They had saved up for months to book a professional photographer for their wedding day. Not the most expensive option available — but $2,500 was a serious investment for them, and they had read the reviews, seen the portfolio, and felt confident they were making the right choice.
The wedding came and went. The photographer was there for every moment — the ceremony, the first dance, the family photos outside in the afternoon light. They remembered seeing her move around the room all day, camera in hand, and feeling relieved that at least the photos would be taken care of.
Six months passed before anything arrived.
They had followed up twice before that. Both times they were told the editing process was taking longer than expected. Both times they were asked to be patient. They were patient. They waited.
When the gallery link finally came through they opened it immediately, sitting together at the kitchen table, ready to relive the day.
There were 40 photos.
For an eight hour wedding, 40 photos. And of those 40, a significant number were blurry, poorly framed, or so dark they were barely usable. The first dance photo — the one moment they had specifically asked to be captured — was out of focus.
They contacted the photographer the same evening. She apologized and offered a partial reshoot of posed photos in a park. Not a refund. Not an acknowledgment of how far below the agreed standard the work had fallen. A park reshoot.
They are currently in a dispute process with no clear resolution in sight.
$2,500. Eight hours. 40 photos. Six months of waiting.