‘I just want my memories’: Grand Strand bride, others still waiting for wedding photos

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Imagine having your dream wedding but never being able to relive those moments. It took one Facebook post for a Grand Strand woman to learn dozens are in the same boat.

Alicia Pope hired Abundant Grace Studios to capture her June 2023 wedding after previously hiring them under the name Aspen and Willow Photography.

Pope said she paid around $1,200 upfront, letting Abundant Grace Studios click away on her wedding day.

“They said, ‘We’ll have your sneak peeks to you in a day or two, and then everything else should be in about four to six weeks,’” Pope told WMBF News.

Pope said they got around 15 to 20 of those “sneak peak” photos right away, but they never received the rest, nor a response, from the company.

“I have now been waiting four and a half months,” Pope said. “Emails, text message, Facebook messenger. All of those with no response until I made a public Facebook post.”

The same day as that Facebook post, Oct. 11, the company finally responded to Pope.

The message, which Pope shared with WMBF News, said they were out of town due to a family medical emergency, but Pope they would have access to her photos in about a week.

However, more than a week later, Pope still has neither received the pictures nor another response from the company.

So, WMBF News called then emailed Abundant Grace Studios and got a response within hours, saying in part:

We are out of state handling a family emergency situation. They should be finished up and uploaded to their existing gallery by 10/29/23. We do not guarantee a specific date for delivery.

However, after Pope’s Facebook post, she realized she was not the only one.

More than 30 people commented on the post that they are also waiting for pictures from the same company.

WMBF News reached out to nearly every single person, and around 20 answered.

They said between wedding photos and family portraits, they have waited months or even a year for pictures they paid for.

The company pointed both clients and WMBF News to their contracts, which does not specify a delivery date or time frame.

However, several people said Abundant Grace Studios verbally promised they’d have their photos within four to six weeks.

Online records show the company, under its current and previous name, faces five lawsuits dating back to 2020 for not returning photos.

Four of those lawsuits have been settled, and one is still pending.

Pope said she does not want it to come down to filing a lawsuit.

“It’s not even about the money at this point,” Pope said. “I just want my memories from that day.”

While not accredited on the Better Business Bureau website, the company has an “F” rating and nearly a dozen complaints since 2020.

Pope’s advice to you is to check reviews and always read your contract before signing.

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