Karma Is One Bitchy Bride

It has been over 5 months since I last had contact with Leigh or Andy Taylor of Leigh Taylor Photography, the photographer we hired for our wedding. I've sent numerous texts and emails and have also left a few voice-mail messages to no avail. Unfortunately I am not the only one of Leigh Taylor's clients who is getting the shaft.

I'm still in shock that the majority of my married life has been spent dealing with this nonsense and it is still not resolved. It will be nine months next week. NINE! All I wanted, and still want, is my dang photos in color and my $250 credit back. Is that really too much to ask for? Maybe? Well, I even asked for the un-edited images to save them time. Yeah, I won't be getting those either and I probably won't be getting jack from them ever. I still haven't made peace with that fact.

Saying that I feel ripped off is an understatement. I feel violated. It would be a heck of a lot easier to deal with if they had only charged $1,000 because I could at least rationalize the situation with the "you get what you pay for" saying, but we gave them over $3,000 and we didn't get even close to what we paid for. I will never have those amazing "Leigh Taylor" pictures unlike her other clients. I am envious of them. Although a good portion of her 2010 brides and grooms still haven't gotten their photos back, they will eventually and it will be like nothing ever happened. They will love their amazing photos and the debacle of Leigh Taylor will be nothing but a distant memory. I, on the other hand, cannot stand to look at most of the photos that I was provided with as they are a constant reminder of the Taylors and I do mean a literal reminder.

My story has made it's way through the local wedding vendor and photography groups. I've recently discovered that many think I, along with many of Leigh's previous clients, are just a bunch of bitchy brides. I have never asked for more than I thought I was entitled to or deserved and neither have these other "bitchy brides". The bitchy brides just want their pictures and communication of when they will be getting them. Yes, it is that plain and simple. There are no crazy and outrageous demands. They want what they paid for. This bitchy bride just wanted Leigh to show up and photograph her wedding and when she bailed, this bitchy bride just wanted an album. To think this could of been resolved eons ago with something as simple as an wedding album.

In sharing my story with anyone who will give me the time of day, it was my soul purpose to get Leigh and Andy's attention and hold them accountable for their behavior. I am flattered to hear that they are blaming me for "messing with their livelihood". Little ol' me brought the big, bad wedding photographer down! Oh but a mere fairy tale. I would be honored to take credit for their loss in business but unfortunately it was all their doing and Leigh and Andy have really shown their true color ... green.

Want the back story? Check it out here, here, and here!

Better Version of Me

August was a crazy month. I finally got my wedding photos back from the "Ricardos." Their real names are Leigh & Andy Taylor of Leigh Taylor Photography. (For the back story read A Bride Scorned and Oh Hell No!.)

I let a week go by trying to figure out what I wanted to do about this whole situation. By Friday, August 20th I knew what I wanted and instead of keeping everything in writing I called them both. At the time I really wanted to have more color wedding photos and I didn't want to deal with this or them anymore. Andy said they would work on them but they had other projects ahead of mine. I felt a little better although he sounded like a total a-hole on the phone to me while I was "sweet as pie." Kill them with kindness was my new tactic. It's hard to yell at someone when they are so nice on the phone.

Chad and I went on our last vacation of the year to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. It was nice to get away from work and the wedding photo drama. We slept in, ate a years worth of Southern Grits, and saw as many museums, landmarks, and tours we could get in. On our way back home we made a detour to St. Augustine for lunch. While we were sitting there waiting for our food I checked Facebook. Damn Facebook. It is the best thing ever for finding out what everyone is doing and the worst thing ever for finding out what everyone is doing.

Since my wedding in May, Leigh Taylor has shot two weddings at my wedding venue and as I sit there looking at my iPhone and the pictures on her blog I felt a fury I have never felt before. My wedding was flawless expect for my wedding photographer. She ruined my wedding day, my wedding photographs, my wedding budget, my bank account and now she was ruining my lunch.

I'm sick of people treating me like a doormat, using me for information, using me for money, using me for business, using me, using me, using me .... and underestimating me.

"I've got a plan, a demand and it just began and if you're right, you'll agree. Here's coming a better version of me. " - Fiona Apple

Oh Hell No!

A continuation of "A Bride Scorned" ....


The email I received last week from "Ricky":

"Erica,

We are sooo sorry for the delay. I originally said that it usually takes 8-10 weeks. There are still 2 other brides that were before you. "Lucy" said she will finish yours first by this weekend. I should be able to send them out next Monday.

This has devastated our lively hood. Unfortunately, the infection is something that reoccurs and hopefully surgery can solve. Your wedding is the only one she could not make it to. She cried the day before and day of the wedding that she couldn't be there. When it's infected she can not sit to edit either.

We thought we really connected with you guys at the engagement session and loved you both. I don't know why you would think that your pictures would be edited bad or deleted. We would never ever do anything like that to anybody.

We are more than happy to give you the engagement pictures also for the inconvenience. I'm so sorry you feel the way you do!

