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Emma
Just Said Yes October 2022

Wedding industry rant

Emma, on September 11, 2021 at 9:59 PM Posted in Community Conversations 0 13
I just need to rant on an anonymous site so you all get to hear it lol. My fiancé and I booked a venue that had a catering/people minimum for November 2022. We booked in February 2021 so we had almost two years for the wedding. Just the venue for the space, food and alcohol alone was a minimum of $22,000. When we booked it, we knew we could easily save for it and we were excited, because we were freshly engaged and who wouldn’t want a dream wedding!?


Well fast forward a few months, and things have gotten tighter for us financially- it happens to everyone, we were fine but it hasn’t gotten any easier. So two months ago, we sat down together and decided to cancel the big wedding. We knew it was what was best for us money wise but also we were excited to do a small, intimate wedding and we can’t wait.
We emailed the venue to let them know as soon as we made the decision, and we were hoping we would be able to get part of our deposit back which was $6540. We knew it was a long shot because the contract says non-refundable, but we thought maybe they would since it’s a family owned place, a year and a half away, and they could easily rebook it because we took the second to last Saturday date for 2022. I know there were other people wanting that date when we booked, because we had to sign the contract and pay the deposit quickly.
Of course the owners said no deposit back- why would they, when it says non-refundable. We were bummed cause it’s a lot of money but we knew it was ultimately our choice and was cheaper to lose out on that now rather than the $38,000 we were going to spend later.
This is where I get so irritated- I’m on a Facebook group for weddings/brides in my area, just helping each other and selling stuff and whatnot. A bride posted how she was so excited because she was able to snag a Saturday date at the venue we looked at- our old wedding date! That’s amazing for her, since all Saturday’s are booked at that place, but I’m just so mad at what a scam the industry is. I know that it’s our fault and I can’t blame anyone but ourselves, but I just can’t help but feel angry about the fact that the owners of that venue didn’t give us our deposit back, but then got to easily book that date again and get an extra $6540 for themselves when they didn’t even do anything for us, aside from touring the venue.
That’s it lol. I just needed to get my feelings out because I just feel like no one else gets it because we were the ones who chose to cancel- I just think the wedding industry just a huge scam sometimes and way too overpriced and greedy. But it’s okay, cause this is better for my fiancé and I! Thanks for listening to the end if you made it this far!

13 Comments

Latest activity by Tyff, on January 1, 2022 at 3:49 PM
  • Molly
    Expert August 2021
    Molly ·
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    Sorry if any of this comes out harsh but, I wouldn't call it a scam. You signed a contract. While it would be nice if they gave you back some of your deposit, they are still a business and did not have to do it. They're not a scam because they made you hold up your end of the contract. Just because they were able to rebook it doesn't mean they should give it back to you. What if it had been six months out instead of 14 months in advance and they couldn't rebook it. The time between and the ability to rebook does not erase your responsibility to the contract. I'm sorry you lost out on that amount of money but, it's disingenuous to call a venue (or the industry in general) a scam because you didn't get money back on a non-refundable deposit.

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  • Jm Sunshine
    Jm Sunshine ·
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    I am very sorry that you lost out on your deposit-- that's a lot of money to lose out on. I don't know about your specific contract, but there are sites where brides "sell" /transfer their venues to other brides for face value.
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  • Shadia
    Savvy October 2033
    Shadia ·
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    I think you are stressed out.

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  • A
    Super December 2020
    Anais ·
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    I’m sorry that does suck.
    My venue’s contract had that if we were able to rebook within a certain timeframe we’d get most of our deposit back.
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    I definitely understand how frustrating it can be. Sorry you lost our on that amount of money, I would be frustrated as well
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  • C
    Super July 2020
    Cool ·
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    A contract is a contract. It’s not only the wedding industry. You have no idea what work they already put in or expenses were planned for that your non refundable deposit went towards. No one is obligated to return a non refundable deposit, no matter the industry.
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  • Candace
    Super March 2022
    Candace ·
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    That hurts. And you say yourself that you know the rules and didn't expect to get out back. So I like to think of it this way, especially since they are family-owned... you put money into the economy of that town, food on their employees' tables, invested into the future of their company. The wedding industry took a big hit during the pandemic, and you just helped them out. Sure, you lost money and that really sucks. But they are a business, and non-refundable deposits are a source of revenue to pay the bills.
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  • M
    VIP January 2019
    Maggie ·
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    It's understandable to be angry that your choices led to such a big financial loss, but I wouldn't call that a scam because that's not what that word means. Rant away privately, but don't badmouth the venue or post any online reviews about your experience, because that would be terribly unfair.

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  • I
    Expert August 2021
    Ingrid ·
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    I had a similar situation. . .we had to postpone due to COVID and the event company was not available for our new date. They did not want to give me my money back because "my deposit made them not able to book another date". Well it was COVID that made it not happen not because we changed our mind. I fought them as any wedding scheduled on that date would have been postponed and not happened! I finally agreed to be done when they offered half of my deposit back.


    It sucks no matter how it happens. Chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on.
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  • CountryBride
    VIP April 2022
    CountryBride ·
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    It’s Not a scam you said a contract and I said clearly that there was no refunds they turned away business to secure your date maybe they turned away a couple who has got to spend 100,000 at that venue I understand you’re frustrated but it’s not a scam.
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  • Allie
    VIP November 2021
    Allie ·
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    It can be frustrating when you lose out on money like that, but also try to think of these venues right now as well. I know Covid hasn't been around for the entirety of the times people have been having weddings, but those venues REALLY suffered last year with all of the closures and are still struggling. Last year we actually pumped money into our venue any way we could just to try to help them stay afloat to have our wedding there...and luckily enough people did that to the point of they got by. So while it sucks that you lost out, try to think of it that way. They are a business, they have huge costs, and they had a rough year.

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  • Layla
    Layla ·
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    I see most people are saying it’s not a scam, but given the fact that they were able to re-book that date I think they should have refunded you. I run my own small business and deal with this situation often, and it’s always my policy that if I can re-book the date, I would refund most or all of the deposit. They could have kept whatever hourly rate they charge for the work they’d already done, like the venue tour and whatnot, but they should’ve refunded more. I’d write a review so people know the type of people run that place.


    One poster said to think of it as stimulating the venue’s economy, but that doesn’t consider the $ that’s now removed from your own town’s economy, so I disagree.
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  • T
    Dedicated July 2022
    Tyff ·
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    Yes I saw someone trying to do that - I wonders if that worked
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