Wedding Venue In Washington State Billed $1,712 In Post-event Charges And Wants Another $120 Minimum To Provide Further Explanations/evidence

Location: Tacoma, Washington

We recently held our wedding with 280 guests. We received a post-event invoice totaling $1,712 before tax and credit-card fees, or approximately $1,954 including those charges.

The invoice includes:

• $500 cleaning: not disputed
• $600 trash hauling, billed as two containers at $300 each
• $50 cigarette-butt cleanup: not disputed
• $280 for replacement of 14 chair pads at $20 each
• $162 for laundering nine linens at $18 each
• $120 administrative fee for damage assessment

We accept the $500 cleaning charge $50 for cigarette cleanup. The venue provided photos showing mess and bathroom cleanup needs. Our questions concern the quantities and calculations supporting certain additional charges.

Trash: The contract allows $300 per “standard container” filled with garbage left onsite, separately from the $500 cleaning fee. Our family removed three large bags, and our caterer also removed trash. We asked what remained, the size of a standard container, and how they determined two containers were filled. The photos provided show some trash but don’t establish the volume billed.

**Sorry I removed the supporting photos** but it just showed the linens with dirt marks, empty beer bottles outisde, a spill on the floor, and a mix of 3 boxes that appear empty.

Chair pads: The contract permits repair/replacement charges but says costs will be determined by the items’ age and condition at rental, and that reasonable wear should be expected. The venue says the pads were soiled beyond usable condition, including by our caterer placing dirty dishware crates on them. We requested documentation of the 14 affected pads and how age and condition factored into $20 each.

Linens: The invoice charges for laundering nine linens. Our caterer says only 2-3 were affected during setup. They had placed some items on there that left a dirt mark. When we asked how the charge was calculated, the venue replied:

“$18 per linen was a discounted cost on the extra labor to identify, pretreat, wash, dry and replace the soiled linens, during the event. This type of service would typically be at our normal on-site extra labor cost (with under 14 calendar days of notice) of $75/hour (refer to page 15 of your contract).”

The cited contract provision says:

“Renter may request additional Tin Can Alley staff at the rate of $40 per hour, with an 8 hour minimum, for events requiring extra décor or seating/furnishings movement, security, parking direction and management, and VIP services. If such a request is made with less then 14 calendar day’s notice, the rate is $75/hour, with an 8 hour minimum.”

We did not request additional staff for laundering. I am unclear whether this provision applies to this work and how they determined that nine linens required treatment. Their cover email also says the linens remained damaged and replacement costs were waived; the $162 invoice item is for labor. I also want to note they had 3-4 staff on-site during the event already.

Administrative fees: The signed contract says damage invoices may include “applicable Admin fees,” but I cannot find a $120 hourly rate or one-hour minimum. The venue says the existing $120 assessment fee covers collecting and arranging photos, counting damaged items, and preparing billing.

After we requested clarification and existing supporting photos/video, the venue said further explanations and evidence would incur additional admin fees at $120/hour, minimum one hour. They asked us to approve this before proceeding. We have not replied or approved additional fees.

Walkthrough: The contract requires a final walkthrough with venue staff. It appears none occurred. (our caterer was in charge of trash and family cleared the venue at the end of the night since we had a lot of DIY stuff). Family members understood a departure conversation with staff to mean they were good to leave (they had to take out 3 giant trash bags from the dumpster because we needed to take all trash per the contract); the venue says staff only asked whether they had collected personal belongings. I understand this doesn’t necessarily prevent post-event charges.

Other relevant contract terms:

• It authorizes charging the card on file for post-event fees.
• It says that if the venue must file a court action to enforce the agreement, we agree to pay reasonable attorney fees, court costs, collection expenses, and interest.

The venue did not explain the two-container count or container size. Their email did not address our chair-pad count and valuation questions. They emphasized that cleanup took two days and reiterated our responsibility for guests and vendors.

My questions:

1. The venue has my card on file and contractual authorization to charge post-event fees. If they charge the invoice while specific quantities and calculations remain disputed, what options do I have to challenge those amounts and seek a partial refund? My goal is to resolve this without going to court.
2. Can “applicable Admin fees” support an unspecified $120/hour rate and an additional charge to provide existing evidence or explain an invoice?
3. How should we handle payment of the undisputed portion while preserving our dispute over the remaining amounts, given the card authorization?
4. If they charge the card, can we dispute only the contested portion with the issuer, and what contractual risks should we consider?
5. Would a limited consultation with a Washington consumer/contract attorney be worth it? Not sure how to move forward...

We are willing to pay charges we owe under the contract. We want to understand how to challenge quantities and calculations that remain unexplained without authorizing additional billable work.

TLDR: The venue has my card on file and contractual authorization to charge post-event fees. If they charge the invoice while specific quantities and calculations remain disputed, what options do I have to challenge those amounts and seek a partial refund? My goal is to resolve this without going to court.

Appreciate your time!