LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas couple is afraid their important memories have been hijacked. The newlyweds are now fighting to recover their wedding pictures.
Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean spoke with the couple who say their photographer isn't cooperating even after getting paid.
BIGGEST MEMORY
"It was a really beautiful day," says newlywed, Virginia Forbus. "I think my biggest memory is obviously seeing her walking down the aisle," says her husband, Stephen.
Stephen and Virginia Forbus say they loved their wedding. The happy couple tied the knot back in March at Wildhorse Golf Club in Henderson.
"We didn't have to take care of anything, really... It just made it so much easier than trying to have to plan all of that stuff individually," says Stephen.
This contract shows their wedding package included a photographer. Wildhorse hired a third-party vendor, Lorenzo Sandoval, who was supposed to provide "coverage of the ceremony and reception with all photos on a CD or link."
"I think it was just a few days he started getting us pictures," says Virginia.
But as the couple started looking at their photos, they noticed some key moments were missing.
MISSING MOMENTS
"We don't have any of the father-daughter dance... We don't have our exit photo. And we also don't have anyone at the reception just hanging out or dancing. There's none of that," says Virginia.
That's when Virginia reached out to Sandoval.
"But then he sent a text and he said, If you want to see the other 400, you have to pay me," says Virginia.
This text message shows Sandoval requesting a fee of 12-hundred dollars. That's when Virginia called and spoke with a Wildhorse manager.
"She was upset. She said, No! He was paid the day of. He's already been paid for your photos. You're supposed to have all of them," says Virginia.
In a statement Wildhorse tells Channel 13 it's "...diligently doing everything in their control to rectify the situation." The venue goes on to say it's worked with Mr. Sandoval "...in the past with great results."
But the couple is still waiting for all their pictures after the wedding.
"It's really sad," says Virginia. "It's sad because those are memories we can't recreate," says Stephen.
So, I reached out to the photographer.
"Hi, Lorenzo. It's Tricia Kean from Channel 13 we're working on a story with the Forbus wedding you shot, says Tricia leaving a message for Sandoval."
MISCOMMUNICATION
While Sandoval declined my request for an interview, he did agree to answer some questions by text. He claims "there was a miscommunication about how many photos."
Sandoval says that based on the rate he was paid, he took 25 to 30 photos per hour, delivering about 120 pictures.
"We have 124 photos. But according to that text, he has 400," says Virginia.
Sandoval points out, "There was no contract stating how many photos were supposed to be delivered." He goes on to say, "I shot as many as I could during the ceremony and reception" and "gave them all the main shots I had."
"If you have a problem with the contract and the specific issue you're having a problem with isn't in the contract, you're going to have a pretty hard time enforcing that contract," says attorney Peter Aldous with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.
He says you should include any and all details in a contract.
"So for a photographer, you would expect that you would want to have a certain number of pictures," says Aldous.
GET IT IN WRITING
He goes on to say, "This is how much it's going to be for any additional pictures. And if there are any specific things you want pictures of, you would want to make sure that's in the contract as well."
And if there's a dispute, the Legal Aid Center says it's difficult to take legal action against an independent contractor in a contract.
"In the case of a wedding, that could be caterers, it could be photographers, videographers, it could be flowers," says Aldous.
He goes on to say, "You need to have the specifics in your contract with the company that you're contracting with because it can be hard to enforce your rights against a third party."
Stephen and Virginia understand they have no recourse and now they're warning others to be cautious when signing a contract.
"Ultimately, I would love to have all of our photos, but if that's not an option, I just don't want anyone else to go through this," says Virginia.
