

@Lazydaisydaydream

Journalist?

it's certainly a very strangely worded OP

Why do you want views on something that doesn't seem to affect you?

LukeEvansWife · 14/09/2021 09:11

I imagine the terms and conditions will show it is their right to do to this

suredsun · 14/09/2021 09:13

It's shitty. They'll clear their calendar of all the lower value events and make way for a raft of new more profitable bookings which they will easily fill because so many people have delayed their marriage plans. By all means say from X date we'll only accept bookings with a mimimum spend of £20k but you have to honour those who booked some time ago in good faith.
However I do wonder if there is a general trend to smaller (cheaper) weddings because of people being afraid of large gatherings? If you'd booked a venue 2 years ago for 150 people and now decided it was only going to be 50 guests then I suppose you are equally reneging on the contract, which is anything for the venue.

Mariell · 14/09/2021 09:14

I don’t believe that the cost will have gone up by 400% for some people!

Where have you got that figure from and how are you privy to how much people have already paid for their wedding?

SW1amp · 14/09/2021 09:17

Why do you want views on something that doesn't seem to affect you?

Hi! Welcome to Mumsnet! We hope you enjoy your first day here…
Please take time to browse the topics, which include ‘things that don’t directly affect you’, ‘things that you heard from a friend of a friend’, ‘things you’re asking for a friend who doesn’t have an account’ and our all-time speciality, ‘things that are mildly annoying but have no actual impact on your day to day life’

We do hope you find your visit enjoyable!

Mariell · 14/09/2021 09:20

Source - Northern Echo -

‘ Matfen Hall has since said it had already honoured dozens of weddings at "loss-making" prices agreed before the venue was taken over by new owners last year.’

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 14/09/2021 09:20

‘Add into that the fact the government is requisitioning venues for displaced Afghan’s and you’ve got demand outstripping supply.’

Is that so? I haven’t heard this anywhere else.

Mariell · 14/09/2021 09:24

In response, Matfen Hall said it had already "absorbed" the costs and honoured 56 weddings under the previous owner's price structure and said they were honouring a further 63 weddings planned for the remainder of this year, and first part of next year, at previously agreed prices which were "loss-making."

It said that it had been placed under strain following weddings taking place this year, originally planned to take place during the three Covid lockdowns, resulting in staff working overtime and new guests being "turned away."

A spokesperson for Matfen Hall told The Echo: "Millions of pounds have been spent so far refurbishing and improving the surroundings and the feedback from all our guests has been entirely positive.

"Our 2022 weddings are selling very well at prices above £20,000, which we believe is the market rate and is proven by numerous couples willing to spend that amount and more.

Mariell · 14/09/2021 09:25

We have absorbed the extra cost of sticking to old prices for over one hundred weddings and because couples are now extra keen to get married after a prolonged Covid delay, the extra cost doesn’t take into account the overtime and strain on our staff to handle the extra volumes."

The spokesperson said that it had been forced to get through a backlog, with the hotel seeing around seven weddings a week, requiring a reduced workforce to cope with a "dramatically refurbished hotel" and its new customers as well as wedding parties, agreed under the previous owners.

It said that it had opted not to close the hotel for refurbishment, which it claimed would have meant laying off workers, and instead opted to open at the "earliest opportunity" back in May so that delayed weddings could go ahead under the price quoted by the previous owners.

It added that it had been "incredibly" generous and accommodating with the period of notice given to affected customers.

Mariell · 14/09/2021 09:26

Basically a non story.

Company gets taken over and new owners so their best to honour existing bookings over a period of time but then have to introduce a new price structure that will effect some bookings.

SaturdaySpread · 14/09/2021 09:30

@MrsFionaCharming

How is that legal if a contract has already been signed?

The contract was with a different owner.

As the new owner I'd have honoured the old contracts to avoid negative PR but there's no obligation to and actually, the publicity around this being such a desirable and expensive venue might actually be good for them long term.

QuillBill · 14/09/2021 09:30

So what has actually happened to your friend's wedding?

amillionmenonmars · 14/09/2021 09:32

@Spandang

Add into that the fact the government is requisitioning venues for displaced Afghan’s and you’ve got demand outstripping supply.

Do you have a link to a news source about the government requisitioning venues for 2022 for refugees? I have not read anything about any venues being used for this purpose - the number of Afghan's that the UK has allowed in is so small I would be very surprised if wedding venues would need to be taken up.

EishetChayil · 14/09/2021 09:42

That's capitalism!

horizontilting · 14/09/2021 09:42

"... and our all-time speciality, ‘things that are mildly annoying but have no actual impact on your day to day life’"

Original poster

Biancadelrioisback · 14/09/2021 10:12

@QuillBill

So what has actually happened to your friend's wedding?

She's not sure. Basically she's been told that her wedding is being cancelled and they can 'rebook' the same date but for the new pricing if they want.

OP posts:

Original poster

Biancadelrioisback · 14/09/2021 10:13

@Lazydaisydaydream

Journalist?

Lol, hardly. Check my posting history if you like.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2