Refund & Cancellation Policy | Avana Events Chicago

Understand how deposits, payments, cancellations, date changes, and approved décor purchases are handled when you reserve Avana Events’ services. Please review this Policy with your service agreement before booking.

Effective date: 10/05/2026

Business: Avana Events LLC, doing business as Avana Events

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Website: avanaevents.com

Email: info@avanaevents.com

1. Purpose and Scope

This Refund, Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy governs the treatment of service reservation deposits, advance payments, cancellations, date changes, and authorized procurement expenses for events booked with Avana Events.

Avana Events provides event management, coordination, design, layout planning, décor procurement, and setup services according to the scope stated in each client’s signed agreement. This Policy applies to weddings, quinceañeras, showers, retirement celebrations, corporate events, and other contracted occasions.

The client’s event venue and independently contracted vendors are governed by their respective agreements. Payments made directly to those businesses are outside Avana Events’ control.

Mandatory legal requirements take precedence over this Policy. Nothing herein excludes a cancellation right, refund, or remedy that cannot lawfully be waived.

2. Agreement and Reservation Requirements

An inquiry, consultation, estimate, or unsigned proposal does not constitute a confirmed service reservation.

The services, event date, deposit amount, payment schedule, and deliverables must be identified in an agreement signed by the client and an authorized representative of Avana Events.

A reservation is confirmed when the agreement has been fully executed and the required initial deposit has been received, unless the agreement expressly provides otherwise.

This Policy must be provided to the client before acceptance and incorporated into the agreement. A website update alone does not alter an existing booking. The signed Agreement or accompanying signed confirmation must disclose the client’s exact deposit refund deadline, including its date, time, and applicable Central Time designation.

3. Definitions and Time Calculations

For purposes of this Policy:

“Agreement” means the fully signed service agreement and any mutually accepted attachments or amendments.

“Execution Time” means the date and time at which the final required signature is completed by either party, so that both parties have signed.

“Original Event Start” means the original event start date and time identified in the Agreement. For a booking covering multiple event days, it means the first scheduled event start identified therein.

“Service Reservation Deposit” means a payment expressly identified as an initial or supplemental deposit for reserving Avana Events’ service capacity and contracted date.

“Seven-Day Deadline” means the instant occurring 168 elapsed hours after the Execution Time.

“Thirty-Day Cutoff” means the instant occurring 720 elapsed hours before the Original Event Start.

“Cancellation Receipt Time” means the time written cancellation is delivered to info@avanaevents.com.

Timestamps are displayed in America/Chicago, using Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time as applicable. These periods use elapsed hours; a daylight saving transition does not change their duration. A change to the event date does not reset these calculations unless a signed amendment expressly establishes different refund terms.

4. Nonrefundable Deposit Rule

Subject to applicable law and the exceptions below, all Service Reservation Deposits become nonrefundable upon the earlier of the Seven-Day Deadline or the Thirty-Day Cutoff.

If the Original Event Start is more than 720 elapsed hours after the Execution Time, the client may receive a full refund of Service Reservation Deposits by delivering written cancellation strictly before both deadlines.

The seven-day period is therefore the maximum contractual refund window. It closes sooner if the event enters the 30-day window before seven days have elapsed.

If the Original Event Start is 720 elapsed hours or fewer after the Execution Time, all Service Reservation Deposits are nonrefundable immediately upon execution of the Agreement.

Cancellation received exactly at either applicable deadline is outside the contractual refund window. The exact deadline must be recorded in the Agreement or accompanying signed booking confirmation.

5. Full Refund During the Eligible Window

A client who timely cancels within the eligible window is entitled to a full refund of Service Reservation Deposits received.

This deposit refund will not be reduced merely because Avana Events has commenced included planning, coordination, design, layout development, or other preliminary work.

Avana Events will not impose an automatic administration, cancellation, design, or payment-processing deduction against an eligible deposit refund.

Separately authorized third-party purchases or custom orders may have independent obligations under Section 10. Such transactions must be disclosed and authorized separately and do not convert an otherwise refundable service deposit into a procurement payment.

6. Written Cancellation Procedure

Written cancellation must be sent to info@avanaevents.com.

The message must clearly communicate the client’s intention to cancel and identify the booking sufficiently for Avana Events to locate it. No specific form, subject line, explanation, or legal wording is required.

Cancellation takes effect upon delivery to the designated email address, as recorded by the receiving email system. It is not dependent upon Avana Events’ acknowledgment or the time an employee reads the message.

Clients should retain their sent message and available delivery records. If delivery fails, the client should promptly use the contact information in the Agreement to resolve the delivery issue.

Any cancellation method independently protected by applicable law remains available.

