A new bride shared on Reddit’s “Wedding” forum that her photographer was rude and unprofessional and ultimately “ruined” her big day”Our day was marred with stress and we cannot redo this day,” she said of her disappointing experience with the photographerThe bride said she now wants to complain and ask the photographer for a refund, but she’s worried “she will not hand over (the photos) or will do something to them”
A bride claims her wedding photographer “ruined” her big day by being late, rude and unprofessional — and now she wants her money back.
In a lengthy post on Reddit‘s “Wedding” forum, the bride recounted the unfortunate experience she had with the photographer she hired. She began by explaining that the photographer was recommended by “a trusted vendor,” and after liking what they saw of her work on social media, she and the groom reached out and booked her, one year in advance of their wedding date.
They couple paid $2,800 in full for a six-hour package with two photographers, and the bride noted that “there was no contract.”
Two weeks before the wedding, the bride checked in with the photographer, emailing her “a detailed run sheet with timings, addresses, where each photographer was to be when” in order to “not be flustered on the day.”
Wedding photographer with bride (stock image).
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“I also said we want photos along the creek where we had the ceremony and in the whiskey bar upstairs,” she added. “All good, she said leave it with me.”
When the wedding day finally arrived, things began to go awry. For starters, the photographer arrived at the bride’s house first, despite the run sheet specifying that she was to go to the groom’s house first.
“She was scheduled there at 12:45 and arrived to my house at 1 p.m. so already 15 mins late even if she were at the right address,” the bride explained. “My bridesmaid informed her of this, and she said she was moving house that week and did not read the run sheet properly.”
By the time the photographer got to the groom’s house, she was nearly an hour behind schedule. The situation apparently only worsened from there.
“Following our ceremony during group and bridal portraits, (the photographer) was rude and abrupt to guests and provided no direction. She was yelling, saying ‘you all know what to do’ and in a very frustrated tone yelling ‘if you cant see me I cant see you’ and things like that,” the bride recalled. “This was noted by two guests who told me her demeanor was unacceptable.”
Even though the bride had paid for two photographers to oversee everything, one of her bridesmaids had to step in and call the groups for photos to keep things “running smoothly.”
Upset bride (stock image).
Getty
As the portrait sessions went on, the bride said, the photographer was “complaining and swearing” and being “very unprofessional.”
And when the reception got underway, the photographer griped to the groom that she and her colleague did not get a meal. As the bride explained, “We did not provide a meal for them because they were supposed to finish at 6:45 before the meal. (But I told her) she was welcome to canapés.”
After the wedding, the photographer failed to send any sneak peeks of the photos, which the bride and groom were hoping to share with their family. When the bride emailed the photographer, asking if they were getting any sneak peeks and when they could expect the entire wedding photo portfolio, she got no response.
“I think it is more than fair to ask for a refund because the service was not delivered in line with our expectations. She was late, rude and provided poor correspondence and still now no word from her,” the bride wrote, adding, “Our day was marred with stress and we cannot redo this day.”
Now, the bride says she is “at a loss what to do” because she is worried that if she calls the photographer to complain or demand a refund, “she will not hand over (the photos) or will do something to them.”
Bride on phone (stock image).
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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The post garnered more than 100 comments. Many people sympathized with the bride’s situation — but conceded that she has little recourse because she has already paid the photographer in full and did not sign a contract.
“With no contract, who’s really to say what service was expected?” one Redditor wrote.
Another chimed in: “Your big mistake was not having a contract. You can say ‘she promised to go by the run sheet’ and she’ll say ‘I promised to try to incorporate their run sheet.’ And paying her in full was a huge mistake.”
Several users warned the bride to proceed with caution in her future dealings with the photographer if she hopes to salvage her wedding photos.
“I wouldn’t even come close to whispering the word ‘refund’ until I had the photos. That should be your main goal,” one person wrote, while another added, “Get photos in hand before you even try to discuss some compensation. Do not threaten legal action, bad reviews! Just get the photos. Then do what you need to after that.”
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