Couples left in the lurch after popular wedding venue suddenly closes

Dozens of couples are scrambling to find a new spot to tie the knot after a popular downtown Ottawa restaurant and wedding venue abruptly closed.

On Tuesday, the Courtyard Restaurant in the ByWard Market announced on social media that it would be hosting its final dinner that evening. The restaurant opened in 1980.

Stephanie Bartlett, whose wedding was booked there in October, was shocked when she found out she had lost her venue.

"It was kind of just anger and kind of panic of how do we pivot, what do we do? We have so much money on the line," she said. 

"This is a business that's been around for 40 years," Bartlett added. "It had a great reputation."

We have so much money on the line.- Stephanie Bartlett, getting married in October

The restaurant emailed couples affected by the closure Tuesday afternoon.

"Unfortunately, we will be unable to refund any deposits or payments taken thus far nor be able to transfer any payments to your new venue," the email reads.

The email told customers to contact their credit card company for a refund.

Karim Pringle had booked the entire second floor of the restaurant for his wedding in August.

He put down a $1,000 deposit in 2022, which his credit card company can no longer reimburse. The second deposit was scheduled for this month.  

"It's out the window. There's nothing we can do about it to get it back," Pringle said. "We're waiting to see if someone will do a class-action lawsuit."

Frantic requests to move venues

Kimberly Ryan, who co-ordinates events at Restaurant E18hteen next door, woke up on Wednesday to frantic requests to move venues.

Ryan said dozens of ceremonies and receptions were scheduled at the Courtyard in the coming months, including a wedding reception the day after the email went out.

She spent two days blocking off space at her restaurant this week and waiving ceremony fees to accommodate the most immediate requests. 

"It has been a bit of a whirlwind," Ryan said.

"I helped a couple prepare for their wedding this evening that was supposed to be at Courtyard today. Clearly there was a very frazzled bride when she arrived with me, but I was able to find her space in our restaurant."

The reason for the Courtyard's sudden closure remains unknown. Neither owner Phil Waserman nor other staff members could be reached for comment. 

According to Ryan, the wedding venue's closure is a significant loss for the city. 

"It's going to stretch for a while. It's a huge venue that we lost," she said. "They had bookings into 2025 that are reaching out to me now."