A Fife bride whose wedding venue cancelled her accommodation booking after agreeing to house Ukrainian refugees has found a happy ending.
Kimberly Adams and fiance Iain Gordon scrapped their entire wedding at Keavil House Hotel last week after staff told them their guests’ rooms were no longer available.
But after a frantic few days of phoning around, another hotel has stepped in “to save the day”.
Kimberly said: “We had a look at Forrester Park Resort in Cairneyhill, and it turned out another couple had just moved their wedding from our date to a date in December.
“It’s like it was fate. We just booked it there and then.”
‘Heartbroken’ at bedroom cancellation email
Kimberly and Iain had booked 25 bedrooms for their September 9 marriage celebration.
And they reserved a further 10 rooms for the night before the nuptials so Kimberly could celebrate her 40th birthday.
However, they were heartbroken when Keavil House Hotel emailed on Thursday to say they had signed a contract with the Scottish Government to provide shelter for refugees from May 29.
That means the bedrooms will be fully booked for at least four months.
Kimberly and Iain asked for their deposit to be returned and were offered an additional £500 in compensation.
At the time, Kimberly said: “It’s not the fact it’s refugees. What they’re fleeing is horrific and we really feel for them.
“Our main upset is how the hotel has handled the situation.”
She said they needed a venue with rooms on the same site to cater for unwell guests, who would need to rest during the day.
‘It’s like it was meant to be’
Their devastation turned to joy just days later, however, when they decided to look at Forrester Park Resort, just two miles from their original venue in Crossford.
Kimberly said: “It’s absolutely beautiful. We loved it straight away.
“We were overjoyed when they said they had the date free.
“We’d been so stressed and were feeling absolutely horrendous but it’s a really, really good outcome.
“This venue is even better. It’s like it was meant to be.”
Robert Forrester of Forrester Park Resort said: “We are delighted we were able to help out Kimberly and Iain.
“Organising a wedding can be a very stressful time so I am very pleased we were able to help them out with the same date.”
Keavil House Hotel: ‘No impact on ability to cater for weddings’
Kimberly and Iain are one of several couples affected by Keavil House Hotel’s decision.
The venue did not respond to The Courier’s request for comment last week.
But in a statement provided to another media outlet, they said they were pleased to be helping Ukrainian families under the Ukraine Evacuation Scheme.
They added: “There is no impact on our ability to cater for weddings and large banqueting events in our separate Elgin Suite.
“Our private members’ Picture of Health leisure club is also unaffected and will operate normally, with access only for members of the club.
“We are proactively contacting all customers who have booked accommodation at Keavil House Hotel for the next few months.”
Conversation