Just weeks from their wedding, a Suffolk couple have told of the stress and anxiety of discovering their chosen venue has shut up shop without warning.

Ipswich Star: Limes Hotel, Needham Market. Picture: ARCHANTLimes Hotel, Needham Market. Picture: ARCHANT

Popular pub and wedding venue The Limes Hotel, in Needham Market, locked up on Friday May 17, leaving customers in the lurch.

David Elmer, 36, and bride-to-be Alinka Osmanksa, 34, first found out about the sudden closure this week, after seeing an article by this newspaper on Facebook.

Mr Elmer, who proposed to Miss Osmanksa on Valentine’s Day 2016, said they have already paid £1,000 to the hotel.

To make matters worse, Mr Elmer was told that unless the company behind the Limes Hotel goes into liquidation, their wedding insurance may not pay out.

Ipswich Star: Limes Hotel, Needham Market. Picture: ARCHANTLimes Hotel, Needham Market. Picture: ARCHANT

Wedding couples could be left in the lurch after Limes Hotel, Needham Market, ‘closes without warning’

“It is an absolute nightmare,” said Mr Elmer, who works in IT at an Ipswich school. “We are getting married in the church across the road and The Limes was the perfect place to have our reception and wedding breakfast.

“It is not what you need. Our wedding is on August 12 and we have heard nothing from the hotel at all. We had no idea until a friend shared the story on Facebook.”

Mr Elmer who lives in Needham Market, said the hotel was not just an ideal venue, it was part of his life growing up.

“My Nan worked there all of her life I think,” he explained, “first as a waitress and later as a cleaner in the kitchen. I remember going there as a child, it is part of our family. It was the perfect place and now it looks like we are going to have to go elsewhere.”

The couple, who have been together three years, have managed to find two other venues which are available – one in Needham and the other in Stowmarket – but without the £1,000, they can not book them.

They are attempting to recover the money through their credit card company.

“We should be able to book elsewhere, but it just won’t be the same,” added Mr Elmer. “It is an awful thing to have to go through so close to the day.”

No notice has been left explaining why the hotel has closed and no-one has responded to repeated requests for comment.

• Have you been affected by the sudden closure of The Limes Hotel? If you are a customer or a member of staff you can contact Matt Reason on 01284 727411 (your personal details will not be published without consent)