A wedding venue in Texas has agreed to refund a grieving bride in full after initially refusing to return around £10,000 following the death of her fiancé months before the couple were due to marry. The decision came after a wave of public backlash and the venue dropping a countersuit it had filed against the bride.
Refund refused after fiancé's sudden death
Zoe Vandeloo was left devastated after she was refused a full refund by Posey Meadows, a countryside venue near San Marcos, southwest of Austin, Texas. The couple had paid $15,909.28 – around £10,000 – for the venue for their wedding, which was scheduled seven months after the death of her fiancé, Diego Hernandez, 25.
Hernandez died unexpectedly in April, seven months before the couple were due to walk the aisle at the venue. Following his death, the firm refused to return the money and instead offered alternatives, including transferring the reservation to another date or putting the money toward an entirely different event.
Legal dispute and counterclaim
When the grieving family requested their money back, the disagreement escalated into a bitter legal battle. Posey Meadows filed a countersuit against Zoe, alleging she had breached the wedding contract by seeking money that had already been paid.
The venue added that the original payment would be forfeited in the event of cancellation. Posey Meadows did not have any specific provision in the contract regarding what to do if either partner died before the wedding.
Venue drops counterclaim and refunds
The firm has now stepped back from the legal battle and dropped the counterclaim. The business has also agreed to refund the payment in full, but only after a wave of public backlash.
Diego's mother shared her thoughts on the ordeal and criticised the venue's original position, saying: “Where are their morals? Where are their moral principles?” She added: "We don't have a fight in us. We don't. We're emotionally drained. This is just weighing heavily."
In a statement, Posey Meadows defended how the business handled the dispute. The firm claimed the family was asked to provide a death certificate in early May, but the document only emerged in mid-August, after legal proceedings had begun.
The venue said: “Our efforts were never meant to diminish the family's loss.” The statement added: “We regret that the litigation process has complicated what we hoped would be a speedy and compassionate resolution.” Posey Meadows said they were no longer going to be seeking money from Diego's heartbroken partner.