7. Refund Processing

Avana Events will confirm the cancellation and provide a written explanation of any refund or remaining separately authorized obligation.

Eligible refunds will be initiated within [Refund initiation period] business days after receipt of timely cancellation and sufficient information to identify the payment, or sooner where required by law. Any reasonable request to identify a payment does not alter the cancellation timestamp or extend a mandatory legal refund deadline.

Refunds ordinarily return to the original payment method and payer. If that method cannot receive a refund, an appropriate alternative will be arranged after reasonable verification.

Financial institutions may require additional posting time.

A refund legally or contractually due will not be conditioned on accepting another date, purchasing additional services, or surrendering protected dispute rights.

8. Supplemental Deposits and Advance Payments

The refund period does not restart when a supplemental Service Reservation Deposit is paid.

A supplemental deposit received after the applicable deadline is nonrefundable upon receipt, subject to this Policy’s legal protections and exceptions.

The Agreement or an accepted written amendment must identify each deposit’s amount and purpose before payment. Ordinary advance payments may not be retroactively redesignated as nonrefundable deposits.

Payments beyond Service Reservation Deposits will be evaluated separately under the Agreement, the services delivered, authorized commitments, and applicable law.

Unused advances exceeding Avana Events’ lawful entitlement will be refunded.

9. Cancellation After the Refund Deadline

After the applicable deadline, a client’s voluntary cancellation ordinarily does not entitle the client to a return of Service Reservation Deposits.

The deposits support reservation of service capacity and the commitments associated with the contracted date. Their amount and retention must nevertheless satisfy applicable law.

This Policy does not automatically accelerate the full remaining contract balance or make every unperformed service payable.

A retained deposit may not be combined with additional charges that compensate Avana Events twice for the same reserved-date loss. The Agreement must distinguish any independently payable, separately authorized obligation.

Any claimed balance will be explained in a written accounting.

10. Décor Procurement and Custom Orders

Client-funded third-party purchases, rentals, fabrication, personalization, and custom orders require written authorization before Avana Events commits the expense.

That authorization must identify the relevant items or services, amount or approved spending limit, payment responsibility, and material cancellation or return restrictions. Supplier terms must be disclosed sufficiently for an informed decision.

Authorization of the overall event design alone does not authorize unlimited spending or undisclosed nonrefundable purchases.

A transaction-specific obligation may survive cancellation where expressly authorized and legally enforceable. An eligible Service Reservation Deposit refund remains payable in full; an independently authorized procurement obligation must be accounted for separately.

Ordinary overhead or reusable inventory investment is not automatically chargeable as a client-specific cancellation expense.

11. Supplier Refunds, Credits, and Completed Items

Avana Events will reasonably pursue available cancellation, return, refund, and credit options for authorized client-funded orders.

Supplier cash refunds attributable to the client’s payments will be passed through to the client, subject only to separately disclosed, lawful obligations and without duplicate deductions.

Any supplier credit obtained will be disclosed and made available for the client’s benefit under the supplier’s lawful terms. A nontransferable credit will not be represented as cash, diverted to another client, or substituted for a refund required by law.

The ownership, handover, delivery, and storage of completed custom items will be governed by the accepted procurement authorization.

12. Rescheduling and Postponement

A request to move the date does not itself cancel the booking, secure a replacement date, suspend payment deadlines, or extend the refund window.

Rescheduling requires availability and a written amendment signed by the client and Avana Events.

The amendment must state the replacement date, service scope, pricing, payment schedule, treatment of existing deposits, and applicable cancellation terms.

A transfer or credit is effective only when expressly confirmed in the amendment. This Policy does not promise a discretionary credit or impose an automatic rescheduling fee.

Unless the amendment expressly provides otherwise, the original deposit refund deadline remains unchanged.

13. Changes to Scope, Attendance, or Venue

Changes to guest count, budget, event type, décor preferences, location, or required services do not automatically alter deposit refundability.

Any adjustment to contracted services must be documented in a mutually accepted amendment.

The client must communicate venue changes or restrictions promptly so that Avana Events can assess feasibility, access requirements, setup time, staffing, and authorized procurement impacts.

This Policy does not create an automatic additional charge for such changes. Any revised scope or pricing must be disclosed and accepted.

Cancellation of the independently booked venue does not, by itself, determine the treatment of Avana Events’ service payments.

14. Cancellation or Nonperformance by Avana Events

The client cancellation rules do not authorize retention of funds solely because Avana Events cancels or fails to perform its contractual obligations.

If Avana Events cancels for reasons attributable to Avana Events and the client has not materially breached the Agreement, associated Service Reservation Deposits and payments for unperformed services will be refunded as required by the Agreement and applicable law.

Any claim concerning separately completed and accepted work must be supported by the Agreement and legally recoverable.

