Plans for a June wedding were set.
Jamie Frumusa and her fiancé Ryan Schmidt had everything booked — including a classic venue at the former Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School with its sprawling grounds.
“We fell in love with it right as soon as we saw it,” the 36-year-old Rochester woman said. “It had nice outdoor space. Perfect.”
Then came a phone call last week from her maid of honor, who was handling the floral arrangements.
“She said that she heard from the florist that other brides that were doing weddings at that venue got phone calls saying that their weddings are canceled,” Frumusa said.
The operator who was leasing the space has gotten into a legal and financial mess. Katherine Mott pleaded guilty in December to federal fraud and money laundering charges — having propped up her business empire with an elaborate check-kiting scheme.
Recent weeks has seen the sale of an $850,000 house she owned on Wexford Glen in Pittsford. The transfer of Monroe’s restaurant and bar to a yet-to-be-identified local restaurateur. And the eviction of Divinity Estate and Chapel, which was to host Frumusa’s wedding.
“Prior to the eviction, there were attempts to find a buyer to step into the shoes of the company and continue hosting events at the Divinity site,” said attorney John Horn, representing the court-appointed receiver overseeing Mott’s business finances. "But after that eviction, that no longer was a viable path.”
The eviction notice was served on Jan. 29, he said, directing Mott's company to vacate the property by Feb. 25.
There has been widespread unease since the initial allegations became public last March. But a court-appointed receiver has been overseeing the business finances, and maintaining all bookings was a priority to keep the various enterprises viable.
Everything had stayed on schedule, until now.
When Frumusa checked her phone, she said she had no missed calls. It was after 5 p.m., so she emailed the venue operator. And she waited. The reply, sent just after midnight the day before Valentine’s Day, confirmed her fears.
“I woke up to it ... and was obviously, devastated,” Frumusa said.
It wasn’t just the loss of a “perfect” venue. The couple has the date reserved — and deposits paid – to the florist, DJ, photographer, hair and makeup stylist.
“We've got hotel blocks,” she said. “I've got people that have already bought Airbnbs and flights to come into town. So that the ripple effect on this last-minute thing is pretty significant.”
Her florist, Saint Rose Flowers & Farm in Newark, has offered a refund, if there is a new date that can't be accommodated. Owner Erica Di Claudio said she had three weddings at Divinity, one as early as May. Vendors across the region are trying to help, she said, but also stand to lose money as everything sorts out.
Court records show that Mott was behind on rent, taxes and other charges with Divinity. “And frankly, the terms of the lease going forward were such that the company basically had no value,” Horn said
Local developer Angelo Ingrassia, who owns the property, has brought in Flaum Management to market the space with its chapel, two ballrooms and expansive outdoor patio. He declined to comment on specifics of the eviction decision.
Mott’s team wrote Frumusa that they could refund her deposit or move the wedding to their other venue, The Wintergarden in downtown’s Legacy Tower. But the glassed-in, street-side location wasn’t what Frumusa was looking for. Mott also is behind on charges there, records show, but is not under a lease agreement.
So Frumusa and Schmidt spent the weekend looking for available venues.
“It's a lot of stress and pressure, and supposed to be something fun and beautiful, and, you know, togetherness for your family,” she said Friday. “And now it's kind of turned into this whole nightmare experience that's not enjoyable anymore.”
Mott’s attorney did not immediately respond to a weekend email message.
“The companies are rapidly running out of money,” Horn said. “Monroe's is done. Wintergarden is ... in (sale) negotiations. Crescent Beach is, you know, we're working on it to try to maximize the value of the property.
“And Divinity, we've discussed.”
