Bride left scrambling after historic Paradise restaurant shutters without warning
Closure of Woodstock Public House left Vanessa Bursey looking for another wedding venue
The sudden closure of the Woodstock Public House in Paradise is forcing couples who had booked the venue for their weddings to scramble for an alternative arrangement.
"I was really upset at first and then tried to collect my composure as best I could. But yeah, we're still really sad about it and just really disappointed for the most part," Vanessa Bursey told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
Bursey said a venue is like a wedding's centrepiece, and losing it felt like her plan was falling apart.
The couple had made a $1,000 deposit in December after the events manager indicated other couples were eyeing the same wedding date, she said, and a down payment would secure it.
"That's definitely our next challenge, is trying to get some communication with the restaurant and the owners to have that deposit refunded," Bursey said.
"We were told that the person who we spoke to — who I later found out was indeed the owner — was, quote, 'just the messenger' and that they would be in contact this week about a deposit."
So far, she said, no one has followed up.
Bursey has been in contact with other couples who had their wedding plans cancelled. They also haven't heard back about their deposits.
Almost a century
The Woodstock, which opened in 1927, has been a fixture in Paradise for almost a century. It has passed through the hands of several owners in that time.
Brendon O'Rourke, the most recent owner, took over the business when it was called the Woodstock Colonial Restaurant in 2019 and renamed it the Woodstock Public House.
O'Rourke made the closure announcement over social media on March 6.
"Despite the difficulties of the pandemic and the industry since that time, we have kept our heads down doing the work that Woodstock was meant to house," O'Rourke wrote.
"It has been the joy of a lifetime to get to know all the staff and patrons of the Woodstock. I hope that the next proprietors will live up to the legacy that has been left before us."
The March 6 post has dozens of responses, primarily from people reminiscing about special events they'd had at the restaurant over the years. Some asked about gift certificates they had purchased.
CBC News has asked O'Rourke for an interview, but did not receive a response.
Bursey says she has since found another venue, but The Woodstock had sentimental importance.
"It wasn't just a generic wedding venue for us, it was something that definitely had a lot of meaning," she said.
"We don't want to be burned again. But we found a venue that we are very confident we are going to treat us well and hopefully this won't happen again."
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With files from The St. John’s Morning Show
