Weddingbee Blog

It’s difficult planning a wedding in uncertain economic times. Vendors are going out of business and deposits are unfortunately being lost. This past fall, my brother was married at one of Southern Massachusetts’ most popular venues, The Hawthorne Country Club. I can’t tell you how many weddings I’ve attended there. We actually first met our fabulous DJ at a Hawthorne wedding. It’s a beautiful venue and has some of the most reasonable prices in the area. It’s by far the absolute best bang for your buck.

Image via Hawthorne Country Club website

Unfortunately, a little while after my brother’s wedding, the Hawthorne announced it was closing its doors after 40 years. Unless they could find another buyer for the property, they would have to be forced into foreclosure. Everyone locally was mourning the loss of such a great venue. They literally had brides booking two years in advance, how could they go out of business?

I started to reflect on each of Zeb’s and my siblings’ weddings. All four couples were married within 2 years of one another (I know, our poor parents… literally) and each of us had our run-ins with this crap economy. Lucky for Zeb and me, The Biltmore filed for Chapter 11 shortly after our wedding. I’m certain the beautiful, historic hotel will weather this storm and lucky for the future Biltmore brides, it’s still operating.

My other brother wasn’t so lucky however and lost his rehearsal dinner deposit when The Abbey Grille closed its doors. His and Spiffy’s wedding venue was also plagued by foreclosure rumors, and still is to this day. After The Abbey Grille closed, you can imagine how difficult the remainder of the planning was. Panic inducing, really.

All this to say, everyone is feeling the effects of the downturn and the wedding industry is no different. When money is so very tight and the stability of businesses is in question, planning can become even more stressful than it inherently is.

When the news first broke of the Hawthorne foreclosure, the venue told all its brides that it could only honor the contracts of those weddings booked before year-end. Zeb and I were supposed to attend a wedding there next fall. My friend called me in a panic because after budgeting the rest of her wedding from the prices offered by Hawthorne she was in a real pickle. It is no easy feat to find another venue with as high a level of service and reasonable prices. She couldn’t wait to see if the country club would be purchased at auction and if those buyers would still honor the contracts of the brides who were booked for the next two years. She had to look elsewhere.

Zeb came home a month or so ago and told me a little story. Although the Hawthorne had promised the remainder of 2011’s brides that they would honor their contracts and hold their weddings, they could no longer afford to pay their staff. Instead of walking out, or cancelling the weddings, the staff continued to work, essentially for free. The woman who Zeb had spoken with told him she and the rest of the staff couldn’t bear to leave the brides and grooms high and dry. So they continued to work until all the 2011 weddings were finished.

I thought this was a wonderful story to tell during the holidays. I know it’s cliche to say, but we’re often so concerned with getting the right presents, or rushing around, or griping about cooking, and moaning about visiting everyone that we forget about the spirit of the season. The newspapers didn’t write about the generous workers who despite needing to pay their own bills, continued to work. They received no recognition other than a few heartfelt thank yous and hopefully some tips.

Recently The Hawthorne was purchased at auction and the new owners have stated; other than a few renovations it will be the same country club. They will honor the contracts of those brides who had booked and were still hoping to hold their weddings there. I hope the new owners are able to retain the previous staff and realize what a true asset they have in them. People with such big hearts aren’t always easy to come by.

Has the economy affected your local wedding industry? What have you noticed?