| After much deliberation Leanne Webster (26) and Chris Morris (25), of Douglas, decided to get married while sailing around the lochs and canals of the Scottish Highlands.
They chartered a boat for a five-hour journey around Loch Ness with 12 friends and family.
But when Leanne phoned the Inverness-based tour operators to pay the balance she was shocked to be told the company had gone into liquidation — leaving her almost £500 out of pocket and her wedding plans in tatters.
“We both wanted to get married in Scotland and saw this on the Internet — it looked so lovely and sounded just perfect,” Leanne explained.
“We were supposed to pay the rest of the deposit six weeks before the wedding but the owner didn’t reply to any of my emails asking how I should complete the payment.
“It got to four weeks before the date and I still hadn’t had any emails back and his mobile and home number weren’t accepting incoming calls.
“I started to panic and called almost everyone in Inverness I could think of to track him down.
“I called the minister, who got in his car and drove down to the dock for me to see what he could find out. Eventually I got in touch with the loch keeper who said the boat hadn’t moved in weeks and he could not track down the owner.
“It was an absolute nightmare — I was totally devastated. Chris felt the same — our dream wedding was ruined.”
But family and friends rallied around and, with hope fading fast, secured the services of Inverness-based cruise and tour operator Jacobite Cruises.
“My bridesmaid Michelle spoke to Jacobite who said because of the situation they would step in and help us out,” said a relieved Leanne. “We were over the moon when she told us.
“It was a real mix of emotions — relief to still be getting married in the same place but on the other hand utter disbelief a company would do that.”
Leanne still hasn’t been able to get in touch with the company or recover any of the £470 deposit paid. Attempts by Tele reporters to contact the owner were also unsuccessful.
However, the happy couple have put that disappointment behind them and are now looking forward to their wedding on Saturday.
John Bellshaw, operations manager at Jacobite Cruises, said, “When Michelle contacted us, we wanted to do everything we could to help.
“At Jacobite we do have a wedding licence and are often chartered for evening celebrations but it can be difficult for us to accommodate private parties during the summer when all three of our boats are extremely busy with tours.
“We moved things around for Leanne and Chris though because we felt they deserved to have their dream wedding on Loch Ness.” |
