Call Kurtis: Wedding Venue Forced Closed Leaving Couples to Scramble
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Brittany West said she found out by word of mouth Wisteria Gardens in Elk Grove was shutting down for not having the right permits. She says five months out from her big day marrying her fiancé Javier, she saw a Facebook post saying Wisteria Gardens was having problems.
"I was mad pissed beyond belief," said Brittany. The venue, Wisteria Gardens is actually the backyard of Vicky and Rich Walker who told us in a 2013 news story, the tough economy drove them to switch careers transforming three acres of dirt in their yard into sprawling gardens.
"If I could help someone on their special day, it's all worth it," Vicky said in 2013. Her husband Rich adding, "I love to see the weddings and young people, they're so nice".
But not so nice for neighbors who contacted the City of Elk Grove. After getting noise and traffic complaints, the City of Elk Grove investigated and said Wisteria Gardens didn't have the right permits to operate and had building code violations.
"Hosting weddings itself is not illegal business. It just requires proper permits," said Darren Wilson from the City of Elk Grove.
Wilson also said they allowed Wisteria Gardens to continue operating for a couple months last summer to get through eight planned weddings.
"We didn't want to shut the place down, so we offered her what's called a temporary use permit," said Wilson. But now Wisteria Gardens will have to fix the problems to reopen. They haven't and Brittany says they won't return her $500 non-refundable deposit.
"To be disappointed like that by a local business I felt cheated," said Brittany. CBS13 reached out to Wisteria Gardens. Vicky Walker told us the code violations are expensive to fix, but she agreed to return Brittany and Javier's deposit, saying, "I do not know how this situation came to this point because we are both nice people."
The couple did find another place to get married. Brittany said, "Have a backup plan just in case, because nothing is promised."
Wedding planners say every bride should have a contract from a vendor. At a minimum, it should have a list of services, what you're paying for and a cancellation policy. If the venue doesn't have a contract, ask to spell out all the details in an email.
Vicky Walker's email to CBS13:
I know that this is a he said she said situation but there really is no bad guy here. At the time Brittany gave me her deposit it was in cash. She also gave me 2 telephone numbers for contact. I usually get the deposits by check so I always had an address for contact. when I found out from a vendor that she had booked another venue, I pulled her file to find a address so I could send her the deposit. It was then that I found out that I had not gotten an address or email. I then called both telephone numbers and let her know I needed an address to refund her deposit. Several calls were made to her requesting an address. But she never responded. And I then got an email from her requesting her deposit back. In that email she said to call her or Angela West. I then called her again at both numbers she provided, with no response. Then I received a call from Mary from your office and that immediately prompted me to see if I could find additional contact information for her. I went through all my old tablets and I did find a telephone number for her fiancé©, Javier, so I called that number and he answered I explained the situation to him and asked for an address so I could send them a check. He was reluctant to get involved and would not give me an address. He said it was between me and Brittany. He also said that Brittany was on her way home and she would call me when she got home. She never did so I called her again and left messages at both numbers. So I got in touch with a vendor who I thought might have her address and he did. I wrote her a check for the deposit and a note wishing them all the best. She cashed the check 10 days later. I remember I called Angela West also requesting an address and she did call back but I had already gotten the address from the vendor.
In regards to the City, they were issuing me a temporary use permit every three months. And with the growth of the business and the noise complaints they realized that the temporary use permit was not appropriate for the business. Instead a conditional use permit would be more appropriate. $10,000.00 non-refundable application fee, but the property has to be brought up to code before that process can begin. I have hired the architect, contractor, and engineer that the city has required but it is a lot slower process than we anticipated.
I am hoping by September of this year to start booking again. But that is just a guess. 3 others were affected, I contacted them and everyone has gotten their deposit back.
