70% paid, wedding cancelled by war, no refund in 8 months
We signed a €23,880 contract with this company in December 2025 for our wedding at a mansion venue in Istanbul on 16 April 2026, for 70 guests. We paid €16,716 — 70% — in two instalments, both on time.
War broke out on 28 February 2026. Airspace closed and commercial flights did not resume until after our wedding date. On 16 March 2026 the company wrote to us confirming that our wedding was postponed "in accordance with our contract (due to a Force Majeure clause)."
The wedding never took place and no services were delivered. Eight months later we have received nothing back.
The company's current position is that it will keep €12,170 and refund €4,534 — in October, and only if we sign a further document. Its calculation includes a €7,188 "postponement fee" taken from a protocol we never signed, and a €2,850 "planner fee" that is not in our contract. We have asked repeatedly for invoices or receipts showing costs actually incurred. None have been produced.
We are now taking legal advice in Istanbul.
If you are booking a destination wedding: read the cancellation and force majeure clauses line by line, get independent legal advice before transferring a deposit, and keep everything in writing.