Double booked engagement venue

[Stovios]

My partner and I booked a venue for our engagement party about a month ago. We rang the organiser and were told that there was no problem in us having the date we requested. A week later we paid for the venue in full, still no problems arise.
Tonight my fiance receives a call from the organiser telling us the room is double booked and we cannot have that night. Yet the person who also booked has apparantly only paid the deposit.
Although we have been told we can have a full refund, this now means we have lost money on the invites as they state the date and venue, and we have family members attending the party who have arranged flights and accomadation specifically for that date.
Do we have any legal rights?

[Buenchico]

Anyone who suffers financial loss through the negligence of another has the right to demand and receive compensation.

Your first course of action should be to itemise your losses and send a written demand for compensation to the venue. The letter should clearly state that, if full payment isn't received with a reasonable [specified] period of time (perhaps 28 days), you will pursue your claim through the courts. Keep a copy of the letter and send the original by recorded delivery.

If you don't get your compensation, follow the procedures which are explained here:
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/c laims/index.htm

Chris

[buildersmate]

This smells like they've achieved a much better offer and are trying to fob you off.
Chris is, of course, correct but presumably as you'd rather get the original venue date back again, it might be better initially to confront them with the potential size of the claim you intend to make against them by using the Courts Service (by going to see them for a quick discussion) and try and persuade the manager to change his mind about which booking takes precedence - yours.