Equestrian couple William and Charlotte Easterby win £16k payout after collapsing yurt ruined luxury wedding
A horse couple’s dream wedding ceremony was thrown into turmoil when their luxury dormitory collapsed just 24 hours before the ceremony.
A judge has now awarded them £16,000 in compensation.
Charlotte Crane, 29, owner of the equestrian center, and William Easterby, 31, son of famous horse trainer Tim Easterby, married in June 2024.
They had planned a lavish celebration for 180 guests, who would enjoy “gorgeous” views from the top of a hill at the bride’s father’s Green Court Farm, near Guisborough, Yorkshire.
Their reception would feature a 50-foot yurt with a fairy-light-lit ceiling and a “huge floral display” for dining, plus a large tent for drinks and dancing afterward.
But on the eve of the couple’s wedding, the roof of the dormitory collapsed, leaving the bride “distraught, bursting into tears and unable to sleep” and feeling her wedding was “ruined”.
After a stressful, last-minute scramble, the couple rented a smaller dining tent. But this change left guests so “crammed together” that waiting staff were unable to navigate between tables; One described conditions as the “worst” they had ever had to work.
The couple filed a lawsuit against Yorkshire Yurts Limited, the company that supplied the unused dormitories, demanding a refund and compensation.
They were awarded £16,504 at York County Court; This payment includes £10,000 for the stress and distress experienced by the couple, especially the bride.
Sentencing, District Judge Andrew Maccuish said the problems had caused “real distress” to Mrs Easterby on her wedding day, which was supposed to be a “once-in-a-lifetime event” for a bride.
William is part of a racing dynasty, the son of trainer Tim and grandson of legendary racehorse trainer Peter Easterby, who died aged 95 earlier this year.
It was Peter who set up the family stud business at Habton Grange, near Malton, going on to become the only trainer to send out more than 1,000 winners in both flat and jump races and train the acclaimed hurdler Sea Pigeon.
Following his father’s retirement, Tim took charge of Habton Grange in 1996 and went on to train Classic winner Bollin Eric, who won the 2002 St Leger Stakes, and achieved further wins on mounts such as Pipalong, Faye Jag and Winter Power.
William rides as an amateur jockey for his father and serves as a senior manager in the family business; His daughter-in-law Charlotte, the farmer’s daughter, owns a local equestrian center.
After deciding to get married, the couple approached local firm Yorkshire Yurts, based in Aldfield, near Ripon, to rent a 15-metre yurt to use as a dining room, a tent for dancing and a dining tent.
They paid £16,504, including a refundable £4,126 damage deposit, and by Thursday night, June 6, the yurt and tent were erected, ready for the wedding on Saturday.
But by Friday morning it became clear that the tent had “moved significantly” and “began to collapse”, making it impossible to keep the struts holding its roof in place.
Staff at Yorkshire Yurts told the couple that “the yurt was too dangerous to use unless it could be repaired” due to “unusual” wind conditions.
As a solution, they were offered a smaller dormitory, where they would have to tell half the guests that they would not be able to come to the reception 24 hours before the wedding.
“The burden of saving the wedding reception therefore fell on the plaintiffs,” said Judge Maccuish, sitting in York County Court.
“The solution collectively agreed upon by the plaintiff party 24 hours before the wedding was to use what could be used on the site and change the use of the tent to dining, moving the bar and dance stage from there to another tent.
“An extra tent and a stand-alone caravan bar, albeit much smaller than the dormitory, were quickly found for after-dinner events at the reception and erected and set up on the morning of the wedding.
“A large group of about 20 people assisted in this regard and helped carry the table and chairs, as well as tablecloths, crockery, glasses and cutlery, to the tent purchased by the plaintiffs.
“Of course, the above does not do justice to the drama that unfolded as events unfolded… Many of the plaintiffs’ witnesses described how stressful it was.
“This final arrangement was less than perfect. In her witness statement, Ms Sarah Readman, of wedding caterer Nabs Nosk Catering, said the marquee conditions for the wedding were the worst she had ever worked in her 17 years in the catering industry.
“The tables…were packed together so guests couldn’t move or sit comfortably. With no room to walk between the tables, the catering staff had to move the food like a conveyor belt. He ends his testimony by saying this was the most difficult wedding his team has ever been called to cater.”
After the wedding, the couple filed a lawsuit for the refund of their money and compensation for the “loss of enjoyment or disappointment” they experienced, as well as the extra expenses they incurred due to the failure of the dormitory.
But Yorkshire Yurts fought the case in court, claiming it had the right to withdraw due to poor conditions, with one staff member blaming the “incredibly exposed” site and “very windy” weather.
Company manager Thomas Sterne also claimed in his statement that the dorm room was usable on the wedding day and could be repaired.
By then the wind had died down and he said he believed it could be “repaired and used.”
But the judge disagreed.
“The defendant says the dormitories can be used, but this is absolutely not true,” he said.
“A contract was made for the delivery of the dormitory and he failed to do so by violating the contract. He did not make his best efforts to deliver and erect the dormitory. The assembly method was wrong and he did not assign enough personnel to carry out improvement works at that time.
“The dormitory poles were erected on a wooden base, which meant they shifted in the wind and as a result the roof poles bent and fell.
“The dormitory was not suitable for the purpose it was going to be used for.
“I accept that the defendant’s breach of contract caused real distress to the plaintiffs and I do so specifically on the evidence presented to Ms Easterby.
“Ms Easterby’s statement made it clear that she was distraught, stressed, unable to sleep and bursting into tears as her wedding plans had been ruined.
“This is very real and… still raw, as you testified. I also saw some messages exchanged between the bride and groom the night before the wedding about this.”
“This is not a case of nervousness that someone experiences the night before a wedding. As Ms Easterby stated in her evidence, the plaintiffs, who come from farming backgrounds, are used to facing adversity, confronting difficulties and dealing with them, but nothing like this.”
“Unlike a spoiled holiday, a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event for the plaintiff. It is an opportunity for them. It marks the beginning of their married life together and is celebrated by family and friends gathered on that day. It is something that cannot be repeated. It differs from a holiday case because, of course, there may be other holidays in subsequent years.”
Although the judge acknowledged that Yorkshire Yurts had “good reviews”, with many receiving five stars, he ordered the company to refund £6,504 for the unusable dormitory, saying “anyone can have a bad day”.
He also included an award for distress caused, saying: “I think an award of £10,000 would be a way of compensating the claimants, as long as the money can provide it.
“This amount mainly reflects the impact on Ms Easterby and the allowance for Mr Easterby. The ‘appropriate amount’ is £10,000.”
“Accordingly, the plaintiffs will be awarded an award of £16,504.00.”
