When my cousin Ted asked me to photograph his wedding, I was thrilled. I had three sisters, and Ted was the only other boy around us growing up, making him my partner in crime.

“It would be an honor to capture your special day!” I said when he came over to my studio apartment to ask me about being the photographer.

“Lindsey and I would just love it!” he exclaimed as he helped himself to some coffee.

“I’ll do it for free, Ted,” I said. “This will be my wedding present to you both.”

I watched as his eyes lit up and he sighed in relief.

“That’s not why I asked you, Theo,” he said. “But that does mean the world to me. We are over the wedding budget and I really didn’t want to cut the donut wall or dessert station because Lindsey is really looking forward to that.”

“Of course,” I said, smiling at him. “And desserts are the best part of the wedding!”

Now, I wasn’t exactly a wedding photographer in the professional sense. But I was studying photography and I did have many exhibits under my belt. But they were for campaigns and still shots.

Ted and Lindsey’s wedding was going to be my first big event.

“Do you think I can do it?” I asked my girlfriend, Riley one evening as we sat down for dinner.

“I think you’re perfect for the job, Theo,” she said. “Look, other than you being great at photography, you’re still learning, and this will be great in your portfolio.”

I nodded, agreeing.

“And Ted did say that I can use whatever images I wanted, just after they post them on socials, of course,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“You also have an intimate connection with the couple, love,” Riley said. “So that will make this entire thing more special, rather than just an odd job you’ve decided to do.”

Riley’s pep talk gave me everything I needed to get excited about the wedding. And more than that, it made me feel better that I would be gifting it to Ted and Lindsey.

“I’ll come with and help you carry your equipment,” Riley promised me.

The day of the wedding was perfect. The weather seemed to listen to Lindsey’s pleas, and the day was as clear as anything, making the lighting pop.

The sun cast a warm glow over the ceremony, and everything seemed straight out of a romantic comedy. I walked around, Riley at my side with my camera bag and carrying the tripod around.

I took hundreds of photographs, trying to capture everything from the décor to the priceless moments captured on people’s faces.

But during the formal photoshoot straight after the ceremony, everything turned sour.

At first, everyone was fine. The bridal parties were all smiles and were cooperative with the instructions I gave them. But that was until Ted’s new wife asked to see a few photographs.

“Come on, Theo,” she insisted, pouting. “I just want to see how I look from the back.”

“But I want everything to be a surprise,” I said. “And I’ll get all the photographs edited and back to you by the time you get home from the honeymoon.”

It made sense to me. I didn’t want to let Lindsey dissect the photographs before I had a chance to go through them and remove all the unflattering images.

“No, I want to see them now,” Lindsey said, batting her eyes at Ted, who nodded to me.

“Oh my God, look at my arm! Do you even know what you’re doing?” Lindsey asked, her voice cutting through the air, sharp and mocking.

Ted, who I thought would defend me, joined in her laughter and disgust as he looked at the camera in his bride’s hands.

“Yeah, maybe you should stick to taking selfies, Theo” he said.

I forced a smile.

“Let’s move on to the family group photos,” I said through gritted teeth.

As everyone gathered around, chaos erupted. The guests were chattering away, looking everywhere but at the camera.

“Come on, guys,” I said, trying to get them to stand still for a moment.

But nobody seemed to pay attention to me. I looked at Riley, who rolled her eyes in return.

“Hey!” I shouted. “We’re losing light here! Let’s go! Look at me and smile! And remember, the big black thing on the tripod is a camera, and it takes still images, not video.”

I paused, waiting for them to stop talking immediately.

“No one wants to hear your snide comments, Theo,” Ted snapped, his voice dripping with disdain.

“We don’t need a wannabe photographer telling us how to pose on our big day,” Lindsey chimed in, her tone equally harsh.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I tried to understand why I was being attacked. But I kept my composure. Half the guests were family members, and the other half were people who were trying to understand Ted and his family.

As the wedding progressed, Ted and Lindsey’s remarks became sharper.

“You’re not as good as your social media makes it seem,” Lindsey said. “But we all know that filters make a big difference.”

“You do know that I’m doing this for free, right?” I asked Ted. “Cut the attitude.”

Of course, it only got worse.

“It’s not like anyone should pay for that. I mean, it’s not a real job, right. Anyone could do that. You don’t have to study for years, just like myself, to press a button.”

His words stung, but I remained calm. I was good at what I did. I knew that.

“Please record them,” I told Riley. “Use your phone.”

After the wedding, a storm hit social media. Ted and Lindsey complained on their social media about the photos, highlighting the disorganized shots and blaming me.

But my response? It was a bombshell moment that no one saw coming.

I took to my social media and posted the video clips of their behavior.

The footage showed them mocking and disrespecting me as I tried to do my job, their true colors laid bare for all to see.

The caption was: This is what it was like behind the scenes.

“Did I do the wrong thing?” I asked Riley as we sat down with ice cream.

“No,” she said. “They deserve this. I was there. I witnessed it firsthand.”

The reaction from friends and family was swift and overwhelming. Support flooded in for me, and Ted and Lindsey’s behavior was exposed.

Comments came in too:

You did an amazing job despite their treatment.

I’m so sorry that they were so ungrateful.

I can’t believe that this is the Ted we grew up with!

Ted and Lindsey began to feel the heat, with family members going to their posts and commenting on them too. They had no choice but to backtrack and delete their posts and accusations, but the damage was done.

Their disrespect was now public, and the tide had turned against them.

A few months later, Riley and I were watching a movie when my phone buzzed.

“Theo,” Ted said. “I’m so sorry about what happened. Lindsey and I were just really stressed. And we didn’t mean anything that we said.”

I took a deep breath.

“Ted, you didn’t just hurt my feelings, you disrespected me and my work. It’s going to take time to heal from that.”

Silence took over.

“I understand,” he said. “I hope we can move past this someday. But I just wanted to let you know that Lindsey and I cannot post a single wedding photo without anybody commenting on how we behaved toward you.”

We ended the call on a somber note. The fallout from the wedding had shifted dynamics within the family, but I felt a sense of peace. I was still hurt by Ted, but at least I stood up for myself.

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

A man holding a camera | Source: Midjourney

A collage of wedding photos | Source: Midjourney

Megan chats with Joseph | Source: Midjourney