Hebburn couple’s devastation as the Sea Hotel cancels their wedding just seven weeks before the big day

A Hebburn couple’s dream day almost turns into a nightmare after the Sea Hotel in South Shields cancelled their wedding with just over seven weeks to go before the big day.
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Kerry Murray, 41, and her fiancé, Liam Dove, 41, were due to tie the knot at the venue, on Sea Road in South Shields, on Saturday, June 3; however, their special day was cancelled by adminstrators on Wednesday, April 12.

The couple, who booked their wedding in March 2022, had no idea that their wedding was not going ahead until one of their friends attempted to book a room at the hotel, only to be told that it was fully booked.

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This was despite the venue saying that rooms would be kept aside for the wedding party - with the bridal suite even double booked for June 2 and 3.

Liam and Kerry. Liam and Kerry.
Liam and Kerry.

Kerry told the Gazette about the panic that followed when she found out there were issues with the Sea Hotel ahead of her wedding day.

She said: “When we booked the wedding in March last year, there was no indictation of any problems and we were told that the bridal suite would be available on the night before the wedding, plus our wedding night.

“The venue also said they would keep seven to ten rooms free for our guests to book and then we didn’t have much contact with them after paying the deposit.

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“I thought it was a bit strange that they hadn’t been in touch to discuss things like menu choices but with us planning everything else for the wedding, time just slipped by.

“It was only when my friend tried to book a room on Good Friday (April 7) that I really started to panic about it, especially when I found out that they had double booked the bridal suite.

“We were due to go down and pay the final payment when the wedding coordinator said that it was in the hands of the administrators, who eventually told us that the Sea Hotel had booked too many weddings and ours was cancelled.

“It just crushed me to hear that, I felt so disheartened and gutted - we were both devastated.”

The Sea HotelThe Sea Hotel
The Sea Hotel
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Kerry immediately started to search for another venue in the hope that the wedding could still go ahead on June 3 as planned, and thankfully, the couple were able to secure the Grand Hotel in Sunderland.

She added: “As soon as I got confirmation that it was cancelled, I was straight on the phone to other venues to see if they had any availability.

“I tried to book The Clarion at Boldon but they already had a wedding that day; however, they recommended that I try the Grand Hotel in Sunderland.

“Thankfully they could fit us in so it is a bit of a relief to know that the wedding will still be going ahead on June 3.

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“Unfortunately it means that we are left out of pocket even further as we have to rearrange the registrar due to the wedding being a different area to South Tyneside, plus we have to give notice to wed again.

“Liam works offshore so it means that he has to fly home just to sort that out, it has all been horrendous.”

Mr Lockwood commented: “As administrators, we have honoured the vast majority of weddings and events since our appointment in July last year.

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“This has been at a significant cost to the administration due to customer deposits not being ringfenced.

“Unfortunately, the temporary closure of the kitchen due to staffing issues has resulted in having to cancel a small number of events at short notice.

“We would like to apologise to those impacted and confirm we are currently trying to offer alternative solutions to those parties.”

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