Cullen's Shutters, Leaves Brides Without A Wedding Venue

Last week, the sudden closure of Cullen’s in Clear Lake stunned the food community. But no one was more stunned than the couples who had scheduled their weddings for the venue, who quickly found out that they would need to find a new spot to get hitched.

ABC 13’s Miya Shay reports that the closure left Trena & Rupert Gilkes in the lurch.The couple had scheduled a vow renewal in celebration of their 20th anniversary, only to find out that Cullen’s had closed just three weeks beofore the event was scheduled to take place. More worryingly, the couple had put down a $1,300 deposit and the restaurant wasn’t returning their calls.

Another couple had recently put down a similar deposit two weeks ago, only to find out that they would need to find a new venue. For their part, Cullen’s did provide ABC 13 with a statement that emphatically said that "all deposits in Cullen’s possession will be refunded to parties that placed them," and that they’d been in contact with "more than 200" customers to sort those out.

A representative for the restaurant did, however, note that "this process has been complicated by those who have cancelled payments through their credit card companies."

At present, renovations have already begun at the Cullen’s property to transform the restaurant into a healthcare facility, which probably isn’t an ideal spot for a romantic wedding.