‘Hell’: Brides reveal sinister side to wedding industry

Couples who forked out up to $7000 for special memories have revealed their “horrible” experiences.

Couples who have been screwed over after one of the happiest days of their lives have resorted to showing up at photographer’s houses to demand refunds or footage, and are issuing warnings there is a lack of protection for consumers in the wedding industry.

Upset brides are shocked with what some photographers are able to get away with when they have been paid thousands of dollars and have been concerned to see the issue continuing to impact other couples.

It comes after news.com.au exclusively revealed that devastated Sydney brides had found their wedding days had been somewhat “sabotaged” as they made desperate attempts to obtain photos or video footage taken by the company they hired. There had been 46 complaints about the company to NSW Fair Trading.

But it appears it’s not an isolated case.

Lora Roff was married in 2019 and had a “horrible” experience with the photographer hired for her wedding, which ended in abusive messages and around 18 months of chasing for the $6000 worth of products. She even had to threaten legal action.

The couple found the photographer disorganised – failing to print out a list of key people the they wanted in photos – and rude on their wedding day but things only got worse from there, she said.

Lora Roff was married in 2019 and had a ‘horrible’ experience with the photographer. Picture: Supplied

The photographer put up 10 to 15 images on his Facebook page from the wedding, which were watermarked with their logo, before providing even a sneak peek to the couple.

“From there getting images was really hard and it just took forever, the photographer wasn’t replying to emails or calls,” she told news.com.au.

“I was disappointed with the quality, so many photos are out of focus or are not a well taken photo. They missed some really key parts of the day … one of them being my dad and my first dance and it’s just one photo and it’s blurry and it’s not in focus. … We don’t have a picture of my husband and me kissing at the altar.”

The 34-year-old was told the wedding album was in the post for two months, she added.

“The only thing that spurred the photographer on where I got a bit of action was I lodged a complaint with NSW Fair Trading … but when that happened they rang me and abused me and sent me horrible text messages,” she said.

“The photographer was blaming Covid for a lot of it. I was like: ‘Mate my wedding was before Covid’. They were just being really nasty.”

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Text messages between Lora and the photographer. Picture: Supplied

Still, Ms Roff had to chase the photographer for two special parents’ albums they had paid for and said she could only laugh when they arrived as she claimed the “free Woolies catalogues are better quality then this”.

“It looked like it had been printed off of a home computer and stapled together,” she said.

In the end, Ms Roff’s husband arranged to meet the photographer in a public place to get everything.

But not being able to look back on key memories is now particularly painful for the NSW woman.

“It’s been pretty horrible. It was a while ago now and I try not to think about it, but my husband and I never really shared the wedding video with anyone. The raw footage is sh*t I could take better footage on my phone,” she claimed.

“The quality of the photos is sh*t and there are one or two good ones we like and have put up in the house but all the rest we don’t want to look at as it pisses us off.

“What I think still resonates is the key photos of my family and the key moments of my dad walking me down the aisle and the dance with my dad. My dad passed away quite suddenly nearly two years ago. I can’t redo that. I don’t have those beautiful photos I have a blurry, sh**ty out of focus photo, on a moment that I should be able to look on nicely.”

Text messages between Lora and the photographer. Picture: Supplied

Text messages between Lora and the photographer. Picture: Supplied

Ms Roff said she and her husband had paid the photographer $6000 for a package that included a videographer but later found out it was a “cinematography student” that was found online through an advertisement.

She said the wedding venue had recommended the photographer but it later distanced itself and removed them from the list.

“When I did that I copped an absolute spray, I had ruined their life and taken food off the table for their kids,” she added.

The sports clinic practice manager said she wants to see better protection for consumers.

“I think there needs to be way more regulation. Companies and business can’t just put a Gumtree ad up looking for someone to fill in and if they do there has to be a consequence if doing that and not telling their customers,” she said.

Text messages between Lora and the photographer. Picture: Supplied

Then there’s Alyise Roberge who was married in 2017. The NSW woman said she and her partner paid the videographer $7000 only for the footage to be “lost”.

This was particularly devastating as she had an “unplugged” ceremony where guests were told to put away their mobile phones.

In the end the footage, the couple received was about five to 10 minutes of the parties getting ready, then a short blurb after the ceremony of a photo shoot, which she added was “strange”.

“It was devastating. I don’t plan to get married again so we don’t get that time back,” she told news.com.au.

“We now have a child and it would be nice to show him a video of the wedding but it’s honestly quite embarrassing considering we paid this guy $7000 for essentially a sizzle reel.

“This affected six brides that I’m aware of and the same sorry letter was sent to all of us. No compensation was offered until my husband felt bold and showed up at the videographer’s personal house and did not leave without a refund.”

Brides have been particularly concerned about videographers. Picture: iStock

The 37-year-old said they also had a bad experience with their car provider but this was resolved.

“I get really irritated when someone takes advantage of someone in an emotional situation. We have rose glasses on at all points during the wedding planning and expect people to be fine,” she added.

“You’re dealing with so many different vendors and they are independently operating and in control of it, so it can be so overwhelming.

“I’m sure a story like this is so common in the wedding industry, which seems to me highly unregulated, and relies on the individual’s honesty.”

Brides have raised concerns about the actions of wedding vendors and whether there is enough protections for consumers. Picture: iStock

A spokesperson for NSW Fair Trading said under Australian consumer law, service providers must ensure services are delivered with due care and skill, are suitable for the intended purpose and provided within a reasonable time frame.

“These guarantees protect consumer rights. If a service doesn’t meet these standards, consumers may be entitled to a replacement, repair, refund, or other remedy. Consumers should start by contacting the business directly,” they said.

“If the issue remains unresolved, a complaint can be lodged with NSW Fair Trading.”

Consumers can also seek a chargeback from their financial institution or take their case to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for legally binding orders, the spokesperson added.

“NSW Fair Trading has several compliance and enforcement options to ensure businesses follow the law,” they said.

“If a business violates these laws, Fair Trading may issue warnings, fines, or pursue prosecution. If you have concerns, you can lodge a complaint through the contact options mentioned above.”

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Originally published as ‘Hell’: Brides reveal sinister side to wedding industry