Four Years After The Wedding, This Bride Is Asking Her Wedding Photographer For A Full Refund Because "I'm Now Divorced"

Around the world, having a wedding photographer capture moments on your big day has become commonplace in ceremonies, and photographers can cost couples anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000 on average.

It's pricey, yes, but the images can last a lifetime... or so you would think.

Recently, Johannesburg-based photographer Lance Romeo received a text from a woman whose wedding he shot back in 2019. "When I delivered the final edits of the photographs and video, the couple was very happy with my work," Romeo told BuzzFeed when thinking back on the job. "The bride herself specifically told me how much she loved everything." But flash forward to now and there's a problem.

In the now-viral messages that Romeo screenshot and shared online, the woman says, "I don't know if you still remember me. You did a photoshoot for me at my wedding in Durban in 2019. ... Well, I'm now divorced and those pictures — I and my ex-husband don't need them anymore. You did a wonderful job on them, but they went to waste as we are now divorced."

And then, she asks for a "full refund" because "we don't need them anymore."

Romeo, incredulously, asks if this is a joke. And when she assures him that it's not, he quickly shuts down any world in which a refund would be granted. "I can't refund you because I can't un-take the pictures," he explained.

Well. The former bride did not take "no" for an answer, saying, "I'm entitled to demand a refund as I'm no longer in need of your pictures. I understand it's not your fault, but you are a business, and as such, you must be able to grant refunds."

After another refusal from Romeo, she threatens legal action, to which the 34-year-old photographer agrees to let lawyers handle the dispute if it comes to that.

"When I got the text asking for a refund, well I thought I was being pranked, she couldn't possibly be for real, no way," Romeo told BuzzFeed. "The more we spoke, the more it dawned on me that she was actually serious and was in fact convinced that she deserved and is entitled to a refund because she's divorced."

At the time of the nuptials, Romeo charged the couple 15,000 South African Rand, which equals about $812. This was eventually negotiated down to R12,000, or about $650.

Since sharing the messages online, Romeo said a lawyer representing the former bride reached out on her accord. "It's funny because he and I had a laugh about it over the phone," he said. "He assured me that I have nothing to worry about because this wasn't a case at all."

And with over 350,000 views on his tweets, it was not surprising to learn that the woman's ex-husband had also heard about her attempt at a refund. The ex asked Romeo to keep his name anonymous, but allowed him to share their exchange online. "I apologize on her behalf," the ex-husband said. "Embarrassing."

After speaking to both partners of the former couple, Romeo told BuzzFeed that he would have been happy to issue a refund after delivering the photos if either had not liked them. "[But] not after four whole years," he concluded. "Her marriage falling apart [is not] the photographer's fault."

If you'd like to keep up with Romeo, you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

Do you think the bride is entitled to a refund? Let us know in the comments.