B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered an Okanagan wedding venue to pay a man $2,685 after it withheld part of his damage deposit claiming confetti cannons violated a wedding reception contract.
Daniel Webbe held his June 30, 2022 wedding at a winery owned by the 50th Parallel Estate Limited Partnership near Vernon.
During dinner, two confetti cannons were fired in violation of the parties’ contract. As a result, 50th Parallel withheld $3,150 of Webbe’s $3,500 damage deposit to cover damage it claimed was caused by firing the confetti cannons.
Webbe, however, told tribunal member Megan Stewart that 50th Parallel hadn’t proven it sustained damage allowing it to keep the $3,150.
“It also says it lost business revenue well above the amount it withheld, as the confetti rendered the hall unusable for some time after the wedding,” Stewart said in her May 23 decision.
Stewart said it was undisputed that there was a prohibition on confetti at the winery and that the cannons were fired.
Webbe acknowledged 50th Parallel might have incurred some extra cleaning costs due to the confetti. He put that amount at $700 and claimed $2,450 of the $3,150 50th Parallel withheld from his damage deposit.
Stewart said 50th Parallel provided no evidence of the level of damage caused, such as photographs, video, or witness statements.
Also, she said, three invoices 50th Parallel did provide didn’t support the cost of remedying the mess or damage. Further, Stewart said 50th Parallel provided no proof of lost business revenue in excess of the cash withheld.
