A newly-married couple says their big day was ruined when a videographer they hired walked out before they even made it down the aisle.
Clarissa and Teegan Templeton got married on April 3 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. They said they’d been working hard over the previous 14 months to save up for their dream wedding at Green Mountain Farm.
Because of Covid restrictions, they could not invite everyone they wanted to attend, so they were particularly keen for their big day to be captured on video.
They looked around online and made a booking for a videographer from Tolman Media. The brand promotes itself as “America & Canada’s leading wedding photo/video team.”
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The women made the booking in June 2020, and a month before their wedding, a videographer, Charlotte-based Seth Curl, emailed them to introduce himself.
However, on the big day itself, as they began their walk down the aisle, they realized the videographer, who’d they seen upon arrival at the venue, had disappeared.
Clarissa told Insider, “I had a mini panic attack. I started to panic in my head and told myself maybe he ran to the car or had some technical difficulty. I refused to let myself focus on it anymore and put 110% of my focus on Teegan in that moment we were sharing together. I wanted to be in that moment.”
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After the wedding vows, the couple posed for photos. Clarissa asked the photographer – not hired through the same company – what had happened to the videographer.
“She stood there and said, ‘He left,’ and I could hear the pain in her voice. I almost fell to the ground crying.”
The couple’s wedding planner, Ashley Hansen, called Curl. According to Hansen, he said he left because “of his faith and that he didn’t feel comfortable because it’s a same-sex marriage.”
Hansen called the South Carolina offices of Tolman Media, who were able to send a second videographer. They arrived towards the end of the day, and the brides were able to recreate a few moments for him to record but, according to Clarissa, it all felt “fake.”
Clarissa says Curl’s actions spoiled what should have been an amazing day.
She told the News & Observer, “There is no way to sugarcoat it. It honestly ruined the entire day, and my wife and I were very depressed on our seven-hour drive to Florida for our honeymoon. We didn’t even eat at our own wedding.”
The couple say when they initially contacted the South Carolina branch of Tolman Media in 2020, they informed them they were a same-sex couple. They were assured this was not a problem.
The job was then assigned to Curl, a local licensee in North Carolina. He twice emailed Clarissa to confirm the job. The subject of them being a same-sex couple did not come up in their email exchange.
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However, Clarissa says her google email account photo is an image of her kissing her fiancée on the cheek. As she had already told Tolman Media she was marrying another woman, she had no concerns.
After the wedding, the couple say they approached Tolman Media for a refund. After 11 days passed and a refund was not forthcoming, Clarissa posted what had happened to social media.
Tolman Media promptly gave a full refund and said they wouldn’t offer any more jobs to Curl.
“Tolman Media’s branch of SC has assured me that Seth Curl is no longer employed by them,” said Clarissa on Facebook. “They have assured that he will not be working for them ever again and that he acted solely on his own behalf. I have received 100% of my money back, thanks to all of you who raised awareness of their wrongdoing.”
Tolman Media President Ben Hillyard told News & Observer that Curl had not followed company procedures and fully discussed with Clarissa what she wanted from the job. If procedures had been followed, he would have been aware it was a same-sex couple, allowing him to voice any objections.
Hillyard also said the South Carolina branch of Tolman Media was unaware the videographer had any problem with shooting same-sex weddings. If they had known, “We would have used our non-discrimination policy and removed him from our organization.”
He told Insider the videographer’s actions had been “malicious” and went against what the brand stands for.
Hillyard said this was the first time this sort of incident has happened for Tolman Media. He reiterated the company will not work with Curl again.
On April 17, Curl sent Clarissa an email saying: “On April 3, I did something that I have never done, nor ever had to do before. Because of my faith and what I support, I made the decision to leave and not film Clarissa and Teegan’s wedding day.
“This was an action that I knew would have severe consequences. I realize what I did has ruined a beautiful wedding and left so many heart broken (sic).”
Curl said he was not influenced by anyone at Tolman Media and that, “This was a decision that I made myself, and will take full responsibility for it. I want to sincerely apologize to everyone that I hurt, and especially to Clarissa and Teegan for what I did. I apologize for how I went about the situation and for not communicating with the wedding party before I did what I did.”
Hillyard says Tolman Media is trying to produce a video montage, using as many photos and video clips they can get from the day, to ensure the brides have a decent memento. He acknowledges it won’t be as good as a full video capturing the real ceremony. He also says Tolman Media will remind all its licensees about its non-discrimination policies.
