A wedding venue in Durham, North Carolina, is facing intense backlash after refusing to refund a large deposit following the sudden death of a groom months before his wedding day.
Christopher Perry, a 32-year-old Durham resident, had proposed to his fiancée, Kristen Seidel, during a trip to Italy in 2024. The couple had booked The Cotton Room — a popular wedding venue housed in a restored textile mill — for October 11, 2025. They paid more than $18,000 in deposits to TC Hospitality Group, which operates the venue, covering food, beverage, and rental fees.
Tragedy struck on May 12, 2025, when Perry collapsed and died just one day before his 33rd birthday. Within two days, his family contacted The Cotton Room to cancel the event and request a refund.
The venue declined to return the deposit, citing its nonrefundable policy. The company said the payment secured the date and covered “advance planning, staffing, and operational commitments.” They offered a partial refund only if the date was rebooked — but it was not.
Instead, The Cotton Room said it would keep the $7,500 venue rental deposit and waive the remaining half of the total balance.
“They’re profiting off the death of my son,” said Bill Perry, Christopher’s father, in an interview with WRAL. Sitting beside his wife, Sue Perry, he said the company’s decision had deepened their grief. “No parent should ever have to experience the loss of a child — and having situations like this just keeps the wound open.”
Sue Perry questioned what costs the venue could possibly have already incurred. “They haven’t done anything, and they haven’t earned this money yet,” she said.
Other vendors — including the DJ, photographer, and wedding planner — promptly returned their deposits, according to the family.
Sue Perry shared her heartbreak in a Facebook post that has since gone viral: “How can a venue that specializes in the business of love, happiness, and weddings have such a cold, cruel, and compassionless response to this tragedy that my son’s fiancée and our family are dealing with?”
She said the company’s owners have refused to speak directly with the family since her son’s death.
Online reaction has been swift and overwhelmingly critical. Hundreds have taken to social media, Reddit, and Google reviews to condemn the decision, calling it “heartless” and “bad business.”
“Shocking for a family-run business,” one Facebook commenter wrote. Another added, “They will lose more than that deposit — they’ve lost their reputation.”
However, not everyone agrees. In a Durham-area Reddit forum, some defended the venue, noting that the cancellation came only months before a prime fall wedding date. “Four to five months is last-minute,” one commenter said. “It’s not surprising they couldn’t rebook such a sought-after date.”
Raleigh-based wedding planner Haines Jones, who was not involved with the event, said many venues are struggling to stay financially stable after the pandemic. “I see both sides,” she told WRAL. “At the end of the day, I think the family at least deserved a partial refund.”
Michelle Aldred, executive director of TC Hospitality Group, reiterated that the deposits were not tied directly to catering or supplies. “Payments made ahead of an event are not dollar-for-dollar for food and drink,” she said, adding that deposits also support “advanced planning, staffing, and operational commitments required to prepare for an event of this size.”