Venue in administration - Anyone got experience? - Updated

Personally i would look for somewhere else. I think it would be a constant worry for you especially on the run up. Fingers crossed it doesn't but if it did end up closing you would have the extra stress of looking for somwhere else so close to your wedding and have photographers etc to update

good luck what ever you decide

Thanks - that's pretty much what the sensible side of my brain's saying

Which venue is this?

Peter, it's the Auchen Castle in Dumfries and Galloway

Thanks for the update. I totally appreciate your concerns. I hope that you find a venue that enables you to plan your day without other worries.

I am going through a similar experience so I feel for you. It has caused me no end of stress for the past week and we have an appointment on Saturday to get out. I am not going to spend the next 8 months running up to the wedding worrying whether the venue will actually still be in operation and if we are actually going to get the service we were told we would get. All signs at the moment point to the contrary, for example I was called today by the 'new manager' who knew nothing of the appointment we were meant to have on Saturday...despite promises they want to turn the hotel around etc etc. Obviously not badly enough.

You will do this once. Your venue should be taking away all your worries, not adding to them. When you book somewhere it should be in the knowledge you have entrusted your special day to them and you know they will ensure everything goes smoothly on the day. If you can, get out, it really is not worth the hassle. Best of luck xx

I would say look else where, you could hold back but it could take months to find a new buyer and if there is a buyer it doesnt guarentee that they will honor any contracts the origional company has made, (if the buyer works out a deal just to buy the building)

Look else where and save yourselves the stress... Keep an eye on your venue though as it could be sorted out quickly, I know a couple of companies that have only been in administration a day.

If you did choose to go with the venue work out a sensible pricing system so that you drip feed them the money, you can always try and get it back off the liquidators if it all goes wrong.

Your best bet is minumal deposit and pay the majority off just before the wedding or minimal now then speak to them again if they come out of admin.

I would look for somewhere if it were me - but if your someone who doesn't mind taking risks - it could be an option.

We had a choice of 2 fab venues and we chose the one that we did becasue it was more "us" in terms of it was a modern golf club and the other venue was an old farm house converted into a hotel. But I also got on much better with the wedding planner, I had heard good reviews from the place we booked but mixed messages from the other place. I also know the food is good at the golf club as my dad and brother are members and eat there regularly - which wasn't the same for the hotel.

I would therefore be unwilling to take the risk - if the new owners do not have a wedding coordinator then it could get messy - becasue you don't know who the new owner is you wouldn't know the quality of the food or what changes they plan to make. Eg: They might hold events on weekends.

It depends what risk your willing to take - if you could come to an agreement that you'd be happy with and you could come to agreement guarenteeing you wouldn't loose cash - it might be an option. Perhaps you could utilise external caters and therefore mitigate the risk?

It's a difficult one - I hope you come up with something your happy with

Weddings are stressful enough, i would avoid it.

Hi Darcy

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I would agree with the other ladies & Take a look at other venues. There is no guarantee your current place will still be open next year. Have you looked at this place? Its not far from your current venue

I was there recently for a reception & it was lovely. Its near Easterbrook Hall in Dumfries.

http://www.astonhotels.co.uk/hotels/dumfries

Better pics:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186513-d615655-Reviews-Holiday_Inn_Dumfries-Dumfries_Dumfries_and_Galloway_Scotland.html

Hope this helps

Good luck

M x

well at least if you have been "pencilled in" its not too bad. Have a look around other places tho just incase you decide to pot out. You dont know what all changes are going to be made to this venue and it might be something that will just cause you more stress than you dont need! See what they offer you though at the venue this weekend and write everything down that they say...or get them to put everything in writing!!

I too would look at alternative venues as I wouldn't want the worry to be honest. If you want to go ahead and pay with your credit card as the bank have said you would get your money back, just take into account that it may take a while to get any money refunded to you, and would you have the available money to book an alternative venue in the meantime?

Hope you get something sorted x

Hi, we are having our wedding at Auchen Castle also (October this year), and had a very sleepless night when we found this out. To cut a long story short the hotel group (pag hotels) are no longer the owners Santander the bank are; they have instructed KPMG (a very large global accountancy company) to oversea this who have now taken on a very good events management team. The banks aim is to do the hotel up and turn it around to make it as profitable as possible for when they sell it. I have personal e-mail addresses for contacts at KPMG and the events company. My parents went up and had a meeting with them and were very impressed. To be honest I am happier now that they are dealing with it, and they are operating the hotel as a going concern and taking bookings for 2012! It is your personal choice as to wether you want to ahead and use the venue, but from what I have been told is that the only reason this all happend was down to bad management of the hotel. I have been assured that the hotel will only become better (probably not in time for our wedding, but for yours in terms of re-decoration, prices on drinks etc as they have stronger contracts with suppliers due to the volume of venues they deal with). Please feel free to contact me if you need any e-mail addresses etc for people to talk to.

Good Luck - Gretna Bride.

Bounce for update

I live just outside glasgow if you want a castle theme have you looked at cornhill house its in Biggar its gorgeous or even cartland bridge hotel

Yes the cornhill is beautiful - seems to be on the front of the venue sections in all the Scottish wedding magazines! One of my best friends got married there a few years ago and it was lovely but we don't have the numbers to fill it.

I really hope you find somthing else soon keep us updated

Hello you! Have you looked at Glenskirlie? Not a proper castle but it's lovely. Edinburgh Castle has a room for weddings I think but tbh I'm not sure. x