'Told me I stole her memories': Bridezilla tries to get 40-year-old wedding photographer blacklisted online because she refuses to send extra footage that the bride did not pay for in the agreed-upon package

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  • 01

    Entitled bride tried to ruin my career over raw footage

    I'm 40F and I work as a videographer. This has been my profession for years and things usually go smooth because I keep everything in writing and I'm pretty strict about contracts.
  • 02
    This particular client booked my basic package for her wedding about six months ago. That's 6 hours of filming, highlight reel, and a short film and nothing more.
  • 03
    The wedding itself was stressful enough because she kept bossing me around like I was her personal assistant instead of the videographer. Still I pushed through and delivered what she paid for, on time.
  • 04
    But the second she got the final edits, she demanded all the raw footage. I explained again that raw footage isn't included.
  • 05
    It's not in the package neither was it in the contract, and honestly, no professional hands over unedited files unless the client pays extra.
  • 06
    They're huge files, hours of shaky/duplicate shots, and once you hand them over, people use them and then blame you when it looks bad.
  • 07
    She became very aggressive and told me I stole her memories, accused me of trying to ruin her wedding, and said she was going to trash my name online if I didn't hand it all over.
  • 08
    This was after she had even cried on the phone and tried guilt-tripping me, saying she couldn't relive her big day without every single second I filmed.
  • 09
    It got very ugly, she shouted, I hung up. Then she started posting online that I ruined her wedding video, tagging vendors and trying to blacklist me.
  • 10
    Thankfully, most people in the industry know exactly how these situations go, and my contract protects me.
  • 11
    But the emotional toll of having someone smear you after you worked your a off, stings.
  • 12
    Woman working on her laptop and phone
  • 13
    She paid for a basic package, got exactly what she signed for, and still acted like I owed her unlimited free work.
  • 14
    Anzfun She could contact all the people who attended the wedding and ask them for their cell phone videos.
  • 15
    fseahunt My dad was a photographer. Did weddings on and off throughout his 60+ year career. Once in a while he would turn down a wedding that wanted to book with him. Not because he was already booked that day, because he had a nose for clients who were going to be a pain in the a or worse.
  • 16
    Houston970 That's so frustrating. Do you have a lawyer friend who can send her a cease and desist? I'm sure you can find a template online, but it has a tendency to pack a bigger punch on firm letterhead.
  • 17
    Interesting Wing_461 I kind of feel sorry for her new husband. What a peach.
  • 18
    Swell Monsieur We hired a photographer for our wedding. She did so much, in so little time, and with such quality that we just couldn't pay her just what the contract said. Turns out it was just a gig in between movie projects, but it was insane the care and professionalism she demonstrated. I'm always saddened when someone doesn't respect a tradesperson.
  • 19
    ManagementTiny3800 definitely get a lawyer and have them send a cease and desist letter. if it continues, take her to court for any and all monetary damages, as well as damages to your reputation as a result of her actions. good luck.
  • 20
    boringbobby Make a new edit with the most unflattering scenes and add horror music to it. Bridezilla!
  • 21
    Gold-Foundation-137 Sounds like the bride needed a "day of coordinator" more than anything. I just got married in May. Had a videographer, photographer, day of coordinator, dj, shuttle service, caterer. ... the day of coordinator is like quarterback.
  • 22
    III Cheetah 1991 Could be worse - you could be her new husband (if he still is anyway - he might have legged it already!!)
  • 23
    JipC1963 Time to take Bridezilla to Small Claims for defamation! Your reputation may protect you with fellow vendors but if she trashes you on "Bride or Wedding sites" you may lose business and if you were newer to the "business" it could have ruined you!
  • 24
    Nunov_DAbov Maybe you need a clause in your contract to deal with baseless negative publicity.
  • 25
    " "She started posting online that I ruined her wedding video, tagging vendors and trying to blacklist me"

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