Two North Texas brides tell NBC 5 Responds they hired the same company to shoot and edit their wedding videos and say the company didn’t deliver.
Read on for their stories and best practices for consumers planning a wedding.
AFTER KEY DEADLINE PASSES, COUPLE SEARCHES FOR VIDEO
Looking back on their wedding memories, Jennifer and Ralph Forrest said they were happy with the still photographs and were excited to see their wedding video from another vendor. A video that helps fill in the blanks on a day that goes by in a blur for a couple getting married.
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“I didn't get to hear any of the music that was going on before I walked down the aisle and couldn’t see his face beforehand,” Jennifer Forrest said.
They said they hired a company called Awesome Videography after reading online reviews. They showed NBC 5 Responds a contract that said the video would be delivered within 60 business days of the wedding.
“I quickly added up on my calendar when that would be. On that day, I started emailing and nothing,” said Jennifer Forrest.
The Forrests tell NBC 5 Responds they believed they were hiring a person named Patrick from Awesome Videography. On their wedding day, they said they learned a different videographer showed up.
The Forrests said when they didn’t get an immediate response about delivering the video around 60 business days, they posted a plea on Facebook in hopes someone in their network would recognize the videographer who recorded their wedding.
“It basically said that we're looking for this videographer. He's the one that shot our wedding. However, he's not the owner of the company. We don't fault him for anything, we're just trying to find him,” said Jennifer Forrest.
The couple said within a couple of hours, they had a name.
The Forrests put NBC 5 in touch with a videographer who told us he was hired as a freelancer by Awesome Videography to record the Forrest's wedding, then upload footage so Awesome Videography could edit and deliver the video.
When the Forrests connected with the videographer who shot their wedding, the couple said they paid him to edit the video.
“I will work with you guys. You will get your video one way or another,” Jennifer Forrest recalled him saying.
After a couple of weeks, he provided the video to the couple.
The Forrests said they disputed the $900 they paid to Awesome Videography with their bank and got the money back.
They said they haven’t heard directly from Awesome Videography this year.
“WE NEVER GOT THE FILM”
Another bride, Jackie Bridgers, also reached out to NBC 5 Responds.
“We never got the film after the wedding,” Bridgers said.
Bridgers said Awesome Videography did not respond to her when she asked for the video from her October wedding.
“He had deleted his website, his phone number and his social media. You can't access it,” said Bridgers.
NBC 5 Responds tried to pull up the Awesome Videography website, but we got an error code.
We also couldn’t get through on the phone. We wrote emails and didn’t hear back.
Jackie Bridgers said she found Awesome Videography on The Knot. The Forrests said they found it on both The Knot and WeddingWire.
The Knot Worldwide, which owns both websites, told NBC 5 Responds in an email, “We removed Awesome Videography from our marketplaces on The Knot and WeddingWire last year after receiving a claim of fraudulent business activity. We do not tolerate fraudulent business activities or any violations of our terms of use. As soon as a claim is made against a business listed on our platforms, whether on social media, email, through a review, etc., we begin an investigation. During an investigation, vendor disputed reviews are held until the investigation is complete. If we find the vendor to have violated our policies, we immediately remove the vendor from our platforms. Our reviews policy can be seen here.”
COUPLES: ALL COMMUNICATION WITH THE VENDOR WAS ONLINE
Bridgers and the Forrests say all communication with Awesome Videography was over email. They never met in person or spoke on the phone.
Each paid $900 after they said Awesome Videography offered discounts for paying in full. It was a price, they said, that beat other quotes for the job.
“Our hope was that maybe it was one of those cases where it was a beginner or something,” Bridgers said. “Those are questions we should have asked - looking back.”
Bridgers said she is still looking for the videographer who shot her wedding.
“YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT YOUR BIG DAY”
Attorney Clayton Hodges leads the consumer practice team at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
Hodges said when booking a vendor for your wedding, get a few quotes and scrutinize the outliers, “Familiarize yourself with the going rate in the market.”
Hodges said he’d also tell couples not to rely solely on online reviews.
“There's no way to really independently verify a reviewer. I think your best bet is to get a recommendation from someone that you trust,” said Hodges.
“You only get one shot at your big day,” Hodges added.
Consumers can also file a complaint with the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
The Forrests said they’d tell other couples to meet their vendor - especially now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing.
“Don't just be so in-the-moment where you don't talk to that person,” said Ralph Forrest. “Talk to someone from their company just to verify they are who they say they are.”
If you’re planning a wedding, you may want to look into special event insurance. You can read our coverage here to learn what wedding insurance could and couldn't cover.
