BUFFALO (WBEN) - Prominent local developer Douglas Jemal hosted an event at Seneca One Tower Tuesday evening for couples who lost their entire wedding deposits at Hotel Henry, which closed earlier this year.
"It's about $140,000 total, and it's about 40 couples," said Jemal, who is in the process of trying to acquire Hotel Henry.
Tom Smith and Maida Tutundzic were one of the couples to receive their reimbursement checks, and despite the crazy wedding process it's been for them, they were extremely positive about the entire experience.
"It's amazing what he's doing," said Smith. "We didn't have a very large deposit that we lost, but just the fact that he's willing to step up and that he has hopes to take over the Richardson Complex - I think it's great for Buffalo."
The couple now on their fourth date and third venue, and when asked if they ever though about simply eloping due to the absurd amount of wedding planning stress, they indicated that they never really gave the idea serious consideration.
"Ahhh we thought about it, but our families wouldn't appreciate that too much," Smith replied. "We'd like to celebrate with our families."
"I think after waiting that much time, I think it was on the other end," added Tutundzic. "Instead of making it smaller, let's make it bigger and better and really make a bang."
Jemal said he was happy to see all the couples there as they move forward with different wedding plans and continue the early stages of exiting a global pandemic.
"We've got to put the pandemic behind us; we've got to put all the negativity behind us, and we've got to go forward."
As for the acquisition of Hotel Henry, Jemal said it's currently a work in progress and they're not done yet.
