Wedding dreams crushed as Kelowna winery goes into receivership

A Kelowna, B.C., winery has left a number of couples jilted at the altar after going into receivership.

Court documents show that Vibrant Vine owes lenders nearly $7 million — and took wedding bookings despite being in financial trouble for years.

A wedding planner and two couples, whose events were scheduled for later this summer, say the winery’s owners provided no warning of their financial issues, and clients are now out thousands of dollars.

Molly Clayton, a wedding planner whose clients’ big day was set for June 6, said she began trying to nail down details with Vibrant Vine two months ago after her clients paid their deposits — but received no reply.

“I started emailing them every day, calling them every day, hounding them really,” she said.

“I even tried to go to the venue, but it was closed — which is strange, because they have a wine shop that’s usually open year-round for tastings,” Clayton added.

It was only when Clayton got a call from a court-appointed receiver — who was reviewing Vibrant Vine’s contracts — that she realized the winery had gone into receivership.

Kenna Haacke, whose wedding was scheduled for June 28, had a similar experience.

After paying more than $6,700 to secure the venue, she never heard back from the winery’s owners for months, and only found out about the winery going bust when the receiver contacted her.

Despite being with her fiancé for 15 years, Haacke says she may have to cancel her wedding outright.

“What hurts the most is that we’re completely left in the dark,” she said.

“It’s my understanding that they knew this when they took our money … they haven’t apologized,” Haacke added.

CBC News reached out to Vibrant Vine’s owners Wyn and Marion Lewis, but did not hear back before publication.

Years of financial trouble

Court documents show that Vibrant Vine first defaulted on its mortgage three years ago, and struck a deal with the bank to continue operating while they tried to sell the property.

Those efforts collapsed this past February, despite two attempts to sell the site.

“In mid-March, the [debtors] informed the [bank] that, due to personal issues, insufficient cash flow, and the collapsed sale of the [winery], they were unable to continue operating the [winery] and consent to the appointment of a receiver,” one of the documents reads.

The property was most recently assessed at just under $5.8 million, and is currently listed for sale at just under $7 million.

A petition from its lenders says that the winery will owe more than $120,000 in outstanding property taxes by July.

Mayling Krueger, whose sister Rebecca Flores was set to get married at Vibrant Vine on July 18, said a representative of the court-appointed receiver in the case explained that bankruptcy proceedings often entail money being dosed out in order of priority.

“The banks get priority, and then they go down the line,” she said.

“And unfortunately, brides like my sister are on the very bottom of the list. And typically there’s no money left at the end to pay these people back.”

Clayton said she had at least three backup venues planned for her clients, and advised couples to hire a wedding planner who would go to bat for them.

She also said that couples should review their venue’s contracts and deposit structure carefully — though she acknowledged she’s never had a venue go into receivership just weeks before an event.

“And then there’s always event insurance that you can get ahead of time … just be really confident in the insurance provider you’re working with,” Clayton said.