Wedding venue REFUSES to refund couple £4,600 after they get married in hospital due to cancer

A wedding venue is refusing to fully refund a couple who had to hold their ceremony at the groom’s hospital bedside because he is dying of cancer. 

Martin McMullan, 36, and fiancée Lindsay Grice, 33, had planned to wed on November 1 but the groom’s cancer spread rapidly to his liver and it became clear he was too ill to leave hospital.

The couple, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, were told nine days before the planned ceremony that Mr McMullan was too ill, so they brought the date forward. 

They were married in Lister Hospital, Stevenage with just a few friends and family who were allowed in to the ward on October 26. Staff lined the corridor to welcome the bride and her father while remaining socially distanced.

The original plan for November 1 had included a £6,400 reception at the Shenley Cricket Centre in Radlett, Hertfordshire. But the contract stated that unless the event was cancelled within a certain timeframe, the booking would not be refunded.  

As a ‘goodwill gesture’, the venue refunded Mr McMullan £1,800, but kept the remaining £4,600.

The original plan for November 1 had included a £6,400 reception at the Shenley Cricket Centre in Radlett, Hertfordshire. But the contract stated that unless the event was cancelled within a certain timeframe, the booking would not be refunded

The bride’s father Paul said: ‘I thought that under the circumstances they would retain some of the money but we didn’t think it would be such a high proportion. 

‘They told me that their chefs were paid a retainer, which meant they were unable to refund the full amount. 

‘But that still doesn’t come to £4,600. It’s not about the money though, it’s a moral thing.’  

The groom has since been discharged from hospital and is being cared for at home. 

MailOnline has contacted the Shenley Cricket Centre for comment.