Couples forced to reorganise wedding plans following a hotel closure have been spared extra costs thanks to The Argus.
Natasha Lee and her fiancé Elliott Mills, both 22, of Whippingham Road, Brighton, were one of nine wedding couples let down after the closure of the Lansdowne Place Hotel, Hove, in January.
The owners of the hotel called in administrator KPMG last month. The hotel had been closed by the management prior to the appointment and is no longer trading.
But the lovebirds were facing further financial heartache after it emerged Brighton and Hove City Council would also charge them to book the registrar at new venues.
Following The Argus’ intervention, the council has now relented and told the couples it will waive the fee for the new official notice.
Ms Lee said: “The register office had contacted us to say we have to go back into the office to officially resubmit our notices of marriage.
“It is a legal requirement because the wedding venue has changed.
"It would have meant either taking time off work in the week and paying £70 to them, or going at a weekend and paying £90.
Profit from misfortune
“We’re not the only couple being forced to rearrange our wedding because of the failure of the Lansdowne, and it seemed like a real kick in the teeth by the council to take an opportunity to profit from our misfortune.”
She thanked The Argus for the intervention.
Councillor Leo Littman said the council will honour all bookings and ensure registrars are available.
He said: “We will be contacting the couples concerned to advise them that we will refund their fees if they have already paid their notice fees for their new choice of venue.
“I fully appreciated how stressful it must be to have wedding plans disrupted and so we will do all we can to help the couples prepare for their big day, including waiving the fee for the new official notice of marriage document as the venue is changed.”
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