Fury Over Newlywed's Reaction to Wedding Photos Being Deleted

A wedding photographer has been praised for deleting wedding photos taken at their cousin's wedding after not being paid.

Weddings can be stressful endeavors, so it might be a relief when a family member steps in to fill a vital role. However, this case proves it's not so clear-cut.

Wedding expert Zoe Burke, editor at Hitched.co.uk, told Newsweek: "In general, we believe anyone working for someone, relative or not, should consult with their advisers whether to have a formal contract in place and not rely on verbal agreements, especially for something as serious as a wedding."

In a Reddit post, user MostFitBobo wrote that they had been hired to be the photographer at their younger cousin's wedding in December 2022. Following a discussion about what types of photos should be taken, the pair agreed on a payment of around $1,000.

The average national cost of a wedding in the U.S. was $30,000 in 2022, which was $2,000 more than in the previous year. This is according to the wedding planning website The Knot, after a study of more than 12,000 U.S. couples who married between January 1 and December 31, 2022.

The Reddit user wrote: "[The] wedding happens, I take the pictures, I edit them, then wait for payment which we agreed I'd get in full after the wedding before sending any pictures.

"However suddenly she didn't have money and wanted to set up a payment plan to pay it off in eight months and still get the pictures now," the poster added.

"It's not that I don't trust her but once you start opening such doors you'll find it hard to close them so I told her we could do the payment plan but the photos will only be released when the full amount is paid (didn't even add interest). She didn't respond."

In February, the cousin asked to see samples of the photos and when they were sent over, no offer of payment was offered. Several weeks later, the poster said all the photos had been saved to a roommate's flash drive as a temporary measure. However, in June, the roommate asked if they could delete the photos, and they did so.

The Reddit user wrote: "I still had about 20 of the photos saved on my phone from when I was choosing/sending the samples so I just explained the situation in a message to her and sent the existing photos free of charge.

"That was last month and I'm still getting flamed for this. She's been slandering me online and it's quite literally created a division between our families and to the point that our mothers don't talk now," the poster added.

Expert Burke said: "Contracts can be essential for couples and vendors as they protect both parties should something not go to plan.

"Not having a formal agreement can make things really awkward if, for whatever reason, you're unhappy with their work," she added. "It means they are less likely to be able to enjoy your day and celebrate with you if they're also under the pressure of work on the day.

"There are so many vendors out there that you can hire and keep a professional relationship with. It is a safer option than risking friendships," Burke said.

Since being shared on Saturday, July 22, the Reddit post has attracted more than 8,500 upvotes online. The overwhelming majority of commenters praised the poster and believed they were correct to delete the photos.

Reddit user Curious Tsukihime, whose comment was upvoted some 14,500 times, wrote: "Your cousin contracted you for a service, with payment agreed. She failed to pay."

Stinstin555 added: "You do not renegotiate after the services have been accepted and provided."

Kazalanne commented: "Frankly, wedding photos for less than $1,000 is a steal."

Newsweek has contacted MostFitBobo for comment via Reddit.

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