Couple devastated as venue cancels wedding booking

A couple set to say "I do" at a luxury wedding venue said they were "absolutely devastated" after the venue suddenly pulled their booking.

David Ross and Mary Turner, from Basingstoke, were due to get married at Highfield Park in Hook, Hampshire, on 26 July having booked the venue 18 months ago for 64 guests.

Mary, 55, a professional carer, and David 67, a former ambulance worker, said when the venue called to cancel on 8 January, their "carefully planned milestone" turned "stressful and uncertain".

Highfield Park told the BBC it had decided to cease operating as a hotel, wedding and conference venue after reviewing the site's long‑term needs and would be "repurposed for internal business use".

The couple, who met several years ago when David responded to a 999 call for one of Mary's clients, said the bride-to-be "just broke down" following the phone call, which came as they were watching the latest series of BBC show The Traitors.

David said: "We were absolutely devastated. One minute we were planning our wedding the next we were scrambling to find a new venue.

"What should have been a joyful and carefully planned milestone instantly became a stressful and uncertain situation."

With guests already booked on flights, they had to find another venue available on the same date.

"The stress was overwhelming," said David. "It stopped being about celebrating and became about coping."

Because David suffers from heart failure and must avoid stress, the couple said they were forced to cut their wedding right down to immediate family and a handful of close friends.

"Losing the venue in Hook didn't just cost us money, it took a huge emotional toll at a really vulnerable time," said David.

The couple had booked everything for the wedding from the food and drink to flowers and chairs with the venue, a 17th Century mansion set in parkland.

Following the cancellation, they said they had been refunded their £2,000 deposit but had been offered no further help or compensation.

David and Mary said they had since secured Warbrook House Heritage Hotel in Hook for their wedding, with a reduced guest list of 45.

Wedding specialist Sammy Syrett, at the couple's replacement venue, said she has received enquiries from at least 12 couples seeking help following Highfield Park's decision to stop operating.

In a statement, Highfield Park said: "Our team is working directly with existing customers to manage current bookings on a case-by-case basis.

"We recognise that this change will be disappointing for some and our team is working directly with affected customers to manage the transition as fairly and responsibly as possible."

It has not said whether current staff will keep their jobs.