Ricky"

As of Tuesday afternoon, I have received my wedding photos. The bad news ... half of the engagement photos were missing and out of 1100 wedding pictures that I received, there was NOT ONE SINGLE PICTURE OF CHAD AND HIS GROOMSMEN! 1100 pictures! This is totally unacceptable so I texted Ricky on Tuesday night, you know, because the photographer I hired is too sick or busy to answer emails, texts or any other form of communication. He stated that:

"Those are shots that would be done by the second shooter when you were getting ready. By the time Chad got there, he had to get dressed and go right down for the first look. We have to stay on a time line from the planner."

We had two hours prior to the ceremony to take pictures and in those two hours, with two photographers, we took the prep pictures, pictures of my girls and I, the first look, and pictures of the entire bridal party. I still don't understand why there isn't one single picture of the groom and his guys because we had plenty of time to take all the other ones. There are other key pictures missing but I find that this one takes the cake. Ricky has yet to respond.

If you have seen some of the photos I've posted on Facebook or Shutterfly you might think they are good photos and I might be blowing this out of proportion. Here is why I don't think I am.

I spent $3,100 for a photography package to include coverage for 7 hours. I should mention she is a one man show with a second shooter. All of the work you see on her site and blog are her and/or her second shooter's photos edited by Lucy. I hired her based on the work I have seen on the website and blog. If you compare all the photos I received from her of my wedding to the other weddings she has shot you can see a considerable difference in the type of quality of the photo. If I wanted those replacement photographers I would of hired them directly. I paid for the best and I don't believe I received that.

I am happy that the photos aren't God awful but what upsets me more is the type of photos I got. I am totally dumbfounded at why I am missing key photos that any professional wedding photographer would know to shoot especially when you factor in the price that I paid for the photographer and photos.

I have done some research into Lucy and I'm finding out that I am not the only un-happy bride out there. Her and her husband's lack of professionalism seems to be a common thread among clients of theirs as early as of July 2009. I am shocked that I am the ONLY one who has spoken up about this and how NOT OKAY this behavior of a "professional" is. They obviously won't take responsibility for any of their actions, or lack thereof, and appear that they are not willing to do what it takes to satisfy a disgruntled client.

It's time to take them down a peg or four .... to be continued.

A Bride Scorned

*The names have been changed until this issue has been resolved.

Our wedding photos were the most important thing to us so we splurged a little when hired "Lucy" for $3,100 to photograph our wedding. We had our engagement photos taken by her in March and were very pleased with the outcome and super excited to see what she could do for us on our big day. I was totally shocked when her husband, "Ricky", called at 4pm the day before the wedding to let me know she was very sick and would not be able to make it. They sent two other photographers in her place and Ricky was also there. There wasn't much I could do at the time being that it was 25 hours until I said "I Do." I couldn't pitch a fit or fire them because then I would have no one to document this very special day. Ricky assured me that Lucy's second shooter photographs like her and that Lucy would be editing all the photos so they will all look like Lucy's work. So with not many choices or options I said okay.

I anticipated some sort of communication from Lucy soon following the wedding such as an apology or a preview of some of my photos. A month went by and I had not even heard, or seen, anything from Lucy or Ricky. I was the one who had to chase them down. I sent numerous emails before she set up a gallery of her favorite pictures from our wedding for me to see. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The photos were good, but we paid for great photos and they didn't look like Lucy's work. For example, if you are a Picasso aficionado you would be able to spot a forgery. I am a Lucy aficionado and these felt like a forgery. I told her how I felt and but she stood by the quality of photos. She did offer me a free session with digital negatives to make up for not being there though. I thanked her for the offer but told her I would rather have an album. As much as we are unhappy with the photos we have seen so far, we don't want to do a bridal session. Our wedding was something we wanted to experience once and I can't afford to have my hair and make-up re-done and rent a suit for Chad so we could get better pictures that should of been taken in the first place. Plus I would know that every time I looked at them that it wasn't our wedding day. Unfortunately Lucy said she would be not willing to provide me with an album because that would cost her money and in her offering a session, that would only cost her her time and talent. Apparently, she has no problem taking money out of my pocket though. I didn't respond to that portion of her email. I was, and still am, seething with anger about her unwillingness to do what it takes to make a client happy especially when she has royally screwed up and knows it.

At this point I just want my photos. I was told that I would have all edited photos on a disc between 6 and 8 weeks. At the 8 week mark I tried contacting them to inquire about the whereabouts of said pictures. Lucy responded after I sent her three emails saying that since she was sick (in May) she was still trying to catch up on editing and she would have them to me soon. It will be 12 weeks this Saturday and I still don't have any photos or any clue about when I will be getting them.

I feel like I am personally out of options. I have tried to be a nice as pie to them in fear that if I pushed to hard and upset them in any way our photos would be edited in a very poor manner, take many more weeks or months to get them or my biggest fear, to never receive them at all. It is apparent to me that they care little of making me happy and no matter how many messages I leave them will make them get off their high horse and do the right thing.

To be continued ...