A substitute service, replacement date, or credit may be offered, but will not replace a legally required refund without the client’s agreement.

15. Client Breach and Failure to Cooperate

The Agreement may identify client obligations concerning payments, approvals, access, safety, and timely information.

An alleged breach does not automatically entitle Avana Events to retain every payment or demand the full remaining price.

Any termination must follow the Agreement’s applicable notice and cure procedures, where required. Retained amounts and claimed balances must have a lawful basis and avoid duplicate recovery.

A failure to attend or proceed with the event does not create a deposit refund entitlement by itself. It also does not eliminate mandatory legal protections.

16. Force Majeure and Performance Restrictions

A serious emergency, government restriction, venue closure, or other circumstance outside the parties’ reasonable control may affect performance.

The Agreement’s force majeure provisions and applicable law govern the consequences.

Such circumstances do not automatically establish that every payment is forfeited. Avana Events will assess the services that can lawfully be provided, authorized commitments, available alternatives, and any required refunds.

Any postponement, modified service arrangement, transfer, or credit must be documented in writing.

Clients are not required to accept an alternative where applicable law entitles them to a refund.

17. Security Deposits and Duplicate Payments

A separately identified refundable damage or security deposit is distinct from a Service Reservation Deposit. Its treatment is governed by the applicable written terms and law.

It will not be forfeited solely because a booking deposit has become nonrefundable.

Any deduction must have an authorized, documented basis.

Duplicate payments and amounts collected in error will be corrected or refunded regardless of the ordinary booking cancellation deadline. Correcting an error does not create a new refund window for the underlying reservation.

18. Lawful Accounting and Disputes

Avana Events will retain only amounts permitted by the Agreement and applicable law.

A deposit is not intended to impose an unlawful penalty. This Policy does not grant Avana Events the option to retain an agreed cancellation remedy and additionally recover greater damages for the same cancellation.

The accounting will distinguish deposits, other advances, authorized purchases, payments credited, supplier adjustments, and any refund or independently due balance.

Clients may raise payment concerns at info@avanaevents.com.

Nothing herein restricts lawful payment disputes, complaints, requests for advice, or other available remedies.

19. Changes, Severability, and Contact

The version accepted with the Agreement applies to the booking. Later website revisions do not retroactively introduce new fees, deposit restrictions, or obligations.

Material changes to an existing booking require mutual written agreement, except where law independently controls.

Any unenforceable provision will be limited or severed only as permitted by law, preserving mandatory rights and otherwise enforceable terms.

For questions, cancellation notices, or refund inquiries:

Avana Events
10081 Wicker Ave, Suite 110, St John, IN 46373
info@avanaevents.com
avanaevents.com

Clients should retain signed agreements, receipts, procurement approvals, amendments, and cancellation correspondence.


Editor-only implementation notes — remove before publication

  1. The owner confirmed the earlier-of rule: nonrefundability begins at the earlier of 168 elapsed hours after the final required signature or 720 elapsed hours before the original event start. An event exactly 720 hours away at execution is immediately nonrefundable. Copy this wording consistently into the FAQ, Terms, service Agreement, invoices, and booking confirmation.
  2. Record the exact execution timestamp and original event start time. Calculate deadlines from those timestamps and display the applicable result in America/Chicago, with CST or CDT as appropriate. Have the client accept that exact date and time in the signed Agreement or a signed accompanying confirmation. Do not replace elapsed hours with calendar-day language without revising the whole package.
  3. Complete [Effective date], [Legal business name], [Business mailing address], and [Refund initiation period]. A proposed refund initiation period is 10 business days, subject to the owner confirming it is operationally realistic. The public draft retains a placeholder to avoid an unapproved promise. Mandatory shorter deadlines still control.
  4. Timely cancellation produces a full service reservation deposit refund even if included planning or design has begun. Separately authorized procurement obligations cannot be used to recategorize or reduce that deposit refund. Document the independent transaction, its price or approved limit, supplier restrictions, and customer approval before committing it.
  5. Have Illinois counsel review the actual deposit amount and remedy structure, the service Agreement, and the procurement authorization before publication. The reasonable relationship between a retained deposit and anticipated reservation losses matters; this draft does not establish that an unspecified percentage or dollar amount is enforceable. Distinct obligations must not duplicate compensation for the same loss.
  6. Provide the accepted policy before signing and retain its version with the Agreement. Website posting alone does not establish customer acceptance or replace required contract disclosures. Align venue dependencies, force majeure, termination, security deposits, and payment disputes throughout the signed documents.

Verified source notes

Sources were checked during drafting on October 5, 2026. No claim is made that a blanket nonrefundability clause is enforceable in every circumstance.