An estimated 7,500 brides and grooms across the country have been affected by the closure of the national wedding chain, including at least two couples in Denver.
What was supposed to be the most magical day of their lives has been utterly ruined.
Sources say that nearly 7,500 brides and grooms across the U.S. have lost their wedding venues after a national chain "abruptly closed all of its locations." Noah's Event Venue, a Utah-based company that had filed for bankruptcy back in May, operated 42 locations throughout 25 states—including a location in Colorado.
Its venue in Westminster, which was still booking events after they filed for bankruptcy, suddenly closed on Saturday, and at least two local-area couples are now out thousands of dollars because of it. We did some sleuthing, and the website for the Westminster venue looks as if it's still available for booking; no official announcement of the closure has been posted.
According to Denver7, brides-to-be Cassie Ali and Christina Vigil received the same email on Friday, which told them of the sudden closure after it had happened.
The email said:
"I send this email to you with my deepest condolences while I struggle to find the words to say. Noah’s is closing its doors. I wanted you to know sooner than later and while a representative from Noah’s should be contacting you I wanted to reach out personally and tell you that I understand how completely devastating this is for you and your day. I had absolutely no idea this would happen and am absolutely shocked. I could never apologize enough for the devastation that this has caused you and if I had any idea this would have occurred I would never have ensured you to entrust in this company with such a special day in your life. A representative from Noah’s should be reaching out to you, and I was told to have no further contact with any of my clients and that effective immediately I no longer have a job. I felt it necessary to reach out to you even though I cannot be a contact for you to help moving forward. I am genuinely so sorry that this has happened and just wanted you to have as much notice as possible."
Ali and her fiancé, Jeremy Rodriguez, had paid $9,000 for the venue when they booked the wedding in 2018. However, just as her last payment of $1,900 was withdrawn on Thursday, she received the email the very next day that the venue was closing.
The same thing happened to Vigil and her fiancé, Joseph Maes, who say they spent $6,000 for the venue and that a payment was withdrawn on Friday, just a day before the email.
Both couples were set to be married this April.
"Noah legally owes (refunds) to everyone, there's no dispute about that," said Kenneth Cannon II, the bankruptcy attorney representing the Noah Corporation. "The problem is that there's nothing that I know of, there's not very much, to be able to repay people with."
The company’s founder William Bowser stated that things were growing "too fast" and that more focus should have been put into maintaining business at its "fledgling locations," as reported USA Today, citing previously filed court documents. Noah's Event Venue is $53 million in debt.
