Utah event company closes, leaving couples scrambling for wedding venues

LEHI, Utah – Couples across the country are out thousands of dollars and a wedding day venue after a Lehi-based event company suddenly shut down.

A Utah bankruptcy judge ordered Noah’s Event Venue to immediately cease all operations on Thursday. The company declared bankruptcy last May but allegedly didn’t tell any of its clients.

Noah’s had two locations in Utah — one in South Jordan and another in Lindon.

A new company called SLC Event Venue plans to take over the South Jordan location and its founder claimed they’ll honor all contracts, dates and deposits. However, they won’t be taking over the Lindon location.

That left a lot of couples scrambling to find a new venue and filling a hole in the budget for their wedding. Bride-to-be Sicily Staley said she barely found out about the closure on Sunday.

“Panic. Straight panic,” Staley said. “I called my mom. I was crying. I was like, I don’t know what to do now we have to start over.”

She had her October wedding planned at the Noah’s location in Lindon but a sign on the door said they’ve been closed since January.

Staley said she was never notified and now, she’s looking for a new venue.

“I’m most upset that I have to start over and I probably won’t get that money back,” said Staley, who paid a $1,000 deposit in December. That came after the company declared bankruptcy in May 2019.

“I’m angry. I don’t understand how a company could knowingly take payments and schedule events when they’re going through bankruptcy and about to shut their doors,” Jody Powell said.

Powell was another bride who barely found out about Noah’s closure. She had already paid $3,600 in full to the South Jordan location.

Even though SLC Event Venue said they’re taking over that spot, Powell was still wary.

“This is the biggest day of our lives,” she said. “We are supposed to be celebrating our love with our family and now we have no place to do that.”

Owners of the Azalea Event Venue in South Jordan said they received calls from 15 clients who had contracts with Noah’s Event Venue, looking to rebook. They had already accommodated three couples by giving them discounts. 

“We are trying to pass on those savings as much as possible so that they have as little left to pay to get everything that they were hoping for,” said Kyrstin Anderson.

The company said the tricky part was keeping the couples’ wedding date since many of them had already booked catering and florists for a certain day.

“So by moving the date, they lose all those deposits and those other vendors they’ve paid,” Anderson said.

As for Staley, she’s hoping her October wedding will still go off without a hitch. But now, she has $1,000 less in her budget to make it happen.

“Shame on you. You know, all these brides, especially people with their dates much closer than mine. They are scrambling. They are just panicking,” she said.

Noah’s had dozens of locations in 20 different states, leaving couples across the country scrambling to find new venues as well.