ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Only Action News Jax is hearing from some brides who’ve told us they paid thousands of dollars for their weddings, just to scramble to find a new venue with no promise of getting their money back.
One of those brides is Stacy Hudgins, who booked her wedding with “Sea Pearl Wedding Venues” in St. Augustine more than a year ago. She and her fiancé, Anthony, told us they paid close to $8,000 for their wedding, scheduled for April of this year.
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Last December, Hudgins said she was told that their wedding venue, in Ponte Vedra Beach, was no longer available. They said they got the news less than four months before their wedding, and one month after St. Johns County property records show the wedding venue was sold for $1.6 million.
“I asked, ‘will I get my money back?’ [The venue owner] said no,” Hudgins said.
Hudgins gave Action News Jax a copy of her contract that she signed with “Sea Pearl Wedding Venues,” which laid out a monthly wedding payment plan that started in January 2025. The contract shows that Hudgins made payments through November 2025, even though the wedding venue was sold in October.
Hudgins claims she was never told that the venue was on the market, even while she was making payments.
“I made my last payment two days before I got the call that the house was sold,” said Hudgins, “the owner called me on December 7th and told me that she had to get rid of the house due to black mold.”
We also made contact with another bride, who wanted to stay anonymous, who told us she paid around $12,000 for her wedding at the same Ponte Vedra Beach venue. She told us that she also wasn’t told that the home was sold.
“The owner never told us about any of this until the evening of December 12th, which was about ten weeks before the wedding,” the bride said.
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“Sea Pearl Wedding Venues” is part of a local company called “Wedding Chicks, LLC.” Action News Jax made contact with the owner of ‘Wedding Chicks,’ who was not available to speak on-camera but responded to our questions over email. The owner told us the beach house venue became unavailable for weddings and was ultimately sold, after “inspection findings and circumstances outside of my control.”
Hudgins’ contract says, in part, that either party can back out of the wedding arrangement “in the event of a disastrous occurrence outside the control of either party.” The contract also says that, if it is impossible for the wedding to go on, clients will immediately receive notice and be issued a refund “or credit based on a reasonably accurate percentage of services rendered.” The anonymous bride we heard from has the same terms in her contract, but neither bride claims to have received proper notice or a refund.
We asked the owner of “Wedding Chicks, LLC” if refunds will be issued to the brides who can no longer have their weddings at the Ponte Vedra Beach venue. We were told that “voluntary partial settlements” have been offered “in some cases.” The venue owner also said that couples were given “alternative accommodations” after the beach house was sold, but Hudgins told us her “alternative” would have cost an extra $3,200.
She and her fiancé have now had to plan a new wedding at a new venue with only a fraction of the time.
“It’s just been stressful, I would have never guessed this would have happened,” Hudgins said.
The owner of “Wedding Chicks, LLC” sent us an email saying their contracts have a written notice that brides are responsible for getting “cancellation insurance” to protect themselves against unforeseen events that may prevent their weddings from happening. We’ve reviewed multiple contracts from different brides and did not find any mention of any insurance mentioned in their contracts, but “Wedding Chicks, LLC” has told us that brides are given an option to buy $400 cancellation insurance through Airbnb.
“Wedding Chicks, LLC” gave us a statement, saying the following:
“I remain committed to serving couples professionally and have continued hosting successful weddings at new estate locations in St. Augustine.”
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