A KENT HOLIDAY PARK has come to the rescue of a couple whose plans for a dream wedding turned into a nightmare when their reception venue went bust just before the big day.
But thanks to quick thinking and a massive team effort at Birchington Vale Holiday Park near Margate, a potential washout became a wedding to remember for all the right reasons.
The engaged couple, Neil and Linda, both owned separate holiday caravans at the popular seaside park – and first met a few years ago in in its clubhouse.
Their romance blossomed, and the pair decided to tie the knot this February and to celebrate their marriage at the bespoke St Augustine’s wedding venue in nearby Westgate-on-Sea.
But with only a week to go before the reception, Neil and Linda learned to their horror that the venue had gone into administration and that the doors of St Augustine’s were firmly bolted.
The misery was worsened by having to disappoint the 100-plus wedding guests they had invited – and the knowledge that that their £6,000 deposit was probably lost forever.
But when Birchington Vale’s manager Sam Gosden learned of Neil and Linda’s distress, he vowed that the park would not leave the couple high and dry.
With the clock ticking, he convened an emergency staff meeting and put in place a plan to save the day by holding the reception in the park’s clubhouse.
Knowing the pair were already heavily out of pocket, Sam offered to decorate the venue, dress the tables and provide a professional DJ at no charge.
He also told Neil and Linda that they could buy their own ingredients for the meal and that the park would prepare it at cost price – and ensure that there was a wedding cake fitting to the occasion.
The couple were delighted at the park’s generosity, and – when their wedding day arrived – stunned at the magical transformation made to the venue where they had originally met.
“Everyone had the most amazing time, and other holiday home owners also put on their glad rags to to join the evening party and celebrate Neil and Linda’s happy day,” said Sam.
“The couple said they couldn’t have imagined enjoying a more fabulous experience, and that it had completely surpassed their expectations of the wedding venue they had booked.
“They also reckoned that even their wedding breakfast of pie-and-mash and fish and chips probably went down better than anything else that could have been served up!
“I must admit that it did set us a pretty big challenge at such short notice, but it was a team effort which paid off magnificently,” said Sam, who has been manager of the park for seven years.
Neil has been an owner at Birchington Vale for seven years, and his wife Linda for five years – and the couple are now living together in their London home while still enjoying regular get-aways to the park.
Nestled in 100 acres of Kent countryside alongside miles of sandy golden beaches, Birchington Vale is part of the award-winning Park Holidays UK group.
Sam says the whole occasion has proved his belief that Birchington Vale really is Britain’s most romantic holiday park!
