This has been one of the most heartbreaking aspects of wedding planning, and frankly one of the most unprofessional things I have witnessed - wedding planning or not. This will be long, but I think it's important to encapsulate the entire experience so other couples can know for the future.
My fiancé and I had booked with Tara back in Jan. of 2021. Prior to the formal contract, we had met with her in late Dec. via FaceTime to discuss ideas about our wedding day. During our FaceTime, we discussed the *idea* of Oct. 2nd as our date - we just knew we wanted an Oct. wedding. As my fiancé and I did our research, with 2021 being so booked, we opted out of that date and informed Tara; she told us she would mark it as available, and we were okay with that. Between Jan. 8th - 11th, we asked if Tara was available for a few dates in Oct., listing four different dates [Oct. 1st, 8th, 9th, 15th] because we were basing our date off of both the venue and photographer being available - Tara informed us on Jan. 11th that she was available on Oct. 1, 2021 and we moved on to putting a deposit down and signing a contract.
Our email thread continued from Jan. through March, and I was consistently updating Tara on little things that I was excited about. She'd respond saying she's so excited for our wedding.
On April 26th, she posted on her Instagram story, asking for all of her couples to send her a text for a "brain refresher." I texted her to remind her that she'd be photographing our wedding on Oct. 1st of 2021. Again, she responded and said that she was very excited about our wedding.
While the flow of our wedding day changed, I always kept Tara informed by email, with the subject line being "Oct. 1 update." That email thread started on May 14th. She would respond to continously thank me for the updates.
There was no concern over the date between Jan. - May.
On June 29th, I sent her an email her, asking if she would be alone or if she'd be bringing an assistant - to help me account vendor meals. She responded saying that she had double-booked our date, and the other client had booked before us therefore she will no longer be photographing our wedding and that she'd refund our deposit and help us look for another photographer. At this point, we are three months away from our wedding day. To say I was devastated is an understatement.
At most, I am deeply confused and frustrated. I have had constant correspondence with Tara via email / text since Jan. of this year - all of which have included our date in the subject. If the other client had booked before us, you'd think they would also be in constant contact with Tara to share updates, re: the same date. How was there no notice of this on her end for 6 months? And in April, when she asked for a refresher from all of her 2021 clients, how did she not notice then that two couples were texting her about the same date?
See, there is no doubt in my mind about Tara being a talented photographer. I won't argue that at all. Her work and photos are beautiful, and they caught our eye for a reason. But at the end of the day, talent can only get you so far. At some point you need to reflect on how you're also conducting business. If you need it to be on the couples to text you a refresher, maybe it should cross your mind to hire someone to assist with the business aspect of it all. I know it can't be easy to keep track- but I think as a business owner it's important to admit when you need help.
Aside from that, I was expecting, at the very least, some sort of personal reference for photographers. We all know Tara has a huge following on social media. She ended up posting on her Instagram story asking for available photographers for our wedding day. She shared that it was for an "amazing queer couple getting married in the mountains." We're not getting married in the mountains - at best, it felt extremely disingenuous. She sent me emails with the names of photographers who had responded to her story. Nothing personal, nothing like, "this person is my friend and I trust their work" or "this person is in the same style as me." I think that's what is the most unprofessional of all of this. I grew up with a photographer mother, it's not like I don't know the business. You *always* have a backup. You don't know if you'll get sick or an emergency will come up. But not realizing you're double booked for 6 months? I understand life happens, but this isn't just "life," this is being completely unprofessional, unprepared, and frankly, dishonorable.
Based on our experience and other's shared experiences, I think we dodged a bullet here. I would absolutely not recommend Tara for any photography needs, especially your wedding.
If you don't mind risking it all with your wedding day and don't want something guaranteed, maybe this is for you. But if you're like me and would like to know for a fact the most important day of your life is documented and handled professionally, look elsewhere. read more