SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ — After weeks of thinking they were out of options, and out of thousands of dollars, a Valley couple's wedding is back on track.
Melanie Stephenson and her fiancé Sal Sanchez thought their big day would have to wait after spending more than 10,000 to reserve NOAH's Event Center in Chandler.
Earlier this month, the company emailed dozens of couples saying they had to cancel their events.
"After much discussion with the owners of the venue, they have decided to sell the building and we are therefore unable to host your event," said Kate Jensen, VP of Sales for NOAH's.
However, court records show the company, with locations nationwide, filed for bankruptcy in May.
“It makes me angry. It makes me feel like they don’t care about what they’re doing to people and taking their money," said Stephenson.
After ABC15's original report, Nikki Chavez-McKee with SanTan Barn Estate reached out, hoping to connect with Stephenson and offer her a solution.
"We just said yeah, let's do it," she said. "Let's help this girl."
Chavez-McKee said the owner of the property, along with several other partners, agreed to host the couple's wedding free of charge.
Included in the deal, SanTan Barn Estate will provide the officiant, DJ, bartender, tables, and linens from providers who also agreed to donate their time and services to help make Stephenson and Sanchez's wedding possible.
"It means the world just knowing that people are out there and that they’re willing to help and contribute knowing that we were struggling because that’s all we had," said Sanchez. "Now, everything is just falling into place and we couldn’t have asked for more.”
The two plan to get married on March 21, 2020, the day they originally selected.
