'They Knew Almost A Year Ago:' Metro Wedding Venue Closes, Leaving Brides In The Dark

Southwind Hills, a local wedding venue left several metro brides scrambling, months out from their weddings. 

"It felt like the one," Amanda Tucker, a bride who booked a July wedding at the venue, said recounting the first time she toured Southwind Hills. "It was gorgeous." "I just knew it was the venue for me," Natalie Berryhill, who also booked a summer wedding at the venue, said. 

What was once a thriving wedding venue in Goldsby, Oklahoma, now sits vacant. 

Both brides booked their weddings towards the beginning of 2023 and a few months before both of their events, they noticed something wasn’t right. "I never thought anything like this would happen," Tucker said. "For about a week we weren't hearing anything," Berryhill said. 

Suddenly, the rug was pulled out from under them in an email to Southwind Hills clients, saying the venue would be closing. "Now less than 6 months to my wedding I have to start back at square one," Tucker said. 

"They knew almost a year ago that things were not going well, and they were still booking brides,” Berryhill explained. Natalie spoke with the owner in person and was promised a refund of her $12,500 deposit. "Then we go to the bank and the check bounced," she said. 

Tucker is also wondering when she will see her $10,000 deposit. "I haven't been told where my money went," she said. 

The email to clients alludes to a “refund process” but gives no further details. News 9 attempted to contact the venue but has not heard back. 

The business's phone number has also been disconnected and for sale signs are posted around the property. "I just don’t understand how someone can have the heart to take money from people knowing that financially you are not okay right now," Berryhill said. 

Both brides have since rebooked at new venues. "At the end of the day I do get to marry the love of my life," Tucker said. "I get to marry the love of my life,” Berryhill echoed. “Who I have been in love with for seven years and one day on the day of our wedding." 

However, both brides say they’re exploring every legal avenue until their original deposits are returned.