Wedding photos missing, couples and photographers out money after NH company files for bankruptcy

Numerous brides across New England are without their wedding pictures after a New Hampshire-based wedding photography company filed for bankruptcy. Brides tell WBZ-TV that both the couples and their contracted photographers are out of the money, and in some cases, the couples may not be getting back their photos.

"They changed my photographer four different times. The last time being 12 days before my wedding," said Victoria Doherty, discussing red flags that she noticed leading up to her wedding.

Picture This Wedding files for bankruptcy

She hired Picture This Wedding to do her wedding photos. She found them at a wedding expo and paid them $4,000 for the job.

"Leading up to the wedding day, the communication was almost non-existent," said Doherty.

When the company wasn't answering her panic emails, she found the photographer herself. His name is Lawrence Goode.

"He told me that he wasn't even aware that he was my photographer," said Doherty.

The two coordinated the job together, only to learn after that the company filed for bankruptcy.

"Any phone number that I had tried listed in their emails, on their website was disconnected," said Doherty.

All she got was an email similar to a message left on the company's website that outlined the company's decision, and it had an email for clients to use to respond. WBZ-TV messaged that email account for comment but has not heard back.

"I have not received a response. I'm not expecting to receive a response," said Doherty. "On this mass email, they didn't blind copy anyone, so we have all of each other's emails and information."

Photographer not paid for 8 jobs

Not only is she out her money, so is Goode. He says he hasn't been paid for eight jobs that are scattered all across the country.

"When I was shooting certain weddings, second shooters and such would be like, 'has he paid you? Because he hasn't paid me in months,'" said Goode.

He is now working toward legal action and believes he may have a case, saying the owner of the company only paid him from his personal accounts.

"Venmo and Cash App and all of that, so I think I can go around the LLC and all of that and actually go after him personally," said Goode.

The Better Business Bureau told WBZ-TV that once a company files for bankruptcy, it can almost walk away.

"With a bankruptcy, unless a credit card was used, it's very difficult to recoup funds," said Paula Fleming, spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau of Eastern New England. "Even if it's a financial issue, most of these grooms and brides simply want the photos of their day."

Goode is returning Doherty's photos to her, but fellow bride Gabrielle Holder may not be as lucky.

"Even if they want to help us out, I don't think that they contractually can," said Holder.

She had to track her photographer down on social media and says the company didn't even confirm if anyone was showing up.

"I am literally getting into my dress at this point, and all of a sudden I hear cheering outside from my bridesmaids," said Holder, saying that's when a photographer showed up. "I was like Hallelujah. You're not who I hired, because she was a woman and her name was Jenny, but you have a camera, so you will do."

Her photographer still has her raw photos, but she is not sure if he can return them. Goode says the only reason he still has Doherty's pictures is because he was never sent a Dropbox to send them to Picture This Wedding. He says typically he gives the photos to the company and then deletes them to clear space.