Some New Jersey couples are scrambling after a wedding venue shut down out of the blue, leaving them out thousands of dollars and needing to find a new place to tie the knot.
Couples were stunned by the bankruptcy notice posted by the Art Factory in Paterson on Saturday, and now have to make fast changes.
"I am devastated. The stress, I had to take off work, we have to figure out where we’re having this wedding," Lindsey Nadolny said.
Nadolny and her fiancée Erin had their fairytale wedding planned and ready to go at the venue of their dreams. But with the couple set to get married in mid-October, they now have to find a new location after the studio abruptly filed for bankruptcy.
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In a letter to brides posted on their Instagram, the studio wrote that was "writing with a heavy heart to share something devastating....we are now facing foreclosure in what feels like a cold, calculated legal move."
The studio is pointing the finger at their lender, Billy Procida, blaming him for the sudden closure. But in a statement to NBC New York, Procida said "This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. His accusations against me have all been debunked. And we’re victims just like the rest of them. I feel terrible for them. I feel terrible."
The saga is now playing out in bankruptcy court, but wedding parties are caught in the middle. Nadolny said she has already paid $16,000.
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"I sat them down and said, 'Listen, I heard about the bankruptcy. Are we gonna have the wedding? I need to know, we have people coming in from around the world to come to the wedding.' She looked me dead in the eyes and said don’t worry, you’ll be fine," said Nadolny. "It’s really a nightmare, the making of a horror documentary."
Chef Ameer Matson, a caterer at the venue, was blindsided by the sudden closure as well. He said he will do what he can to help couples left hanging in the balance.
"I’ve got mobile kitchens, so as people are rebooking venues, we’re meeting them where they are. We want to put this nightmare behind us," Matson said.
Another couple, Anthony Segarra and his fiancée Nicoli Cuffie, had planned to get married at the Art Factory in December. But those plans have changed, as well.
"We have 77 days to plan this wedding, now we have to start from scratch," said Cuffie, who said the couple had already paid more than $14,000.
Nadolny and her fiancée will continue to tour venues, hoping to keep their October date. But money is still a major concern.
"The problem is it’s an astronomical amount of money, so I’m essentially paying for two venues now," she said.
The couples are not sure if they'll see their money again — yet another stress for them to deal with, as they hold out hope of finding a new venue in time.
"Do right by the people who paid. They look forward to their wedding, so do right by these people," said Segarra.
