Venue Closes 2 Weeks Before Wedding

Owner Of Apopka Business Takes Off With Venue Deposits

APOPKA, Fla. – An Apopka wedding venue shut down without any notice and customers said the owner took off with their money.

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Couples who were going to get married at Highland Manor in Apopka, 604 Main Street, now have to look for a new venue.

One mother of a bride who was supposed to get married at the end of the month said they are now scrambling to find another venue.

Erin Campbell, who is getting married in February, said she has been planning her dream wedding, but that dream became a nightmare when she found out Highland Manor closed.

"I need to breathe this in first, before I pick another venue," Campbell said.

She said it closed without warning and the owner took off with her $1,500 deposit.

The city of Apopka owns the building and leases it to businessman, Richard Wilhelm.

The Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Apopka, Richard Anderson, said customers might not be able to get their money back.

He said the city has no involvement in the business because the city is just the landlord.

Anderson said Wilhelm has not paid his rent in months. He said they tried to negotiate with his attorney to voluntarily vacate the building but said they got nowhere.

He said they were concerned Wilhelm was still collecting deposits from customers and then would eventually go out of business.

Anderson said at some point they had to draw the line and decided to take possession of the building and change the locks.

He said Wilhelm's attorney said his client is now in Ohio.

Anderson said the city is now gathering information. He said they don't know how many people are affected. It could be a lot because he said events are scheduled through December 2012.

He said the city has been calling different vendors and some vendors have also contacted the city and have offered to help.

He said in the "short-term," for events in the near future, they might use other vendors to take over Highland Manor.

He said these vendors might be able to offer their services for free or for a discounted rate to the customers who have already paid a lot of money, in exchange for an opportunity to take over weddings and other events planned at the manor in the future.

Anderson recommended that customers call the city at 407-703-1750.

He also said if a customer paid the deposit with a credit card, they should dispute it with their credit card company to try to get it back.

Valerie Miller, who plans to get married in March said she is hoping to get the $1,500 back on her credit card.

In the meantime, she said she has already re-booked her wedding at the Hilton in Altamonte Springs. She said they were willing to charge her the same amount and throw in some extras.

"It's still going to be a beautiful day and the best day of our lives," Miller said.

As for Campbell she hopes she will still be able to get married at Highland Manor.

"I'm crossing my fingers we can still get married there. We have time, but my heart goes out to the girl that's two week away. That's awful," Campbell said.

Local 6 left a message with Wilhelm but the call was not returned.


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