Arabic version: إغلاق أوندين يدفع الأزواج للبحث عن مواقع جديدة لإقامة حفلات الزفاف

According to ABC News, Adelaide Hills restaurant and cellar door Ondeen has closed after receiving notice that its lease was being terminated, prompting couples with booked weddings to seek alternative venues. The Verdun business, which opened two years ago, said on social media it had been forced to close “for now”.

Bride Mia Anfiteatro said she and her partner were $15,000 to $20,000 out of pocket after changing their wedding plans. She said they had chosen Ondeen for its food and had bought 700 golf balls for guests to use on the driving range. Ms Anfiteatro said responses to a post on an Adelaide wedding page helped her secure a venue for her original date.

Riverland bride Nicola Thiele found another venue in nearby Hahndorf for her wedding next month, but said the late change had been stressful. She said Ondeen had offered food, drinks, crockery, cutlery and chairs in one place, while the closure also meant she could not recover money paid to other vendors. Both brides said they were told of the closure by email and had difficulty contacting the business through other channels.

Ondeen co-founder Deborah Kingsbury said in an email that the business was pursuing legal options and would work with customers to find suitable venues. The landlord’s legal representative said the tenant had been served with four notices of default and remained in default under the lease. Ms Kingsbury disputed that account, saying rent had been paid in full last week through to the end of August, but the termination remained in place. She said the lease had been due for a two-year renewal at the end of November and that numerous functions, weddings and events were booked in coming months.

Ondeen staff said they had not been allowed onto the property, including to feed its four highland cows and two calves. The landlord’s representative said the animals were being looked after.