Consumer Law, Warranties Asking for more than deposit after cancellation

[martinmk]

I recently put down a wedding deposit for a reception venue. We put down $1000 and signed a contract. As part of the contract and the event, we are required to host 15 rooms for lodging and every room that we don't fill of that 15 is a $100 charge. 3 months before the wedding, my fiance and I decided that we need a little more time therefore have cancelled the event venue. They are keeping the $1000 non-refundable deposit which I can understand, but they are also saying that we have to pay $100 for each of the rooms we aren't filling ($1500). On top of that, our guest are being charged $45 for cancelling the rooms that they had already booked. In the end, me and my guests will have paid almost $3000 for no service whatsoever. This doesn't seem right to me. Any thoughts?