Skip to content

Couple's relief at finding wedding venue after fire

Lewis AdamsEssex
News imageJoe Mintz Joe Mintz and Vanessa Curto standing in front of black railings with a golf putting green and trees behind them. Joe is wearing a black suit, a white shirt and black tie. He has a shaved head and a dark beard. Vanessa is wearing a blue dress and a piece of snake jewellery on her upper arm, and has long brown hair tied back. Both are holding champagne flutes and are smiling at the camera.Joe Mintz
Joe Mintz and Vanessa Curto were left in limbo after the venue for their wedding reception burnt down

A couple whose wedding was left in peril when their venue burnt down have told of their relief at finding another site.

Joe Mintz and Vanessa Curto had booked their reception at West Essex Golf Club in Waltham Abbey, but it was badly damaged by fire on Monday.

They have since been offered the same wedding date in June at nearby Woolston Manor Golf Course in Chigwell.

Mintz, 30, said: "Although it's been a fantastic and positive ending for us, we just really hope it can be a positive ending for everyone else involved."

About 60 firefighters tackled the flames on Monday afternoon, with the blaze leaving a golf club employee and his 18-year-old daughter homeless.

An investigation found the fire started accidentally during roofing works in the clubhouse.

News imageEverything Epping Forest A large building is on fire with its roof collapsed. Clouds of smoke are billowing upwards. Three fire engines are parked in front of the building and a small group of people are watching on.Everything Epping Forest
Crews from 11 stations across Essex tackled the fire at the clubhouse on the edge of Epping Forest

Mintz and his 22-year-old fiancée, who is from Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, were told they could receive their deposit back but initially struggled to find another venue on the same date.

The groom-to-be said he was relieved beyond words to discover Woolston Manor was available and within their budget.

"We just can't be grateful enough to this venue for doing everything for us on the exact same date," he told BBC Essex presenter Sonia Watson.

"My cousin got married there, so I know exactly how it looks in a wedding setting and it's a fantastic place."

Mintz, from Abridge, Essex, said he appreciated that other couples due to tie the knot at West Essex Golf Cub might not be as fortunate.

"Our heart really goes out to everybody affected. I guess we're just very, very fortunate and very lucky," he said.

News imageStuart Woodward/BBC The West Essex Golf Club clubhouse building, photographed in November 2025. It is a light brown brick building with dark brown panelling over the second storey, with a diamond pattern of lighter panels within it. There are several large windows above the main entrance. There is also a large circular area of grass in front of the building with a gravel circle in the centre, as well as bushes and a flagpole with a dark blue flag hanging from the top.Stuart Woodward/BBC
The clubhouse, pictured here in November, was opened in 1989

West Essex Golf Club dates back 125 years and was one of the original 16 founding members of the Essex Golf Union.

Lucy O'Reilly, events manager at Woolston Manor, said she was pleased to have been able to take away some stress from the couple.

She added: "The amount of people that are going to be affected [by the fire] is unthinkable, really."

Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.

More on this story
More from the BBC