Customers alarmed amid claims company is ‘uncontactable’
An Australian couple had everything planned for their big day only to be “ghosted” and their wedding “sabotaged”. They’re not alone.
Devastated brides have revealed the joy of their wedding day has been somewhat “sabotaged” as they make desperate attempts to obtain the video footage taken by the company they hired.
A group of up to 50 Sydney brides have banded together after discovering they were all chasing photos or videos months after their weddings.
Some of the brides have also expressed disappointment that key moments from their wedding days were not captured or some of the photos supplied included people with their eyes shut or what they believe is odd editing.
Erin Valantine married her husband Andrew in May this year. She had booked an award-winning company called Andres & Co to capture their special day.
The couple paid around $4500 in cash to the company for photos and videos and were confident it was one thing they would not need to worry about on their big day.
“We got engaged in June last year and were saving every penny to put towards our big day and we are still feeling the burn now,” Erin told news.com.au.
On her wedding day she was surprised that a videographer and photographer showed up, who she had never met, after a prior engagement shoot with Andres & Co.
Erin said she was left bitterly disappointed that key moments from their wedding day weren’t captured.
“In the lead up, there is a video of my husband asking his nan to walk him down the aisle, which actually went viral on TikTok with 1.5 million views. It was crucial for Andrew and I, we made it clear we can’t miss this moment as it’s so important,” she said.
“But then you can see the photographer running when it actually happens and we don’t have any professional footage or photos so as a highlight that was really sad.
“I don’t have a photo with my mum and me and she paid for the dress. I understand some things get missed but there is no photo of me, my mum and dad.
“You are so overwhelmed on the day, you pay a professional to make sure key moments are taken, so it’s devastating that it didn’t happen when I look back on it. These were no-brainer moments.”
Do you have a story? Contact sarah.sharples@news.com.au
However, she doesn’t blame the photographer and videographer there on the day as she said they were given no information, despite spending hours filling out a form and selecting Pinterest inspiration.
Erin said she had to chase Andres & Co for weeks to get her photos and was even contacted by the photographer who claimed she hadn’t been paid for her services.
“She said the (company) is ghosting me and I found out her and the videographer had been booked on Gumtree on the day before the wedding,” she said.
“So when I confronted (the company), they reassured me they carefully vet replacements but they had taken away opportunity to communicate what I wanted.”
Despite being promised her video 14 weeks after the wedding, it’s now five months and she has not received it. She said she has been ignored by the company.
“Emails are bouncing back, calls are rejected and any attempt at contacting (the company) is unsuccessful. I now have to fork out more money to have access to my video,” she said.
The service manager said the videographer, who also claims he hasn’t been paid by Andres & Co, has offered to edit and supply the video for $1000.
Meanwhile, the photographer also supplied the raw images from the wedding day and Erin said she was surprised by the “beautiful” shots that hadn’t been included with key people from their life.
“Fighting” to get what she has paid for has taken a toll, the 31-year-old added, describing the situation as “absolutely horrendous”.
“This whole ordeal has taking the joy out of my wedding, a day my husband put out life savings into and I spent every waking moment for the best part of 10 months organising,” she added.
“I feel catfished with our pre wedding shoot.”
Chrislyn D’Costa is another Sydney bride who feels devastated by her experience with Andres & Co. The couple paid $6000 for their wedding package and were married in October 2023.
She received her photos in December 2023.
“They were beautiful but some of the photos weren’t usable. People had their eyes closed and the lighting was off. I would have expected better screening and service,” she told news.com.au.
“There were no other photos with me and my parents and they were really meaningful but I didn’t have a replacement.”
The marketing professional said she sent about 12 photos back and asked for alternatives.
While she received her video, she said the edits made it factually incorrect and asked for revisions.
The 31-year-old said she had to threaten to go to the relevant government authorities to get the photos back in June but still hasn’t seen her video.
“I was sending (the company) emails begging, saying don’t worry about revisions please give me the video file, reactive the link, I just want the video and I don’t have any of footage,” she added.
“Emails have been bouncing back, mobile phone notifications are silenced, when call it goes straight to voicemail and there’s no response to Facebook messages to the business. It’s like the company have gone underground essentially.”
She has now made a complaint to NSW Fair Trading, with Erin also have done the same.
“I cried on the phone to Fair Trading two days ago which was a little bit embarrassing. We were just heartbroken. My husband and I paid for our weddings ourselves and amongst our friends that isn’t’t common and it's a big financial interest in a cost of living crisis and the one shot you have of your wedding,” she said.
“We are looking at paying more money to get the raw footage edited. We want to start a family and it’s a setback in this economy to lose that amount of money and have nothing to show for it. It’s devastating.”
NSW Fair Trading confirmed there had been 44 complaints about Andres & Co since October 2023.
Anne Hearn and her husband Brad paid $4000 for the photograph and video package. They almost pulled out of Andres & Co shooting their wedding as they found the company hard to get in contact with in the lead up to their big day.
They were married in March this year and while they received their wedding photos, the couple are still waiting for their video almost six months later.
“When we follow up, we keep getting told it’s on its way, they just need a few more weeks, and now our emails are bouncing back and phone calls not answered,” she said.
The public servant had found the videographer hired on the day, who has offered to edit their video footage for $1000.
“Which we feel is reasonable, given he’s not been paid either, but we don’t have a money tree on hand,” she said.
“We’ve paid for something we didn’t receive and now need to pay again, or just lose those memories. We will pay, but it just means going without for other things as we’d not budgeted on paying twice.”
She said also wasn’t happy with the photos too with some of the edits blurry and pictures oddly shot, with many of the couple and their bridal party all in the same location.
The wedding ceremony had been “unplugged” so not even guests had other photos, she added.
The 47-year-old said the experience of chasing has left her with a “sick feeling” and stressed.
Lauren Newcombe and her fiance are chasing money owed to them. She said Andres & Co never showed up to their pre wedding engagement shoot in August.
They had paid a 50 per cent deposit for the wedding and engagement shoot package.
The couple have issued a letter of demand for $2754 and still have no response, she said.
“However, my story is unfortunately one of the better ones,” she noted.
“At least I have now had the opportunity to change my mind and book someone else prior to my wedding. It is just incredibly disappointing to lose money with absolutely nothing to show for it, and no explanation.”
NSW Fair Trading said issues raised by consumers included paying for photography and video services for their wedding but after paying, the business becomes non-responsive.
“Others say the business attended their wedding but have not supplied all of the product paid for,” a spokesperson said.
“NSW Fair Trading has attempted to contact the business to resolve these issues, but the business has not responded. As a result, NSW Fair Trading is currently investigating Andres & Co. As the matter is ongoing, no further comment can be made.”
Andres & Co said on its website it was the 2023 Wedding Industry Awards top 10 and a 2024 Wedding Industry finalist.
News.com.au has approached the company for comment.
sarah.sharples@news.com.au
‘Jumbo’ Fed cut boosts Aussie shares
The Australian sharemarket booked a fresh record high on Thursday as investors celebrated the US Fed’s “jumbo” rate cut.
Read more
Aussies react to massive interest rate cut
The world’s biggest economy has just cut interest rates by a “jumbo” 50 basis points. Here’s what that means for Australia.
Read more
Google reviews ‘gone’ after bride backlash
Young Australians are being forced to chase thousands of dollars owed to them as the business takes drastic steps in the face of huge fallout.
Read more