Amateur Photographer Signs A Contract And Then Doesn’t Show Up To Wedding: “They Want To Sue Me Now”

Weddings only happen once, so the people hired to work them usually understand how important it is to show up and get things right. After all, there are no do-overs when something goes wrong on such an important day.

One Redditor, however, ended up missing the wedding they had agreed to photograph after a series of unexpected complications. Now, the couple wants to sue them for breach of contract, and people online were quick to give the photographer a serious reality check.

While this person was right to reach out for legal advice, the reality is that they might need a proper lawyer in this case. As many of the commenters noted, a contract is a contract, not something one can just break easily and without repercussions. After all, if we treated contracts as mere “suggestions,” large segments of society would fall apart quickly.

Interestingly, humans have been using contracts roughly since some of our ancestors stopped being hunter-gatherers and started practicing agriculture. After all, growing and harvesting crops takes time, months even, so there already was a need to make commitments for work, payment and food.

Similarly, verbal agreements might be ok with a trusted friend or family member, but with a stranger, it can easily turn into a case of he-said, she-said, with no way of ascertaining the truth. We have records of Sumerian contracts that are over six thousand years old, covering things like the sale of land and a house.

Most legal systems from then on had ample laws and regulations around how to draw up contracts and the responsibilities of both parties. Indeed, while you might not be staring at paperwork every single day, if you have a “real” job, chances are you’ve signed a contract. The same is true for any lease, loan, rental agreement and really anything else.

This is all to say that many of us, like this photographer, have perhaps gotten a bit too comfortable with assuming contracts are just some formality. Most of us don’t perhaps read through a contract for “simple” things when switching apartments or starting a new job, but this story should be a reminder of why that is quite important.

Because, as many of the commenters note, the photographer did agree and sign the document. Yes, the “happy couple” changed locations so frequently, but there was an understanding that the wedding would be held further away from the photographer. It’s not unreasonable to assume someone you hire can actually transport themselves. The conditions and pay weren’t great, but the photographer had free will and wasn’t under duress when they decided to agree.

After all, you wouldn’t sign on to do a job you weren’t actually capable of doing. If the couple had offered to organize transportation then didn’t handle it, the photographer would be off the hook. Unfortunately, this is going to have to be a learning moment for them. It might cost a bit, but better learn this lesson now and not in the future when the penalties might be a lot higher.