• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Event Contract

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

Davidc916

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

Looking for advice. Over the last year I have become engaged and we sought out a site to host our wedding at. We came across a location in the Napa/American Canyon Area of California that was our ideal location. We walked the location and went over the contract ultimately putting down a $2,000 holding deposit. We are now a month away from our wedding and we have undergone numerous steps in order to make sure our wedding is prepared properly. We have been corresponding via email with the events manager about details of the wedding. Recently one of our vendors visited the location and was escorted by the events manager. We were informed by our vendor (the DJ) that the coordinator had told him all individuals must be off the premises by 11:00 PM and that it was stated in our contract. This caught me off guard. I reviewed our signed contract (signed by myself and the events manager) and there was no reference to hours of operation in the original contract. After reviewing our emails we found an updated BEO that had multiple added terms which had not been initially agreed to. When he was sending us the BEO we had only noticed the finalizations to the food and beverages, which was the subject matter of the emails, not added terms. Ultimately the contract states that we will be charged $1,000 for every half hour we are over the 11:00 PM time. My questions is are the updated terms binding and is there any legal recourse should they try enforcing the non-agreed upon terms? I would appreciate any insight that can be provided.

David
 


quincy

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

Looking for advice. Over the last year I have become engaged and we sought out a site to host our wedding at. We came across a location in the Napa/American Canyon Area of California that was our ideal location. We walked the location and went over the contract ultimately putting down a $2,000 holding deposit. We are now a month away from our wedding and we have undergone numerous steps in order to make sure our wedding is prepared properly. We have been corresponding via email with the events manager about details of the wedding. Recently one of our vendors visited the location and was escorted by the events manager. We were informed by our vendor (the DJ) that the coordinator had told him all individuals must be off the premises by 11:00 PM and that it was stated in our contract. This caught me off guard. I reviewed our signed contract (signed by myself and the events manager) and there was no reference to hours of operation in the original contract. After reviewing our emails we found an updated BEO that had multiple added terms which had not been initially agreed to. When he was sending us the BEO we had only noticed the finalizations to the food and beverages, which was the subject matter of the emails, not added terms. Ultimately the contract states that we will be charged $1,000 for every half hour we are over the 11:00 PM time. My questions is are the updated terms binding and is there any legal recourse should they try enforcing the non-agreed upon terms? I would appreciate any insight that can be provided.

David
The contract you originally signed with your deposit was to reserve the venue for the date and time of your event.

The banquet event orders (BEOs) need to be signed to finalize the plans for your event. The BEOs cover the details of the event that you cannot plan in advance (the number of guests, the chosen menu items for these guests, the way you want the room/tables set up to accommodate your guests, any audio-visual equipment you will be using or will need, etc).

Although I am surprised that you did not discuss with the events manager, or the events manager did not address with you, the number of hours you wanted reserved for your event (and the costs involved in going past the time of normal operation), the additional costs past 11 pm will be to cover the staffing costs.

You could discuss with the events manager the $1000/half hour figure to see if it is negotiable but it is possible the amount is a firm one.

You have picked a beautiful area for your wedding, by the way. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.
 
Last edited:

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top