Brett-Yasmin Drew and Phillip Boucher from Burgess Hill were due to tie the knot at The Ravenswood in Sharpthorne in May this year and paid a £2,000 deposit. But the pair’s special day was left in tatters after the popular venue revealed it was closing down. Bride-to-be, Brett-Yasmin, 25, a care-coordinator at Everycare in Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, said she heard a ‘rumour’ about the closure which soon turned out to be true. She said: “I heard last summer that planning permission was in place to change the site into flats. So I rang them up immediately to find out but I was re-assured by a member of staff that it was just a rumour. “It wasn’t until January this year that we realised it was true when we received a letter confirming the closure with our deposit inside. I found it quite funny at first but once I had taken it in I was in shock and burst into tears to my sister. “My wedding day was completley ruined. Phil was really angry – especially for me and we both just hit panic mode and quickly started looking for new venues.” The couple got engaged in February last year and booked up the 15th-century manor hotel the following month to accommodate both the ceremony and reception. The pair then started planning their big day. “We had done absolutely everything – the invitations, catering, flowers, music, the lot,” Brett-Yasmin added. The nightmare became even more real when the two headed to the venue to get some answers but no one was there. And after succumbing to send an email instead, the bride-to-be said she has not yet received a response. “I feel angry, if they had just given us a verbal apology it would be different. I am happy to have got the deposit back but after these additional charges – I feel like we deserve some sort of compensation – our whole world came crashing down,” she added. Fortunately some good news arrived for the soon-to-be newlyweds after they managed to find a new venue in Henfield on the same date – and they even preferred it, Brett-Yasmin said. “Tottington Manor were able to fit us in and even at the same time as we had booked it at The Ravenswood. They have been so lovely and have accomodated everything I wanted and they gave me a glass of wine to calm me down! “I just feel sorry for other people in the same situation as us who might not be able to find anywhere else.” The couple did not take out wedding insurance and if they did not find a venue on the same date, the 25-year-old said they would have had to pay an additional £500. Due to the horror the pair were also forced to complete another notice of marriage at the council offices in Haywards Heath, which cost them an extra £70. “We were so lucky to get another venue on the same date and fortunately we didn’t have to pay the £500 but we still had other unnecessary costs to pay like sending out new invitations,” Brett-Yasmin added. Despite the horror, the bride-to-be said she is now ‘really excited’ for the big day at the new confirmed venue. The Ravenswood has yet to comment. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.