"My wedding venue won't refund my deposit"-HELP!
/Gabriela and Javier were to be married in April. $8000 had been paid as a deposit, arguably a low sum for most venues, particularly in New England. Videography was important, obviously photos, hair, makeup, DJ-the whole 9 yards. So they were struggling to keep their heads above water with all of the deposits anyways. Then Covid hit. A month before the wedding.
The vast majority of 2020 couples had at least a few months to make their plan Bs. Then their plan Cs. Then D, E, F and so on. But Gabriela and Javier didn’t have that luxury. They made other arrangements and decided they weren’t using the venue.
The venue, however, had other plans. They had bills to pay too. Some venues use the deposit money to make needed repairs or upkeep to the premises, particularly in the off season so as to guarantee everything will be ready for the wedding rush of the spring season. So who’s right? They both had bills to pay.
This is not an isolated incident. Most of my couples have reported negative interactions with their venues regarding the contracts. We should, however, keep in mind that venues are not always faceless, greedy entities that are wedding mills. Many are privately, family owned and run on thin margins. Nobody (outside of perhaps some epidemiologists) saw this coming and venues were in serious peril of going under without some income. So here are a few tips to protect yourself and make your case if you find that you need to get your deposit back.
Double check the contract and see what force majeure options you have
Check out this article on Rocket Lawyer-(I’m not an attorney so I won’t comment on legality)
If possible, schedule a face to face (or mask to mask) meeting with your venue and explain your side of things. Meeting in person conveys your sincerity-you' need this, you’re not simply trying to evade the responsibility of a contract.
Talk to industry professionals and get their tips
Don’t lose your temper, resort to insults, or make threats
Be persistent. Be kind but direct in your requests.
Please feel free to reach out if you’d like some personal input. I’m a neutral party here!
