Couples scramble to reschedule weddings after abrupt closure of Courtyard Restaurant
CTV
Several couples who had planned weddings at the Courtyard Restaurant in Ottawa's ByWard Market are scrambling to find new venues after the restaurant announced Tuesday afternoon it would be closing its doors for good.
Several couples who had planned weddings at the Courtyard Restaurant in Ottawa's ByWard Market are scrambling to find new venues after the restaurant announced Tuesday afternoon it would be closing its doors for good.
The announcement from The Courtyard came just hours before the restaurant closed up shop, leaving those who had booked ahead without a venue and without a refund.
The nearby Restaurant E18hteen found itself suddenly inundated with requests.
"By the time I got to work, I had over 50 emails in my inbox," said Restaurant E18hteen event coordinator Kimberly Ryan on Wednesday. "It's been beyond a whirlwind. I had a frazzled bride come over to my other venue to see if we could accommodate a wedding for her in two days. She was supposed to get married at the Courtyard today."
In this particular case, the staff at Restaurant E18hteen on York Street were able to accommodate the couple and set up a last-minute wedding.
"It's so sad to see these couples who made a life decision where they want to have their wedding and have that pulled out from under them," Ryan said. "It's really sad to see and I'm doing my best to get them into our venues."
The abrupt closure of the Courtyard — a 40-year fixture in the market — has sent shockwaves through the local wedding industry.
