A couple who were due to be married on New Year’s Eve at a Powys hotel which was badly damaged in a fire last the weekend, are considering delaying their big day until the summer.
They have been given various options for their marriage by the Elan Valley Hotel near Rhayader, including holding the entire wedding at another local venue, or holding the wedding and reception at the Elan Valley Hotel but staying elsewhere.
The hotel has also offered to create the special menu they required for their big day and take it to a new venue for them.
But the bride, who was reported to be distraught after hearing of the fire having previously fallen in love with the venue, was considering delaying it until the summer to hold the event at her dream location.
She was due to visit the alternative venue yesterday (Thursday) before making up her mind.
The hotel’s 10 bedrooms were worst hit in the blaze, which started in the roof on Saturday.
There is currently no power or water at the hotel and the whole place needs to be fumigated.
Hotel manager Cari Hemmings said the couple had been given a package of options to consider and they were expected to make a decision by the weekend.
She said the fire had started while part of the roof was being repaired.
“The fire has caused substantial damage to the building, especially the accommodation wing. The other half of the hotel is largely intact, although there’s a bit of water and smoke damage.
“We can host the wedding and reception but the bride and groom and their guests would have to stay elsewhere.
“We have found them somewhere else to stay locally and it’s possible they could relocate the entire wedding there. The other hotel has been excellent.
“The couple have been coming to this hotel for some time trying different meals and they have put together the menu they wanted, so we could also provide the food at the other hotel if they wished.
“The bride is absolutely distraught. They came in and fell in love with the place, they loved the venue and it matched everything she had dreamed of.
“Even if they go elsewhere it will not be the wedding that she wanted.
“But we are just waiting for the couple to make a decision.”
Cari said they had also had to cancel about 30 Christmas lunches’, including some for firefighters who had attended the blaze at the hotel.
She said some of the bedrooms had also been booked over the festive season.
“A couple of elderly couples were coming to stay for our Christmas and New Year special packages and they were people that have stayed with us before.”
She said they were hoping to re-open the hotel in early January but another wedding which had been due to take place in March had already been cancelled.
“The couple have another venue in mind – and they have even invited us to the wedding because we have become friends over the months.”
Hotel staff and people at a small Plaid Cymru meeting which was taking place at the time were evacuated and no-one was hurt.
Mid and West Wales Fire Service said the cause of the fire was not suspicious.
A spokeswoman for Mid and West Wales Fire Service said: “About 50 firefighters were involved in dealing with the fire at the Elan Valley Hotel over the weekend.
“Five pumps including a high volume pump, an aerial appliance, a water bowser, hose reel jets and a thermal imaging camera were used by crews from across the area including Rhayader, Llandrindod Wells, Builth Wells, Newtown, Llanwrtyd Wells and Carmarthen.
“The fire has affected the roof space of the hotel. We received the call out at about 12.24 midday on Saturday.
“As yet we do not know how it started. We are awaiting the fire crews report before we can give a cause.”
Fire crews returned to the hotel on Sunday to carry out an inspection and to put salvage sheets on the roof to give some protection to the 10-bedroom hotel.