To start deleting these wedding pics?

[JonSnowsWhore]

This is soooo outing but I don't know any other way of putting it.

5 weeks ago, I did the photography for an old friends wedding. I don't have a photography business but I did photography in college as an adult so she knows I do it cheaply to help out people I know. Before this wedding I hadn't seen her for a couple of years btw & wouldn't have been close enough to be invited to the wedding which is fine.

The wedding ended up being brought forward to when I'd still be pregnant, so I asked another photography keen friend of mine if she'd come & help me out as I knew I'd struggle doing a whole day at 7 months pregnant. Said we'd split the money between us & she said great as she'd love the experience.

So we get there at 10.30am, do the getting ready photos, horse & carriage photos, go to venue & do ceremony, group & couple photos, get a break for the food, then back again for the speeches, some of the party, cutting cake & first dance, eventually leave about 8.30pm. Bride said she'd pay me by bank transfer the next day & as I know her, I was fine with that.

Sent her my bank details the next day, got an excuse that their online banking was playing up, they'd go to a branch on the Monday to pay it. Monday morning I see on Facebook that they're setting off to their honeymoon in the uk. Don't hear anything. Midweek another message, there's no English banks so they'll do it as soon as they come back from honeymoon. I'm a bit pissed off now as it's not just me going without, I'm meant to give my other friend half. Since then it's been an excuse about their car breaking down, this money issue that money issue, can she pay me half & then the other half at the end of the month (now) so I say if that's all she can do then we'll have to do that, as I felt bad that my other friend hadn't been paid yet. She never paid the half, & never replied to my message. Now it's the end of the month, 5 weeks since the wedding & we still haven't had any money.

So, WIBU to start deleting her bloody wedding photos, what should I say to her as I'm getting bloody pissed off now, at first I didn't want to demand money as she was a 'friend' & didn't want to make things awkward, but can clearly see now that she doesn't give a shit about making things awkward!

You've nothing to lose and £100 to gain

The blatant ignoring would get to me.

Leave it.

If she wants them she will have to cough up sometime. I know you are down money but chalk it up to experience. She is horrible.

Ok I've sent one more inbox just saying shall I take that as a no? If she goes online between now & tomorrow & doesn't reply then I have my public post saved & ready to send haha

A bit off topic, but I tried all sorts to turn my breech baby. In the end I did the 'lying backwards off the sofa' thing (lying along an old shelf) - which was fun at about 37/38 weeks. And I had frozen peas on the bottom of my bump, as the baby moves away from them. Then I went for a walk and baby suddenly turned! It felt like my tummy was a washing machine on the spin cycle for 30 secs, but I was sure she'd turned and a scan the next day confirmed it. :)

Leeloo yeah I'm convinced he's going to turn on his own, it was only 2 weeks ago that he was head down so maybe he just fancied one last spin before he settles down lol. Scan at 37 weeks to confirm everything :)

Finger crossed he turns round again then. :) tricksy baby!

This is a horrible situation for you, OP. An acquaintance did our wedding photos in very similar circumstances. She was paid up front, invited to the evening reception with her OH and told to stop taking photos after the first dance. We had a great night!
If you know the area she lives in, you may be able to get her address. Has she or her DH ever had their own business? Their home address might be on Companies House website. Her parents may still be listed in the phone book or on BT.com.
I would put a public post on her FB saying:
Tried to PM you but no reply? If you want these wedding photos before I go into labour, I will need to get on with editing them now but, as you know, we're still awaiting payment for our time?

Last I knew her mum lived abroad, & I don't even know her husband, first time I met him was at the wedding so him & his family are a no go too! Sounds ridiculous how impossible it is doesn't it! If I was reading this thread I'd think bloody hell, the OP has an answer to everything, but I swear I'm telling the truth haha.

Will see tomorrow if the threat of losing her pictures forever puts a rocket up her arse. If she doesn't reply or pay after that then at least I'll know for good that she's a nasty piss taking piece of shit she doesn't want the pics

Next time don't undervalue your worth. She probably

... sorry posted too soon

She may think your photographs are the same quality as her guest's photos. Chances are if you had charged 7/800 or whatever the going rate is, she'd want them as she'd think the pro would take better quality photos.

I'd be tempted to put a post on your FB wall tagging her and ask her to get in touch to get the photos she had asked you to take and pay your fee.

Call the hotel where it was on and they might be able to help you.
You could tell them you can't get touch with her.

I would never delete wedding photos,never. No matter what.

I know a very nice, decent and very generous friend who didn't pick her wedding photos or pay for them for ONE YEAR! She didn't want the wedding to be over.

I know another girl who couldn't pick up her video because a family member died and she couldn't bear to look at them.

Just leave it, she will come for them eventually but you should double your price for the inconvenience. The friendship is over anyway and you have had to store them.

Agree with calling the hotel actually!

Small claims court wouldn't cost much; you could do it online yourself. If it's under £10,000 no costs are payable apart from the court fee (apart from in v extreme circumstances). Have a look at the money claims online website.

However it would be a hassle, depends how strongly you feel about it all!

Write her a letter of demand and swing by her house and drop it off. Give her 14 days to pay or you will take her to a small claims court. It's actually a really easy process.

@TrueBlueYorkshire the OP has stated many times that she doesn't know, and can't find out, where the bride lives, so sadly the solution to this problem is not that simple.

An enquiry agent would find her. Usually costs about £100.

Or you can get a subscription to something like 192.com - if she has a common name it could take a while to go through them all, but you can find most people that way.

Definately shame her on facebook.

Tell her you are still waiting to be paid for you and your friends time for spending the day taking her photos and if she wants the photos you need paying by x date or you will take that as her refusing to pay and will delete the photos.

She sounds ridiculous, why engage someone to take photos if you arent going to pay for them?

Just remember to take money up front next time (and charge more, people seem to think they are getting 'more' if they pay more for some reason!)

My address is on my marriage certificate. I got married in scitland, don't know if english ones are the same. Could you order a copy from the registrar?

As far as I know, the addresses aren't on the certificates here?

To be honest, any money I spend trying to find her address just makes it less & less worth while. Already cost me petrol money to get there & back, I don't want to spend any more. I've seen her online numerous times since I sent that message last night so now at 12 o'clock I'll post the message to her wall. And to those who don't think I should delete the pictures, maybe I don't have to, maybe she just has to think I will. But if I decide to, I do think she thoroughly deserves it. They paid everyone else up front, she's posted her video from the videographer to Facebook so he's obviously been paid, she's shared a post from the dj saying what a great time he had & was great to dj at their wedding etc so he's obviously been paid. She's got the photos from the photo booth on Facebook so they were obviously paid. Why should she get away with not paying me, who was supposedly a 'friend' and also probably charged less & gave her the best deal out of the whole bloody wedding

As RoseGoldProcecco said, an enquiry agent can find her easily. You just tack the £100 onto your demand.

We had one contractor we where dealing with who owed us about £5K as he legged it with a load of our materials left over from a job that we where going to use on the next job that he had invoiced us for, once we had his details we went to the small claims court, only took about 2 hours of my day. Then once we had established a debt over him we sold it off to a reclaims company for £1900. Meant we didn't have to deal with chasing it and got partial repayment. Also made his life hell and in the end they seized his vehicle for payment which served him right for what was pretty much theft.

Also made his life hell and in the end they seized his vehicle for payment which served him right for what was pretty much theft.

Being a vindictive cow, I would have found this the most satisfying aspect of the whole thing TrueBlue

Done. Written on her wall & sent a copy to the husbands Facebook messenger aswell

Good!

Well done you! I really hope you get your money and the baby does a happy spin around when you do!