People Defend Photographer Who Canceled The Night Before A Wedding Shoot

Kasia Mikolajczak
woman taking a picture of a wedding couple
Unsplash | Mariah Krafft

When you're a bride, you have a lot on your mind. I'm finding that out as we speak. There are so many details before the wedding you need to keep track of, aha! But that doesn't mean you can be absent-minded when you communicate with your wedding vendors.

If anything, you need to keep them in the loop so that everything can go smoothly on the big day, no? But this one photographer had a totally different experience, and she shared it with her audience on TikTok. Let's have a look.

Wedding photographer Shayla, from Arkansas, recently went viral on TikTok.

woman photographer talking about a wedding on TikTok
TikTok | TikTok | @shaylamherrington

She shared a story that started three years ago. A bride contacted her to book a four-hour slot for Shayla to photograph her wedding ceremony and reception. And the bride even signed and paid a non-refundable deposit.

The two discussed details on the phone.

woman talking on a cell phone
Unsplash | Timur Repin

But the bride informed Shayla that she didn't have a venue booked yet so they were to stay in touch until everything was confirmed. And that's when things went awry. Let's find out more. Shall we?

A few weeks before the wedding, Shayla sent the bride a questionnaire.

question mark against a pink background
Unsplash | Towfiqu barbhuiya

This is pretty standard, as I had to fill it out, too. The questionnaire basically confirms all the details, including the venue and the time the photographer is scheduled to show up and leave.

But all she got was radio silence.

woman looking confused
Giphy | Harlem

The bride never responded. So Shayla contacted her again and even sent the bride a $5 Starbucks card but still no reply. This went on until the night of the wedding, and that's when Shayla decided to cancel the contract. She sent the bride one final email advising her of the fact.

The bride finally responded the morning of the wedding.

phone with Facebook on next to a laptop
Unsplash | Timothy Hales Bennett

And she called out the wedding photographer as being unprofessional. She even wrote a bad review for the photographer on Facebook. What did Shayla do? She actually refunded the bride her deposit. Oh, wow! What a class act.

Oh my goodness!

man saying "you're a real class act."
Giphy | GIPHY News

Can you believe that? Well, it seems that most people online agree with what the photographer did. After all, the bride had plenty of time to get in touch and solidify all the details of the wedding day, no?

So, why did she wait so long?

woman taking a photograph with camera in front of her face
Pexels | Pexels

Instead of treating the photographer like that she should have informed Shayla of the schedule for the day. So it wasn't the photographer's fault. You can't just keep a professional waiting like that. The photographer could have booked somebody else for that date.

Most people thought Shayla shouldn't even give the deposit back.

TikTok comments about photographer who returned a non-refundable wedding deposit
TikTok | @shaylamherrington

The contract stated that it was non-refundable, so Shayla was definitely in her right to keep it. The deposit books the date so nobody else can take it. This is sort of a guarantee for the photographer in case the contract gets canceled.

So, who do you side with in this situation?

woman saying "You are so right. You are so right!"
Giphy | The Office

Normally, I would be pretty annoyed about a photographer canceling the night before the wedding. But this was totally different. It's the bride who failed to keep communicating. So she shouldn't expect the photographer to just keep waiting. Where are they supposed to show up on the day of the wedding? Am I right, or am I right?