Fair or foul? Florida wedding venue refuses refund to woman after her fiancé dies

Tye Hinson’s fiancé, William Coney, died unexpectedly from a heart attack at age 42 last November. The pair were set to be wed in May.

What was supposed to be one of the happiest days of Tye Hinson’s life, marrying her fiancé William Coney, turned tragic last November when Coney unexpectedly died of a heart attack at the age of 42.

Now Hinson says the wedding venue the two were set to tie the knot at is enforcing a non-refundable policy and refuses to return the thousands of dollars Hinson and Coney gave them for their wedding day.

Hinson and Coney were set to get married in May of this year. The pair had met more than 20 years ago and had long decided to get married in Central Florida, signing a contract with the venue and paying a sizeable administrative fee.

“I called (the venue) two days after he passed away to make them aware,” Hinson told Orlando’s News 6. “This wasn’t like a cancellation. This was a person dying.”

The venue, the Crystal Ballroom of Lake Mary, is an all-inclusive event space. Due to established company policy, the venue opted not to void the contract they had entered into with Hinson and instead kept the $7,600 she had previously paid. According to Hinson, an unidentified venue employee offered to host an alternative event for her.

“Her suggestion was, ‘Maybe you can do a memorial here on your wedding day,’” Hinson said.

Crystal Ballroom owner Lukasz Rogowski told News 6 that he informed anyone who books with the venue of its refund policy and also encourages them to purchase cancellation insurance from third-party providers. He did express sympathy for Hinson’s unimaginable loss.

“Offering compassion and offering refunds are not the same thing, and both must exist within a framework that is fair, transparent, and consistent for all clients,” Rogowski said.

Hinson paid the venue $2,000 when she first booked it in August 2025, and later paid an additional $5,609. The last payment she made was two days before Coney’s death. Hinson secured cancellations and refunds from all the other vendors she worked with to help plan the ceremony and reception, despite those companies also having non-refund policies.

“I understand contracts. I have them,” Hinson said, referring to the copy of the contract she signed with Crystal Ballroom. “I have issued a refund to someone when a hurricane destroyed their home before their wedding. My compassion as a human being carries over into my business.”

Rogowski contends that it’s not “accurate” to compare the decisions of a wedding venue to a cake maker or even companies designated for flowers or other wedding necessities, as they don’t “operate under the same legal, financial or operational structures.”

He added, “A full-service venue coordinates space, staffing, inventory, and third-party services months in advance and incurs costs on a different timeline than individual vendors.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Hinson by her wedding planner. It has raised $4,480 as of publication and has a set goal of $5,000. The campaign states, “We understand contracts and policies exist, we believe compassion and care should always lead the way, especially after such a tragic loss.”

Rogowski was among the individuals who donated to the GoFundMe. His $525 donation is the top donation, and he says he made it with no affiliation with the wedding venue he owns.