A wedding venue in North Carolina is reportedly refusing to return a deposit after the groom died five months before his big day — sparking outrage online and calls for compassion.

Christopher Perry, a Durham resident, proposed to his fiancée, Kristen Seidel, in Italy in 2024. The couple booked The Cotton Room for Oct. 11, 2025, and paid over $18,000 in deposits for food, drinks and rental fees — about half the total contract, WRAL reported.

On May 12, 2025, a day before his 33rd birthday, Perry collapsed and died. Within two days, the family notified the venue, part of TC Hospitality Group.

The company said the deposit was nonrefundable because it secured the date and covered “advance planning, staffing and operational commitments,” instead offering a partial refund only if the da

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