2025 weddings in limbo as Imperial Beach venue's lease expires next month

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Taylor Cram and her fiancée Kurt Gairing have already set the date, booked their hotel room blocks, secured some of their vendors and picked out their 'perfect' wedding venue that checked all the boxes. The only issue is their wedding venue may no longer exist in a matter of weeks.

“Our wedding date is April 27, 2025," Cram said.

Gairing and Cram aren't alone. They are among several brides and grooms with a 2025 wedding date, expecting to get married at Salt Drift Pointe in Imperial Beach.

But the venue's lease expires on Nov. 30.

“A beach wedding was really important to her and that’s how we found Salt Drift Pointe," Gairing said.

Just six months before they planned to say 'I Do' with the backdrop of the bay and San Diego skyline, they found out their venue, Salt Drift Pointe, doesn't have a lease after November.

“It's been pretty heartbreaking and frustrating especially with a day that you invest so much money into," Cram added.

According to a letter obtained by FOX 5/KUSI News, the property manager, Terry McCaleb, sent a letter to the two owners of the event venue saying their five-year lease is scheduled to expire on Nov. 30. McCaleb said both co-owners Inzunza and Snyder would like to have the property, but they won’t have it together. A letter sent from McCaleb in mid-September to both Inzunza and Snyder, reads, “It is unfortunate that you have had your business differences and have chosen not to work together. You both seem to be talented businessmen, but I want you both to understand that neither I nor the owner of the property has ‘chosen sides’ with either of your interests.” The letter also reads, “no offer has been made to your company to extend the lease, and no offer or negotiations have been made with either of you individually.”

The wedding venue opened in 2019, according to one of the owners, Richard Inzunza. But he claims things went awry with his business partner and friend, Terry Snyder in 2023.

Inzunza has filed a lawsuit against Preferred Venues LLC, Top Shelf Bartending LLC and Terrence Ray Snyder Jr. The lawsuit alleges Snyder is the sole owner of both companies, and Snyder is listed on the Secretary of State’s website under Top Shelter Bartending and Preferred Venues’ entries.

Inzunza filed a complaint, the first step in a lawsuit, on Sept. 6, 2024. The complaint, where Inzunza as of filing was representing himself, claims “On or about September 19, 2023, Snyder blocked Inzunza from the Company’s primary email account, calendar, and Slack access. Snyder changed all the passwords for these company accounts and refused to provide Inzunza access.”

As their lawsuit plays out in court, brides and grooms are left with a lot of questions.

“I don’t know who’s right or who’s wrong, but I do know they don’t have a contract, I do know that they did take our money," said Gairing, who adds that he's requested a refund but has not yet received it.

When FOX 5/KUSI crews went to Salt Drift Pointe Tuesday afternoon to meet with Inzunza, Snyder was also there – and both parties were continuously filming each other on cellphones.

Snyder talked briefly with FOX 5/KUSI reporter, but would not make a statement or comment on the issue.

“I put my heart and soul into making this an incredible venue for brides and for events and everything and November 30th, were not sure what's going to happen," Inzunza said.

McCaleb said along with Inzunza and Snyder, there are two other event venues in the running to take over the property. But he believes that legally they would not have to honor the past contracts. McCaleb said the situation between Inzunza and Snyder is “like a divorce,” is confident someone will take over the venue but understands the couples are feeling uneasy.

The letter clearly states the end of the lease and reads, “…I need to remind you that at the end of the day on November 30, 2024, or before if you choose, we expect your company to have surrendered possession of Suites 1 & 2…”

As for Cram and Gairing, they are still searching for a new venue for their April 27, 2025 wedding.

“We're still locked into that date, families bought flights, the hotel block is paid, so we’re getting married on the 27^th, we don’t know where, we don’t know how," Gairing said. “Worst case we’ll get married in a parking lot and throw a party after.”

“As long as the two of us are getting married, that’s kind of all that matters," Cram added.