Couples have told how their dream weddings have turned into nightmares due to the coronavirus outbreak - with their nuptials facing possible cancellation with no refunds or alternative dates being offered.

Brides and grooms who have weddings booked at prestigious Taypark House Hotel in Dundee are set to lose out on thousands of pounds as the venue refuses to postpone or fully refund any bookings for the coming weeks or months - even if the lockdown remains in place.

The Herald has been in contact with eight couples who between them have paid Taypark more than £56,000.

They have been offered the chance to rebook their weddings on other dates, but this will be treated as an entirely new booking with none of their money being transferred over.

The venue just yesterday confirmed it would refund any money paid in advance for food and drink, however all other payments will not be returned.

One bride-to-be, whose wedding is due to take place within days, told The Herald that she and her partner have been “completely blindsided” by owner Richie Hawkins’s response after paying £9000 to the hotel.

The woman, who asked not to be named, added: “We know that our wedding can’t go ahead, but they are refusing to postpone or cancel, or refund the money we’ve paid.

“They’ve said that we can book a new date, but none of the money we’ve paid will be transferred over. Given that we’ve already paid 75% of the total cost of the wedding, that just isn’t an option for us.

“If we don’t get this money back, we won’t be able to pay for another wedding like this. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.

“We were sold this dream of a fairytale wedding at Taypark but it has turned into a nightmare.”

Another couple, Nicola Robertson and Lewis Shiels, from Aberdeen, whose wedding is due to take place on June 20, stand to lose up to £6000 if their celebration does not go ahead. 

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They have also had their request to postpone refused.

Miss Robertson said: “When we realised this was going to affect the wedding, we thought ‘well surely the venue will be flexible and we’ll be able to come to some sort of solution,’ but we couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Every option we have suggested to them – including even splitting the money we’ve paid so they get to keep half – has been rejected. They’re just not willing to compromise or negotiate.

“At first we were both really upset, devastated in fact, but now we’re just left feeling angry.”

The hotel claims that its insurance will not pay out in the current situation.

Mr Hawkins has also claimed that he has been unable to access any government-backed loans or grants that were introduced to help businesses through the crisis.

Several couples told The Herald that even if restrictions are lifted in time for their wedding, some close family and friends will not be able to attend as health conditions place them in them in the high risk category.

A couple who asked to be named only by their first names, Laura and Iain, said members of their bridal party have underlying health conditions and would likely be unable to attend.

Laura, who has paid £6000 towards her July 4 wedding, said: “We emailed them about a month ago to ask if we can postpone as we have family members who are having to isolate, but Taypark emailed back saying that they’re not going to postpone any weddings.

“Even if all of the restrictions are lifted, I’m worried about that – we would be devastated if someone became ill because they attended our wedding.”

Kerry Dysdale and her partner Ryan Mulherron, from Dundee, have similar concerns about elderly relatives who would be due to attend their wedding on May 2. 

“We’ve told them we’re happy to wait until next year, or the year after, if they’ll postpone, but they just refuse,” said Ms Drysdale, who has paid more than £7000 to Taypark. 

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She added: “We’ve recently just bought a house and we have a one-year-old, we can’t afford to lose that money.”

While some of the couples have wedding insurance, most believe this will not pay out as the small print in their contracts states that cover is not provided for a change in the law or government regulations.

The Herald has  spoken to four other couples who also face losing money after being given the same response from the hotel, including Marc Cosgrove and Fiona Kelly, from Mill O Mains, Dundee, who have decided to cancel their August wedding due to the way the hotel has handled the situation.

They will lose out on up to £4000.

Mr Hawkins said the outbreak has left his business in a “hugely difficult” situation.

“We want to do the best for each and every one of our customers and clients, but we also have to meet our obligations to our employees, other customers and suppliers,” he said.

“We will only cancel wedding bookings when the government advice makes it necessary and advisable to do so, or where the client asks us to cancel their booking, and always in accordance with the booking conditions agreed with the party making the booking. 

“In the event the wedding cannot go ahead all monies received for catering and drinks will be refunded in full.”

Consumer group Which? encouraged couples to check their terms and conditions and said it expected businesses to “adopt a compassionate and flexible approach during this difficult time”.