STILLWATER, Minn. — At least five couples have sued the owners of an Isanti wedding venue that closed without notice, leaving them in the lurch and short thousands of dollars they'd already paid.
"We kind of figured they weren’t going to give us our money back and this was our last resort," said bride Ellie Blaul, who paid for the venue in full totaling $8,243. She's set to get married in October.
Four of the five civil lawsuits against Wayne and Angela Butt and their business, Circle B Weddings and Events, are filed in Washington County where the couple lives. The other is filed in Isanti County, where Circle B is located. The suits are asking for repayment of fees paid to the Butts, along with non-refundable deposits made to other vendors like caterers and DJs.
Damages requested in the five lawsuits approach a total of $40,000. All of the plaintiffs say they paid Wayne and Angela Butt, were not told there were any problems and then suddenly, on April 21, were informed by email that the venue was closing permanently and the owners would not be taking or returning calls or emails.
"We got the email and we were just in shock," said Blaul. "Honestly, at first, I thought it was a scam."
Blaul says she hasn't spoken to the Butts and their phone numbers are all disconnected. The property is also listed for sale.
When KARE 11 spoke with the obviously upset couples in the wake of the sudden closing, they were scrambling to book different venues or change wedding plans. They encountered a silver lining to the storm cloud when businesses across Minnesota and western Wisconsin reached out with offers to help, either by donating reception locations or offering them at reduced cost.
"Our big thing when we’ve been looking at other venues is we automatically have said, can we have a copy of your contract because we’re scared," said Heidi Kafura, who's getting married in August. She filed the lawsuit to get back the $5,641 she put down as a deposit.
"It’s about us coming together, making that commitment together and we'll figure it out one way or another," said Kafura.
KARE 11 has learned that four of the lawsuits against Wayne and Angela Butt are scheduled for hearings in July.
Their lawyer, Ryan Kaess, directed us to the email they originally sent to their clients, reiterating no one is available to take calls or emails. Kaess did say he "doesn't see the story here" and that closures like what happened to Circle B are "part of business".
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