“We’ve already screwed up. We’re going to do everything we can to make it as good as it can be.”
He continued, “We don’t care who you love, we don’t care how you love. We are there to perform a service, to document your love.”
Clarissa says she felt it important to speak out to try to ensure this doesn’t happen to other couples: “At the very least we can try to start a ripple effect, a change in our society for the better. My love isn’t hurting anybody, it has absolutely no impact on anyone else.”
Cam
Just a refund doesn’t make them whole. The wedding was messed up. They are owed money over and above a refund.
Startrax99
The company did give them their money back, and is also making the couple a video with what they can, probably at no charge, I think that is fair of them. As well as admitting their fault, that is more than most companies would do. Kudos to them for trying to fix an error and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
Liquid Silver
Sounds like the company did what it could, and isn’t going to associate with the videographer (who of course is a gig worker and not an actual employee, welcome to the 21st century).
They could sue, but…
James26
No it didn’t do what it could. What it could have done is have a vetting procedure for the licensees and the subcontractors. It doesn’t appear that Tolman dirties its hands with any aspect of the actual work. It doesn’t even convey its policies down the line. Another thing it “could have done” is refund the couple’s money immediately, not after 2 weeks. Most importantly, “what it can do” is pay the couple whose wedding it destroyed. Compensate them so that the pain of the discrimination is diminished.
Liquid Silver
Naw, that’s overkill. Send me $10 for raping my ears with that comment.
Cam
The company didn’t do everything they could. When they found out it was a same sex couple, they could have asked the local guy.
You can sue for things other than money. A promise that they will insure their contractors are LGBTQ friendly etc.
Vince
Since they met with the videographer before that means he knew what he was getting himself into. This was intentional and they should definitely sue.
Fahd
Seems to me that his leaving the wedding was “intentional infliction of emotional distress”. So many weddings wind up having something go irretrievably wrong; one just can’t get a do-over.
There has to be an association of wedding videographers or other business association to which the offending parties belong or should belong. This is a chance to get such a group involved in the clarification of issues and education of videographers, not to mention the exposure for the religious jerk who decided it was somehow okay for him to be an as*hole and leave them hanging.
Jim
First off if the absence of the videographer “ruined” the day, this couple is pretty superficial.
Having said that, the videographer was in the wrong. His, “faith” had nothing to do with it. It was all about his bigotry and narrow-mindedness.
dwick
Did you even read the article? They wanted the wedding taped because people couldn’t make it because of travel restrictions and other Covid related stuff. They wanted to share their day with the others. I don’t think that’s superficial in the least.
James26
What as moronic comment. They experienced not only sexual orientation discrimination on their most important day, but also sabotage of the event itself. On a day where the focus is supposed to be entirely on the couple and their loved ones, how would these actions not ruin it? And whenever they think back on their wedding – for the next 50 or 60 years of their lives – they will also have to think about Seth Curl and his “faith” and his judgment of them and his sabotage. It’s so vile that it is unbelievable to me that these women won’t sue.
James26
Those women seem like lovely people. (Definitely go and read the News & Observer article linked above.) But they are fools if they accept a hollow apology and a “montage” made up of bits and bobs of whatever amateur crap and recreated scenes were made on the wedding day. These women should demand full compensation for the entire loss, including their mental distress and the destruction of the value of the wedding itself. And if they don’t get it, they should sue.
BTW, as if to add insult to injury, the women got a preachy email from the videographer himself, who portrays himself as a victim and bizarrely asks them if they can’t find “middle ground.” He destroyed their wedding, so what is the “middle ground”? For him to go back in time and destroy only half their wedding?
smartguyd
What a tragedy for the couple, but what a hilarious way to ruin your career for the videographer. Doomed to spend the rest of time being hounded by churches for free “donated” video work. And all the evangelical bridezillas who claim they really want to support him but only if he is the cheapest deal in town.
JessPH
Google his name with the word Charlotte and you’ll find his Facebook page. Show the a-hole all the hate he deserves!
darkanser
We heard stories involving bakers refusing to make wedding cakes for same sex couples. I always thought the baker need not know who the cake was for. No names on the cake, thank you!! This is FAR WORSE for it’s the failure to deliver services during the event. It’s tantamount to the catering, the DJ or live band, florist refusing to show up at the last minute!!