Officials Warn About Wedding Photographer Who ‘Never Shows Up’
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning about a wedding photographer who has allegedly failed to show on the big day for several clients.
CBS11 reports that eighteen brides complained about Olivia Seymour Photography being a no-show for their wedding and engagement photos. Fourteen of those brides say Seymour did not show up to shoot their wedding days and missed many engagement shoots as well.
The BBB of North Central Texas published a warning about Seymour who is based in Collin County, Texas. The BBB began an investigation into the wedding photographer in August after receiving a spike in complaints against her earlier in the year.
Complaints allege that Seymour takes a deposit ranging from $300 to $800. The photographer uses Zelle or Venmo for payment but then fails to show up for the wedding or engagement shoot.
Seymour then allegedly subcontracts the work to another photographer or just stops responding to the consumer prior to the event. Seymour has reportedly not responded to complaints and currently has an “F” rating with Better Business Bureau.
“This particular situation is very sad given the bride-to-be not only is out the deposit money paid, but they do not have pictures of their special day,” says Monica Horton, BBB Spokesperson. “Every wedding planning season we warn about these types of scams that can ruin a special day.”
According to CBS11, bride Sarah Barrington says Seymour messaged her hours before her ceremony to say she would not be there. “Family emergency going on, I need to be with my grandpa right now,” she says she was told.
Seymour’s contract allows her to send a substitute if she cannot make it. Barrington says her new photographer was nice but inexperienced. “She said that it was her second or third wedding that she’d done by herself, so she was going to try her best,” Barrington recalls.
Later that day, Barrington and her husband, Ryan Burcham, say the substitute mentioned that she had been hired days in advance. Text messages between Seymour and the substitute show a conversation that took place eight days before the wedding.
“It’s very disappointing, and such a big letdown,” says Barrington. “This was our special day and I barely have any pictures.”
Barrington later discovered that the photographer had in fact double-booked herself on that date and was meant to shoot another wedding on the same day too. However, Seymour never showed up for the other bride’s wedding either, instead sending her a photo of a thermometer and claiming she was ill.
It was not just brides who were left upset by their experience with the photographer. CBS11 found several photographers who say they stepped in for Seymour but allegedly were not paid for their services.
“She messaged me on Facebook around 09:00. frantically telling me she had a sick kid,” says photographer Rachael Stonecipher. “The wedding was at 14:00.”
Stonecipher says she did not have much wedding experience and the pay was not great, but she agreed to do the job. She says she submitted her own contract, which Seymour signed, along with an invoice. Seymour assured her, Stonecipher says, that she would pay half once she arrived at the venue and the other half once the photos were uploaded.
Stonecipher says she never received any money from Seymour for working the wedding in August. The bride — who had already paid Seymour in full — paid more money to buy the unedited photos from Stonecipher.
In September, Seymour sent a mass email to 77 brides apologizing for her “communication not being the best,” explaining that she had “fallen a little bit behind” because of personal issues. This is the moment when the brides learned they were not alone in their negative encounters with the wedding photographer.
The 77 brides took Seymour off the email thread and began sharing their experiences. Soon they realized they were receiving the same excuses from the wedding photographer. At least three brides received the same excuse from Seymour and the same photo of a thermometer, all on different days.
Seymour is currently facing three civil lawsuits in Collin County, all from brides who say they are owed money or photos.
PetaPixel previously reported on a photographer who went viral on TikTok after canceled her service the night before a client’s wedding.
Image credits: Feature photo licensed via Depositphotos.
