B.C. winery ordered to reimburse couple's wedding damage deposit after confetti cannon conundrum

Tables are set up for a wedding at the 50th Parallel winery in Lake Country, B.C., in this undated photo. (weddinghero.ca)

A winery in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley has been ordered to return nearly $3,000 to a pair of newlyweds, after the business withheld most of the couple’s damage deposit from their wedding last summer as a consequence of confetti cannons being fired off.

According to a decision B.C.’s Civil Rights Tribunal released on Tuesday, 50th Parallel Estate Limited Partnership said it charged Daniel Webbe, who married his wife at the Lake Country winery last June, a total of $3,150 to cover the cost of cleaning up confetti.

While it is undisputed that the couple signed a contract that included a ban on confetti at the winery, and that two confetti cannons were fired off in the hall during dinner service, the tribunal member found no evidence that 50th Parallel was entitled to keep 90 per cent of the couple’s damage deposit as a result.

“The difficulty for 50th Parallel is that it has not provided evidence of the level of damage caused, such as photographs, video, or witness statements,” CRT member Megan Stewart wrote in her ruling.

The only evidence that 50th Parallel did provide were three invoices, submitted to Webbe between July 18 and Aug. 1, which charged the couple for “machine power scrub,” “carpet shampooing and hard stain removal,” “power buffing and apply finisher” as well as “janitorial services.”

However, Stewart took issue with the timing of the invoices—which were submitted weeks after the wedding—and the winery’s claim that these services were related to the confetti cannons.

In addition, as pointed out by Webbe and confirmed by 50th Parallel, the hall in the winery where the cannons were fired off does not have a carpet that would require confetti-related cleaning or repairs.

According to the decision, 50th Parallel reasoned $2,000 of the invoices total was for cleaning up the confetti, while other charges were related to service items that were damaged by the use of the cannons, as well as revenue the business lost during the cleaning process.

“None of this is supported by evidence,” Stewart concluded.

In his claim against the winery, Webbe was seeking a $2,450 award, which Stewart granted.

She also awarded Webbe $60.40 in pre-judgement interest on the debt, and ordered 50th Parallel to reimburse him $175 in CRT fees.

In total, the winery has been ordered to pay Webbe a total of $2,685.40.