Permit Stress

I am getting married in October and found my dream venue through a bridal expo last year. They advertised as a newer venue and were very excited to show us their plans for upgrading their property to be an even better venue than initially advertised. We booked last spring and I’ve been doing monthly payments since. I’ve noticed over the last few months that there as times when marketing pieces show a different name (one tied more to their land) and that their social media presence has been getting quieter (my thoughts were that COVID has impacted some of their renovation plans). Well last week we were meeting with a potential bartender when we all found out that the venue is no longer listed online besides one social media account that is super watered down. When I called the owner, she reported that they had a land use permit problem and were advised to stop advertising while the paperwork was settled. As the conversation continues she started to indicate that they were NOT going to continue to pursue a permit as a venue and change into a rental company instead but would honor our contract. The more I slept on this conversation and on the scenario the more I’m getting nervous. My parents have already offered to let an attorney family-friend review our contract and look into the situation, but I think it’ll conclude with “get the hell out of this and take your money back”


I’m just not sure what to do and would love some other perspectives on this situation. This venue is perfect and pretty much fully paid off, and I worry that if we fight back they will cancel the contract and we will be out of our wedding. If they are the owners of the land and it’s far into the country, does it matter if they have a permit? Please help!