‘Embarrassing’: Bride’s wild request for refund from photographer

“You did a wonderful job on them, but four years later, things have changed…”

A wedding photographer has slammed a former client for requesting a refund for the most absurd reason. 

Lance Romeo is a photographer based out of South Africa and specialises in weddings and events. In 2019, he was tasked to photograph a couple on their big day, which he thought went swimmingly. 

However, he was taken aback when he received a text message from the bride nearly half a decade years later.  

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"Her marriage falling apart [is not] the photographer’s fault." Picture: iStock

“I'm now divorced and need a refund on my wedding photos”

“Hi Romeo, how are you?” the text began, which was shared on X (formerly Twitter). 

“I don’t know if you still remember me. You did [a] photoshoot for me at my wedding … in 2019.” 

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Speaking to Buzzfeed, Romeo recalled how wonderful the shoot was. “When I delivered the final edits of the photographs and video, the couple was very happy with my work,” he said. 

“The bride herself specifically told me how much she loved everything.” 

Realising it had been four years since completing the photo shoot, the photographer responded by asking how the couple was. As it turns out, things didn’t turn out too well for the duo. 

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“Well, I'm now divorced,” she bluntly said. “And those pictures - I and my ex-husband don't need them anymore.”

Before the photographer could even respond, the woman was back, and this time, she was making a demand. “You did a wonderful job on them, but they went to waste as we are now divorced,” she said. “I will need a refund of the amount we paid you because we don’t need them anymore.” 

Romeo couldn’t believe what he just read; at first, he genuinely thought the woman was just taking the mickey out of him. 

“Pardon me?” he politely enquired. “This has to be a joke, right?” 

But no, sadly, the woman was not pulling his leg -she genuinely believed she was entitled to a full refund. “No, dear, I’m very serious,” she responded. 

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The woman asked for a refund four years after her wedding. Picture: LanceRomeo/X

Romeo shared his sympathies for the woman and her divorce but quickly shut down any hope of her accessing a refund for the photos. “Photography is a non-refundable service once I’ve already delivered … the service and the pictures,” he stated. “I can’t refund you because I can’t untake the pictures.” 

Boy, oh boy, the bride certainly didn’t like that. Rather than cutting her losses and moving on with life, she instead threatened to take legal action. Yes, seriously. 

“You will be hearing from my lawyer, I’ve forwarded him everything,” she said. “Sharp!”

Upon reading her threatening messages, Romeo quickly realised that she wasn’t pranking him. “The more we spoke, the more it dawned on me that she was actually serious and was, in fact, convinced that she deserved and is entitled to a refund because she's divorced,” he said. 

He added he would have given the couple a refund if they weren’t happy with the photos, but this just wasn’t the case. “Not after four whole years,” he said. “Her marriage falling apart [is not] the photographer’s fault.” 

After his text exchange went viral online, the woman’s ex-husband reached out to the photographer and extended his apologies. “I read the articles. I apologise on her behalf,” the South African man said. “Embarrassing.” 

The photographer has since double-checked that a clear “no refunds” policy is included in every contract moving forward. Good call. 

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“The entitlement of some people!”

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t baffled by the entire debacle, with people labelling the woman “delusional”. 

“The audacity levels are at an all-time high,” read a comment. 

“I wonder if she contacted the catering company, venue, and everyone else to get a refund from them as well,” a person laughed. “Delusional.”

“The entitlement of some people!” a third person penned.

“What wires are crossing in this woman's brain to think that this is a normal, reasonable thing that's acceptable? The audacity!”

“I'm going to ask for refunds on my son's baby pics, since he's a teenager now and not a baby,” a mum joked.

Originally published as ‘Embarrassing’: Bride’s wild request for refund from photographer