Devastated brides have revealed that the joy of their wedding day has been somewhat “sabotaged” as they desperately try to get the video footage taken by the company they hired.
A group of up to 50 Sydney brides have banded together after discovering they were all stalking photos or videos months after their wedding.
Some of the brides have also expressed disappointment that key moments from their wedding days weren’t captured or some of the photos provided included people with their eyes closed or what they believe is weird editing.
Erin Valantine married her husband Andrew in May of this year.
She had booked an award winning company called Andres & Co to capture their special day.
The couple paid the company about $4,500 in cash for the photos and videos and were confident it was one thing they wouldn’t have to worry about on their big day.
“We got engaged in June last year and were saving every penny to put towards our big day and we’re still feeling the burn now,” Erin told news.com.au.
On her wedding day, she was surprised to have a videographer and photographer she had never met show up after a previous engagement shoot with Andres & Co.
Erin said she was disappointed that key moments from their wedding day were not captured.
“In the lead, there’s a video of my husband asking his wife to walk him down the aisle, which actually went viral on TikTok with 1.5 million views. It was crucial for Andrew and I, we made it clear that we couldn’t miss this moment as it is so important,” she said.
“But then you can see the photographer running when it actually happens and we don’t have any professional footage or photos, so a big moment was really sad.
“I don’t have a picture of my mom and me and she paid for the dress. I understand that some things are missing, but there is no picture of me, my mom and my dad.
“You’re so overwhelmed during the day, you pay a professional to make sure the key moments are captured, so it’s devastating that it didn’t happen when I look back. Those were mindless moments.”
However, she doesn’t blame the photographer and videographer there that day as she said she was given no information despite spending hours filling out a form and choosing Pinterest inspiration.
Erin said she had to follow Andres & Co for weeks to get her photos and was even contacted by the photographer who claimed she hadn’t been paid for her services.
“She said (the company) was ghosting me and I realized she and the videographer were booked on Gumtree the day before the wedding,” she said.
“So when I confronted (the company), they assured me that they vetted the substitutions carefully, but they had removed an opportunity to communicate what I wanted.”
Despite being promised her video 14 weeks after the wedding, it’s now five months and she hasn’t received it. She said she was ignored by the company.
“Emails are being returned, phone calls are being rejected and every attempt to contact (the company) is unsuccessful. Now I have to spend more money to access my video,” she said.
The service manager said the videographer, who also claims not to have been paid by Andres & Co, has offered to edit and secure the video for $1,000.
Meanwhile, the photographer has also provided raw images from the wedding day and Erin said she was surprised by the “beautiful” photos that didn’t include the main people in their lives.
The “fight” to get what he paid for has taken its toll, added the 31-year-old, describing the situation as “absolutely terrible”.
“This whole ordeal has taken the joy out of my wedding, a day my husband threw away his life savings and I spent every waking moment for the better part of 10 months planning,” she added.
“I feel immersed in the shoot before the wedding.”
Chrislyn D’Costa is another Sydney bride who feels devastated by her experience with Andres & Co. The couple paid $6,000 for their wedding package and tied the knot in October 2023.
She took her photos in December 2023.
“They were beautiful but some of the photos were not usable. People had their eyes closed and the lighting was off. I would have expected better consideration and service,” she told news.com.au.
“There were no other photos of me and my parents and they were really meaningful, but I didn’t have a replacement.”
The marketing professional said she sent about 12 photos and asked for alternatives.
When she received her video, she said the edits made it factually incorrect and asked for revisions.
The 31-year-old said she had to threaten to go to the relevant government authorities to retrieve the photos in June, but has yet to see her video.
“I was emailing (the company) begging them, saying don’t worry about the reviews, please give me the video file, reactive the link, I just want the video and I don’t have any of the footage,” she added.
“Emails are bounced, cell phone notifications are on silent, when calls go straight to voicemail, and there is no response to Facebook messages for business. It’s like the company has basically gone underground.”
She has now made a complaint to NSW Fair Trading, where Erin has done the same.
“I cried on the phone to Fair Trading two days ago, which was a bit embarrassing. We were just broken. “My husband and I paid for our weddings on our own and among our friends, which is not common and is a big financial interest in the cost of living crisis and what you have for your wedding,” she said.
“We’re looking at paying more money to edit the raw footage. We want to start a family and it’s a drag in this economy to lose that much money and have something to show for it. It’s devastating.”
NSW Fair Trading confirmed there had been 44 complaints about Andres & Co since October 2023.
Anne Hearn and her husband Brad paid $4,000 for the photo and video package.
They almost pulled out of Andres & Co to shoot their wedding as they found it difficult to get in touch with the company before their big day.
They got married in March of this year and while they have their wedding photos, the couple are still waiting for their video after almost six months.
“When we follow up, we keep being told it’s on its way, they just need a few more weeks, and now our emails are being bounced and our phone calls are going unanswered,” she said.
The public servant had found the videographer employed that day, who offered to edit their video footage for $1,000.
“Which we think is reasonable, given that he hasn’t been paid either, but we don’t have a cash tree,” she said.
“We paid for something we didn’t get and now we have to pay again, or we just lose those memories. We will pay, but it just means not for other things as we wouldn’t have budgeted to pay twice.”
She also said she wasn’t happy with the photos with some of the blurry editing and oddly shot photos, with many of the couple and their bridal party all in the same location.
The wedding ceremony was “unplugged” so the guests didn’t have any other photos either, she added.
The 47-year-old said the experience of being stalked has left her with a “sick feeling” and stress.
Lauren Newcombe and her fiance are chasing the money they’re owed.
She said that Andres & Co never showed up for their shoot before their wedding in August.
They had paid a 50 percent deposit for the wedding and engagement shoot package.
The couple has issued a demand letter for $2,754 and has yet to hear back, she said.
“However, my story is unfortunately one of the best,” she noted.
“At least now I’ve had the chance to change my mind and book someone else before my wedding. It’s just incredibly frustrating to lose money with absolutely nothing to show for it, and no explanation.”
NSW Fair Trading said issues raised by consumers included paying for photography and videography services for their wedding, but after payment, the business becomes irresponsible.
“Others say the business attended their wedding but did not supply all the product they paid for,” a spokesman said.
“NSW Fair Trading has attempted to contact the business to resolve these issues but the business has not responded. As a result, NSW Fair Trading is currently investigating Andres & Co. As the case is ongoing, no further comment can be made.”
Andres & Co said on its website that it was a 2023 Wedding Industry Awards Top 10 and a 2024 Wedding Industry Finalist.
News.com.au has approached the company for comment.
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