A couple have been left devastated after their dream wedding venue closed without warning.

%image(14637590, type="article-full", alt="Wedding venue Lenwade House Hotel has closed "with immediate effect". Picture: Denise Bradley")

Laura Black and Catalin Birladeanu, from Dereham, were due to get married at Lenwade House Hotel in September, having booked the venue last January.

But their dreams of the perfect day have been shattered this weekend following the shock revelation that the hotel has ceased trading and closed "with immediate effect".

Miss Black and Mr Birladeanu, who paid in cash and do not have wedding insurance, stand to lose around £1,000.

"My wedding DJ messaged me on Friday night saying he had seen something on one of the wedding pages online," said Miss Black, 36. "I commented on the post and there were other brides saying they were due to get married there as well.

%image(14639768, type="article-full", alt="Laura Black and Catalin Birladeanu have lost £1,000 following the closure of Lenwade House Hotel. Picture: Courtesy of Laura Black")

"I was going to drive down there this morning, but one of the other brides beat me to it and said there was nothing and no one there.

"We just thought everything was sorted and then we received an email from Lenwade House at lunchtime today confirming it had closed.

"To some people what we've lost is not much money, but to us it's a lot."

In a statement sent to those with bookings and reservations, Lenwade House Hotel cites financial difficulties as the main reason behind the closure.

%image(14639910, type="article-full", alt="Wedding venue Lenwade House Hotel has closed "with immediate effect". Picture: Denise Bradley")

The statement read: "The company has experienced great difficulty trading in this difficult economic climate and now finds that it is unable to pay all of its debts.

"To avoid making this situation any worse than it is, we have taken the very difficult decision to close the doors with immediate effect as is our legal obligation.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or upset this difficult decision has caused and wish you all the very best in rearranging your celebrations with another venue."

Despite receiving such disastrous news, mother-of-four Miss Black is doing her best to stay positive and has already begun the search for a new venue.

"You can't just dwell on something like this so we've started the search for another venue," she added.

"Hopefully we'll get some more positive news next week."