Toronto couples left scrambling after weddings cancelled as Berkeley Events goes into receivership

Couples expecting to get married at one of Berkeley Events’ three venues in the east end of downtown Toronto were devastated to hear the events company has gone into receivership.

Tyrelle Hunt was devastated to discover her wedding at her dream venue of Berkeley Field House in just 10 days won’t be happening.

Hunt’s original wedding was scheduled for May of 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was cancelled. The family physician said due to the stress of working in health care during the pandemic, they decided to delay their wedding until August 12, 2023.

Hunt said she didn’t receive a call from anyone from the venue but found out about the closure through a screenshot from a former VP with the company.

Michael Sherman, the former VP of Berkeley Events, posted on LinkedIn that he was deeply upset and sad to hear about the sudden closure. He told CityNews he was terminated immediately like everyone else at the company.

“Berkeley Events was operating efficiently thanks in no small part to a great team of staff. I was blindsided to hear about the financial issues facing our parent company, which owns the operating company and event venues.”

1871 Berkeley Events Inc. owns Berkeley Field House, Berkeley Church, both on Queen Street East, and La Maquette on King Street East.

There has been no official statement released by the company, but a notice posted on Berkeley Church shows it has gone into receivership as of July 31, 2023 by msi Spergel Inc. The doors had also been chained and locked.

“A review of the financial situation of the [Berkeley Events] 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,” read the notice.

The notice also said the receiver would be investigating the financial affairs of the company “to determine the cause of insolvency and will report its findings to the court in due course.”

Instagram comments on the company’s page have also been turned off.

The Berkeley Church has also been on the market for the last several months at a cost of $22.5 million.

“I think we’re still in that sort of shock phase where you’re sad, but you’re also bewildered,” Hunt told CityNews.

“We’re kind of scrambling to figure out what plan B looks like for us. We don’t really know what we’re going to do with anything at this point,” she said.

She said she has reached out to breweries and restaurants to see if anyone might be able to host their 95-person event, but Hunt has accepted her wedding will not be what she envisioned.

“There are some horrible emotions …. because this is the second time that this big day has ended for me. And the last three years have been incredibly difficult for everyone but as a doctor, too, it’s been incredibly traumatic. But I’d said this was something for me to look forward to and now that’s gone as well.”

Aja Spanierd said she had to break the news to her friend who is supposed to get married at the end of August.

She says her friend is devastated.

“I think that she’s still in a state of shock and kind of in a state of limbo. Because she can’t reach anybody. She has no recourse that’s being offered to her at all,” Spanierd told CityNews.

Spanierd’s brother just got married at one of the venues last weekend.

“It was a beautiful wedding and went off without a hitch. There was no indication that anything was wrong,” Spanierd said.

Lindsay Jackson and Ridge Garbutt have been saving up for their wedding for the last decade.

“It took us 10 years to save that money, it took five seconds to lose half of it so it’s very disappointing,” said Garbutt.

But Jackson says the lack of communication has made it even worse, “mind-boggling,” she called it. They were supposed to have their final meeting about their wedding on Thursday and still no one has reached out to the couple.

They’re also hoping to keep their wedding date, August 25.

“We’re trying to re-plan a wedding versus starting from scratch. We have three weeks to do it and our budget is less than half of what it was,” said Jackson.

Multiple brides have taken to a local Facebook page to help find a last-minute alternative in hopes that they will still be able to have their dream day.

Sherman’s statement also said he shares the shock and disappointment of those who had booked an event.

“We were very much looking forward to hosting you and exceeding every expectation. I hope this city’s great venues can come together to accommodate these celebrations on short notice.”

Other event venues, including the Storys Building, O&B, and Scale Hospitality have posted in a Toronto weddings group on Facebook, offering up their services to couples who have had their weddings cancelled.

Rachel Kiefte and her fiancé, Sam Johnson were also supposed to get married on August 12 at La Maquette.

“We had everything finalized. More or less everything paid for,” explained Kiefte, until they found out Tuesday their event wouldn’t be moving forward.

Now, their budget has been depleted. She said they have found availability at other venues, but don’t know if they will have enough money.

“Most of the places that are willing to help have a minimum spend that is significant. So, so far, not a ton of help in terms of overcoming budget issues. Most people are really helpful with finding a space, but I don’t think that a lot of people realize that we’re not getting any of this money back,” shared Kiefte, who is a teacher.

But she’s still determined to have her day.

“If I have to get married in the streets on the 12th, it’s happening. If people have to bring their own chairs and BYOB, we’re getting married.”