Couples scrambling to find new wedding venues after Toronto company goes into receivership

Some couples who had planned to get married in Toronto are now heartbroken and scrambling to find new venues after a company well known in the events industry has gone into receivership.

In some cases, the would-be brides and grooms have lost their deposits, meaning they are tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket.

The news about Berkeley Events, which runs three venues in downtown Toronto, has been devastating to some and means their dream weddings have now become nightmares.

"It's definitely a shock, an absolute shock," says Emma Rockburn, a Toronto resident, who found out on Facebook on Tuesday night, six weeks before her wedding day, that the venue will not be available.

Rockburn said she and her fiance are about $22,000 to $25,000 out of pocket. 

"And now we have to pivot and pay that all over again. As two young professionals in this economy, it's a hard pill to swallow."

A document provided by Spergel Licensed Insolvency Trustees shows that msi Spergel Inc., licensed insolvency trustees in Toronto, was appointed receiver of 1871 Berkeley Events Inc. on Monday.

On its website, Berkeley Events says it runs three venues in downtown Toronto: 1871 Berkeley Church, at 315 Queen St. E.; Berkeley Fieldhouse, 311 Queen St. E.; and La Maquette, 111 King St. E. 

Berkeley Events has not released a statement, did not return messages from CBC Toronto and has put a notice on one of its venues, Berkeley Church, saying it has gone into receivership. There are now padlocks on the gates outside of Berkeley Church.

"A review of the financial situation of the Companies indicated that the Companies have no cash resources to operate as such the Receiver will not be operating the Companies. Unfortunately, this means that no events will be occurring at either 317 Queen St East or 111 King St East locations on a go forward basis," Spergel says on its website.

Rockburn said her wedding has been in the works for more than a year. Her guests have sent in their RSVPs and all vendors have been booked, she said.

She and her partner had planned to have 110 people attend their big day, some coming from out of town, at the Berkeley Fieldhouse on Sept. 16, which would have also been her grandmother's 102th birthday.

"As a bride, you envision your wedding multiple times a day, right? To every little detail of: What song am I going to walk down to? What is my hair going to look like? What is the response of my partner going to be when I walk down the aisle at this one venue? And everything revolves around the venue," she said.

"To find out at about 10 o'clock at night, on my own, having no communication from the venue — obviously, nobody works there anymore — has just been honestly heartbreaking."