Couple’s path to altar hit road bump when venue backed out

Maggie Trunk says she and her fiancé were getting married in Dripping Springs, Texas.

They booked a venue for the rehearsal dinner: the Desert Door Distillery.

As they got closer to the big day, they emailed the venue to finalize details.

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They say the business responded, “Due to an internal operational adjustment, we are unable to move forward with hosting the event as planned.”

The distillery didn’t say what the “operational adjustment” was.

“Our minds were going all different directions and you have to eventually get to a place of acceptance. But you also want answers,” Trunk told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke.

Trunk says the venue refunded their money -- $800 -- and sent them some alternate venue suggestions, but that they still scrambled to find a backup.

“We thought we were on cruise control and then once we learned that information we kind of had to shift back into problem-solving mode and planning mode,” she said.

She says they found a replacement thanks to social media. People made helpful suggestions and they landed on a different brewery.

“I would say to have a backup plan because you never know if something is going to, something outside of your control, is going to affect your wedding at the last minute,” Trunk, who works in education, wants consumers to know.

Action 9 emailed the vendor for more details but didn’t hear back in time for this report.

Stoogenke says Trunk and her fiancé did a lot right:

• They didn’t pay the full amount up front.
• They didn’t assume no news is good news.  If you haven’t heard anything, don’t just assume everything’s fine.  Check periodically.
• They used social media to get suggestions for another venue.  Of course, still consider the source. It may give you some ideas.
• Use a credit card if you can. It’s easier to dispute charges that way.

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