Wedding venue 48 Watt Street collapses leaving brides and grooms $10,000 out of pocket
A wedding business has collapsed and suddenly closed the doors of its popular venue, leaving couples thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Wellsman, who manages the popular 48 Watt Street site in Newcastle’s CBD, in NSW, went bankrupt on Monday, canceling upcoming weddings and events.
The shocking decision has “devastated” brides and grooms-to-be, who have no idea if they’ll get their deposits back.
Emily Mursa, 22, said the company has been awarded more than $10,000 to secure her marriage to partner Ben Pears (pictured, together) for December this year
Wellsman, who runs the popular 48 Watt Street site in Newcastle’s CBD (pictured), went bankrupt on Monday
Emily Mursa, 22, said the company has been awarded more than $10,000 to secure her marriage to partner Ben Pears for December this year.
But the company recently informed her that it may be sold.
“It was a long email and it didn’t really make sense,” Ms Mursa said ABC.
‘I emailed back and asked if I could get confirmation that we would have the location for December and what the problem was.
“They replied that they had no more details and we just had to wait and see.”
The couple has not been informed whether they will get their money back.
Another bride and groom, Jeremy and Alison, were set to get married in November after putting down a $7,000 down payment.
“Vendors are booked, guests coming off the highway, everything. Now we have to start over,’ Alison said NBN news.
The couple said they have been told they will not get their money back.
The 48 Watt Street website said it had gone into liquidation at the bottom of its homepage.
“Mitch Griffiths of Rapsey Griffiths was appointed liquidator of Wellsman Pty Limited trading as 48 Watt Street on July 17, 2023,” the statement said.
It instructed creditors to email the liquidator’s office, which would reply to them “in due course.”
The company has contacted customers and canceled other events where “stressed” brides and grooms took to social media to demand refunds.
The 48 Watt Street website (pictured, a social media image) said it was liquidated at the bottom of the homepage
Wellsman, who had a male stripper and drag show scheduled this month, is believed to have filed for bankruptcy due to declining earnings. news.com.au said.
A Harry Potter-themed event that had urged customers to buy tickets two weeks ago was also cancelled.
Attendees showed up to the Hogwarts 2023 event on Friday, which promised potions lessons with “cheese boards, bread and dips,” but found gates locked with no staff around.
A ticket holder said she received an email about the cancellation two hours before the show was due to start.
“As we are not local, we have traveled to Newcastle so our group does not have its own pocket for travel and accommodation,” she said on the company’s social media.
Local Ruby Aspinall said she couldn’t understand this happening in such an iconic location.
“My fiancée and I are one of many couples who have lost all financial deposits paid to the venue for our wedding and we are devastated,” she wrote in an online post Tuesday.
Local Ruby Aspinall said she couldn’t understand this happening in such an iconic location (pictured)
It comes after the Australian wedding industry has been hit hard with the Pialligo Estate, in Canberra (pictured) going under after ‘succumbing’ to rising interest rates in March
‘[It’s] not only for ourselves, but for all the people whose cloth has been pulled from under them.’
It comes after the Australian wedding industry has been hit hard with the Pialligo Estate, in Canberra, going under after ‘succumbing’ to rising interest rates in March.
Meanwhile, the property at 48 Watt Street went on the market earlier this week, accepting expressions of interest until August 17.
The company has been approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment.