Nj – Wedding Planner Keeping $4k “non-refundable Deposit” After Doing Minimal Work And Terminating Contract. Do I Have A Case For Partial Refund?

Helllooo!

Location: NJ

TL;DR:
Paid $4,125 (50% deposit) to a wedding planner in NJ for an $8,250 contract. Only received minimal early-stage work (calls, site visit, inspo deck), no vendor sourcing, pricing, or planning deliverables. We repeatedly asked for clarity so we could move forward—not trying to cancel. Planner terminated and is now keeping the full “non-refundable” deposit. I also have a recording where she says nothing “concrete” has been done. Do I have a case to recover part of the deposit in small claims or via demand letter?

My fiancé and I hired a wedding planner and signed a contract on February 5, 2026 for $8,250 total. We paid a 50% deposit ($4,125).

Over the next couple of months, the only services we received were:

• onboarding call
• site visit
• access to a planning portal
• an initial design deck (largely based on content we provided and put together within ~45 minutes after a two week wait)

We did not receive:

• vendor sourcing or proposals
• pricing or budget guidance
• vendor meetings
• design renderings or floor plans
• any execution planning

We started asking questions about:

• why pricing didn't match what was listed in their materials (there's about a ~$2,900 difference that isn't explained in the contract), and
• why we weren't getting vendor options or pricing yet

We repeatedly said we were trying to understand the process so we could move forward and asked for more concrete guidance (such as pricing ranges or vendor options) so we could give meaningful feedback. We are not trying to cancel—we were trying to understand pricing and how to move forward.

The planner then terminated the contract. She first agreed to mutually release us both, but after I said we deserve some deposit back, she reversed and said she was terminating and owed us nothing.

She is now claiming:

• the deposit is "non-refundable"
• this was a "change of heart"
• she reserved our date and could have taken other weddings

However:

• the contract includes a clause saying refunds should be based on services rendered if services aren't performed
• the contract does NOT mention any "tiered planner" pricing (she at one point said the higher price was because we were working with her personally)

I have a recording (one party state) where she states:

• "nothing concrete has been done"
• the wedding could be planned "in a couple of days"
• there was "no rush" on vendors

I also have:

• Her website showing identical packages for $5,300 (vs our $8,250)
• Canva edit history showing 45-60 minutes total work
• Contract merger clause killing her verbal "personal pricing" claim
• Many written emails where she continuously contradicts herself

My questions:

• In NJ, are "non-refundable deposits" always enforceable, or do courts look at whether the amount is reasonable relative to work performed?
• Does her admission that little/no work was done weaken her ability to keep the full deposit?
• Does the fact that pricing differences weren't documented in the contract matter?
• Is this likely to be viewed as a "change of heart," or more of a performance/value dispute?

I am basically just curious if we'd be successful in recouping any of the deposit via a demand letter and/or in small claims court.