How to use the wedding venue cancellation calculator
The United States has no industry-wide refund table for wedding venues. Nothing sets a national percentage you get back at ninety or thirty days out, so the cancellation schedule written into your signed contract is the whole story. Enter that schedule here along with the price, the deposit and your two dates, and the tool applies the tier that matches your notice date.
Legal basis: a cancellation charge is treated as liquidated damages under general contract law. The Restatement (Second) of Contracts section 356 and the parallel idea in UCC section 2-718 allow a fixed sum only where it is a reasonable forecast of the loss and actual damages are hard to measure, so a charge far above the venue's real loss can be attacked as an unenforceable penalty. Venues are also generally expected to mitigate by trying to rebook the date. State unfair and deceptive practices statutes cover misleading contract terms. Figures current as of September 2026.
Put your notice in writing and keep proof of when it was sent, because the tier turns on the notice date rather than the day the venue replies. If you carry wedding cancellation insurance, check the covered reasons before you give notice.
This calculator is for reference only and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation before you dispute a charge or withhold payment.
Frequently asked questions
No. The United States has no industry-wide cancellation table for venues. The cancellation schedule printed in your signed contract is what governs, which is why this tool asks you to enter it.
A cancellation charge is treated as liquidated damages and generally must be a reasonable forecast of the loss, not a penalty. Courts also expect a venue to try to rebook the date, which can reduce what is owed.
It does not change what the contract says you owe, but a wedding cancellation policy may reimburse covered reasons such as illness or military deployment. Check the policy exclusions before you cancel.