An Arbroath couple whose wedding plans were left in tatters by the sudden closure of an Angus golf and country estate got married on Friday something they admitted “seemed like an impossible task” exactly 10 weeks ago.
Joe Cargill (30) and Christine Wong (27), who have been together for two years, were married on the RRS Discovery in Dundee followed by a reception in the Queen’s Hotel.
Joe and Christine had been due to get married at Letham Grange and feared they might have to postpone their wedding when the estate closed with immediate effect on January 21 because of a fresh legal contest over ownership.
They were forced into a scramble 10 weeks ago to find an alternative venue for April 1 and luckily managed to find a new location.
“Back when we found out about Letham Grange closing we didn’t believe it at first, since it was a Facebook posting Christine saw,” said Joe. “But after it was confirmed, our first reaction was panic.
“We didn’t think there would be any chance of finding a suitable venue in the short time we had, but we decided not to change the date of the wedding again so we just had to start looking and asking around. We were very lucky that the Discovery and the Queen’s Hotel were both available.
“Gillian Guild at the Queen’s Hotel was very helpful and I don’t think we would have been able to arrange anything without her help. Similarly, Lisa and Debbie at the Discovery were amazing and helped us arrange our ceremony.”
Joe added, “We never for one moment doubted that we would be getting married on April 1, but pulling the arrangements together in such a short time seemed like an impossible task.
“I’d especially like to thank my best man Chris Fleming, as well as Gillian at the Queen’s Hotel and Lisa and Debbie at the Discovery. Without the help they all gave us, this wedding could not have happened.”
Joe and Christine had been having ongoing difficulties with Letham Grange since booking last summer before the shock shutdown on January 21. Joe said he has had no contact from the company responsible for the hotel since the closure.
“Unfortunately, we still have heard nothing from Letham Grange about our deposit, but we’re too excited today to really care about it,” he added.
The estate closed in January because of a fresh legal contest over ownership. Ten members staff lost their jobs.