The wedding venue you choose for your special day is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in the wedding planning process. Unfortunately, no matter where you choose to hold your wedding, it’s probably going to cost you. For one bride, she discovered that she would have to put an $18,000 deposit down at a North Carolina venue. However, something terrible happened that unexpectedly called off the wedding. Now, the venue is refusing to refund her the money, and the circumstances are disgusting.
Michi (@michi_a22) posted a TikTok concerning a wedding venue in North Carolina that’s now under fire for some adverse choices it made. In the video, she explains that a Durham, North Carolina wedding venue is “greedy, heartless, and lacks morale.” The venue in question? “The Cotton Room.” First, let’s focus on the name, just like Michi does in her video. The name allegedly comes from the fact that the venue is a 1900s textile factory that was transformed into a venue. But are we just going to breeze over the fact that it’s also kinda…racist? Maybe a better name choice could have been made here? This is considering the fact that North Carolina is known for having a large number of plantations with a huge cotton crop economy. African-American people were forced to work on these plantations in the most brutal conditions. So, the name isn’t a great choice.
But here’s where things get even more messed up: The Cotton Room is under fire because of what they recently did to a grieving bride. A bride’s spouse tragically passed away a few months before their wedding date. They have already put down a $18,000 deposit on The Cotton Room as their venue. Now, they’re refusing to return the deposit to the bride even though she’s going through one of the most devastating experiences of her life. Furthermore, she won’t even be able to marry her fiancé – this is just a big slap in the face.
The groom, Chris Perry, passed away back in May, even though his wedding day was set for October 11. Despite the devastating circumstances, The Cotton Room insisted that the money can’t be returned. They refuse to breach their contract even though the family says the venue did literally nothing toward their wedding except hold their spot for them. Michi said she doesn’t understand why they would want to harm their business like this. Refunding this couple would have secured them as a good business in most people’s eyes. Now, they just look plain evil.
One commenter said, “This is horrific. As a wedding vendor I wouldn’t have to even be asked to refund. It would be an immediate refund after they told me and I confirmed it online.” It’s just the right thing to do. Another person shared, “This remind me of when I was 18 years old and my friend suddenly passed. He had just signed a lease with his girlfriend for their first apartment together. They lived there for 2 weeks before he drowned and the complex wouldn’t let his poor girlfriend out of the lease. All she wanted to do at 18 years old and dealing with grief was move back in with her family.” It’s absolutely heartless.
