Photographer Says Bride Asked for Refund After Divorcing Groom One Month After Wedding
A wedding photographer says a bride asked for a refund for her photos after divorcing the groom just one month after the big day.
In a series of viral TikTok videos, Utah-based wedding photographer Rachel Stone revealed the unusual request she received from a bride whose wedding she had recently photographed.
About a year and a half ago, Stone says the bride paid her in full before the wedding, as required by her policy. Stone fulfilled the contract, covering the eight-hour wedding and delivering 100–200 “sneak preview” photos the very next day.
However, the photographer’s full photo turnaround time is three months, which the couple was aware of and had agreed to in the contract. But then a month after the wedding, the bride contacted Stone to say she had divorced her husband and that she was demanding a full refund on the wedding photos.
“A month into their marriage, they get divorced. The bride reaches out to [me] and wants her money back because she got divorced,” Stone says in one TikTok video, with over 330,000 views.
@rachstone19 Part two of my bride drama as a #weddingphotographer ♬ original sound – Rachel Stone
Stone says the bride said that the photographer should have delivered the remaining photos sooner, and now she wanted a full refund for her services, claiming she no longer needed the images due to the divorce. However, Stone says she refused, explaining that she had completed the service as agreed.
In response, Stone says the bride threatened legal action, repeatedly contacted her via calls and texts, and left negative reviews on her photography services on social media. Eventually, Stone says communication ceased, and both parties blocked each other.
‘You Do Not Owe Her Anything’
Viewers and photographers took to TikTok comments to express support for Stone, agreeing that she was completely justified in refusing the bride’s refund request.
“Wow! The audacity of some people! She doesn’t deserve a refund because her marriage didn’t work out. You did your job,” a wedding photographer comments.
Another viewer writes: “I was a wedding photographer for 30+ years… you do not owe her anything”
However, several social media users were hung up on the three-month turnaround time in Stone’s contract, claiming it was “too long” to wait for wedding photos. Stone defended her timeline in a response video, and other wedding photographers agreed that three months is a perfectly reasonable period.
“Three months is a normal turnaround time. I know brides who have waited over six months for their photos,” a wedding photographer says in the comments.
Another viewer writes: “You clearly communicate the turnaround time, so if a client isn’t okay with that, they can find someone else.”
PetaPixel attempted to reach out to Stone but did not hear back.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
