SEDALIA - Dozens of brides recently learned their wedding venue is no longer available just a few months before the big day.
All events at Castle Cliff Estates in Sedalia have been canceled because of an ongoing zoning battle between the owner and Douglas County.
Brides-to-be were sent scrambling to find a new venue. Future bride Kellen Seavy set a date as early as May 23, which is just three and a half months away.
"I was just hysterical," Seavy said when she heard the venue canceled. "I didn't know why it was happening."
Ashleigh Cluge, another bride who booked a wedding with Castle Cliff over a year ago, says she does not know where to turn.
"Right now, there is absolutely no place with my wedding date," Cluge said. "Saturdays in June is not going to happen. It was my dream wedding date but not anymore."
The clients were told about the issue during the last week of January or first week of February.
Catherine Chase, the owner of Castle Cliff, said the clients were booked before the county notified her about violations in 2013.
Jessica Kleinman, another bride-to-be, said that's not true.
"She knew full and well when I signed this contract in January or February of 2014 that she was in violation, and she did nothing about it," Kleinman said.
Wedding planner Isabelle Kline has 20 clients who booked with Castle Cliff. This has not happened in her 18 years as a planner, according to Kline.
"Oh there are so many stories; I don't even know where to start," Kline said. "But most of all, it's just heartbreaking for the brides."
With only months to go the brides say they have no other choice but to put the issue in the past.
"To marry the person you love and want to spend the rest of your life with, that's what's really important," Cluge said.
Wedding planners gave future brides a couple tips to avoid this situation, however rare:
1. Purchase wedding insurance which can come with a variety of options.
2. If getting married at a private venue (like Castle Cliff), call the local government for a quick check on the legitimacy.
Some of the video for this story was provided by Wedding Cinematographer Dusty Jenkins, Owner of Cinepro Studios
(KUSA-TV © 2015 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
