FacebookAn Australian couple's wedding day was followed by a photo nightmare.
Ashlea Howard and Daniel Howard tied the knot in February and hired a photographer, Lee Maxwell Judd. He posted a photo of their two on their big day on his Facebook page the following month. Recently, a comment was added beneath it, which read, "Ugliest bride I have ever photographed. Winged the whole time. Bridezilla #1," as seen in screenshots posted by several outlets, including Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
The comment was published amid an ongoing dispute between the newlyweds and the photographer over the pics. The pair paid him 1,500 Australian dollars ($1,190) for his services, according to Nine News Australia. Following an online backlash, marked by scores of comments blasting Judd on his professional Facebook pages, the picture was deleted.
"It was really disgusting," Ashlea told Nine News Australia. "I was absolutely mortified at his behavior, it was just unacceptable," she said.
Judd said he did not write the comment and that his page was hacked.
"I don't even know anything about that post," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Not long after the hacking started to happen, I just unpublished the page and I haven't bothered to even go there."
"Apologies to all concerned. My FB page was compromised by a computer hack yesterday evening," read a screenshot of a Facebook message that has since been deleted, which Nine News Australia posted on Thursday. "For those that have joined in on the insults and trash talk, I really pity you people...for those adding negative reviews, keep them coming. They only promote my business for the better."
He also said he is booked for wedding photography through 2019.
The couple's wedding photo nightmare began soon after they tied the knot. Ashlea told The Daily Telegraph that Judd had initially and mistakenly sent a USB stick containing their wedding photos to another woman. She said when she inquired about the error, he told her she needed to get her "head checked" and later apologized to her. The newspaper posted screenshots of their text message exchange.
But their dispute continued and turned uglier. After the couple received their wedding photos, they were dissatisfied with many of them and asked Judd for a refund. The Daily Telegraph reported that the "ugliest bride" comment was posted not long after their request was made. No legal action has been taken.
Ashlea, who uses another one of Judd's wedding photos of her and Daniel as her Facebook cover photo, told the newspaper, "Once we get the true feedback from the photography industry we will decide if a refund is warranted."
The newspaper said Judd said he wasn't particularly fazed by the ordeal, saying, "I couldn't care less to tell you the truth...since all of that's happened I've had a lot of hits on my page and I've had a couple of inquiries and a deposit paid."