Alright, my lovelies, gather around while I spill the piping hot tea on what might be the ultimate wedding sabotage. This juicy story, straight from the hallowed halls of Reddit itself, is like a train wreck you just can’t look away from. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the latest episode: ‘Joan’s Judgement.’
Our protagonist, let’s call them ‘Shutterbug Sam,’ is a professional photographer. But darling, we’re not talking wedding belles and birthday cakes; we’re talking gritty industrial shots and the kind of urban wildlife that could survive a nuclear winter. You get the picture, quite literally. Sam’s lens captures the big bad world out there.
Enter Mom, stage left, with a ‘heartfelt’ request: “Sam, sweetie, how about you do Tina’s wedding photos? You know, as a gift.” Now, if you haven’t caught on to the relationship dynamics yet, Tina is the stepsister here, and if glares could kill, these two would be on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
Now, in a move that I’m SURE will be recorded as an act of saint-like martyrdom in the family annals, Sam agrees. That’s right, agrees to deal with Tina—whose level of dislike is matched only by Sam’s own. Picture this; it’s a bigger sacrifice than giving up carbs for a week, honey.
So, the big day arrives, and Sam is rolling in. Snap, snap, snapping away. The makeup, the bridal party, the vows—everything captured more precisely than a Kardashian’s latest Instagram post. Sam even prepared a detailed checklist of formal shots. Efficiency, thy name is Shutterbug Sam.
But then comes the scandalous, jaw-dropping twist: the reception. Oh yes, when the wedding party saunters off to powder their noses and straighten their ties, Sam arrives only to find—dramatic gasp—no seat, no meal. Nada. Zilch. Totally ghosted by the bride who thinks, “Since you’re working, you’re not a guest, so no seat, no food.”
I can see your jaws dropping, and rightly so! Sam calls Mom (again, probably with the patience of a saint) to clarify the mix-up. Mom relays the ‘information’ back from Tina’s icy heart. Now Sam, truly embodying grace under pressure, decides enough is enough.
Instead of enduring further disrespect, Sam and her boyfriend (the unsung hero and assistant for the day) leave to get a well-deserved dinner. And, darling, when you’ve been working eight hours straight, you’re not grabbing some sad fries at McDonald’s. You do it up right.
Phones off, they enjoy a B-list action movie that was probably better than that train wreck of a reception. Flash forward to Sunday morning—all hell has broken loose. From ‘Where are you?’ to ‘Get your ass back here’ and a lovely, explicit range of texts in between.
Mom, the eternal peacekeeper, chimes in with her wisdom, suggesting Sam should have grabbed a quick snack and carried on. But at this point, Sam’s done with bending over backward. Seriously, how steep does this hill have to get before you stop being a human doormat?
Sam offers a full refund, meaning all that hard work already done for free is waved off with an equanimity that would make the Dalai Lama proud. More importantly, Sam drops the hint of a future where Tina’s not exactly making the VIP list for upcoming nuptials. Let’s see that unfold over holiday dinners!
Now here’s the kicker, folks. Tina’s stuck with cell phone snaps of Aunt Gertrude’s thumb covering half the lens and blurry selfies from Cousin Josh. Sam hand-delivers a thumb drive (sans any tinkering) and calls it a day. No editing, no retouching, not even a sepia filter. Nothing but raw, unvarnished pixels.
So dear readers, let’s get to the crux of it. Was Sam the asshole for stepping out? Pfft, hardly. If you ask yours truly, the absolute nerve of expecting free labor while offering zero respect is astonishing. It’s like asking Gordon Ramsay to cook you dinner and serving him a TV dinner in return. I say, hats off to Sam for having the backbone to stand up for herself.
There’s a moral here, my loves: Just because you’re family doesn’t mean you get a free pass to be a jackass. So, to Tina and her merry band of etiquette-challenged followers, here’s a sassy salute. Learn some respect, or don’t be surprised when your ‘free labor’ says ‘Bye, Felicia!’
Until next time, darlings, stay sassy! Joan
Original story
I am a professional photographer. Mostly industrial photography for businesses and such.
I do other types for myself and as art. I love taking pictures of the old architecture in my city and of the surprising wildlife in it.
My mom asked if I would be willing to take pictures for my step sisters wedding to help them save money. She asked me to do it as a gift.
She knows that Tina hates me and I pretty much reciprocate. I decided to be the bigger person and agreed.
I was there for the makeup and the wedding party getting dressed, I took a ton of pictures bat the wedding. I prepared a checklist of all the different formals she wanted and made sure I got them all.
I did my absolute best.
When I got to the reception there was no place for me to sit. I had gotten there right away so I could get pictures of the wedding party arriving and all that.
The wedding party had stopped to use the bathroom and get freshened up.
I called my mom to find out where I was meant to sit and eat and stuff. She talked to Tina and called me back.
She was upset and I could tell. She said that Tina thought since I was working and not a guest she didn’t have to have a seat and food for me.
I thanked my mom for the information and left.
I took my boyfriend who was my assistant that day and we went out for dinner my treat. We had been on the go for eight hours by then.
I turned off my phone. We had a nice night out and we saw the new Mad Max movie.
Sunday morning I turned on my phone. It was full of messages asking where I went.
Then demanding I come take pictures. Then cursing me out.
I called my mom to see what was up. She said that Tina was very upset that I left and that all her reception pictures were going to be from cell phone cameras.
She said I should have just gone to get a quick bite at McDonald’s and then come back.
I told her that I felt terrible and would of course give a full refund. I also said that this was the last straw and that I did not want to hear shit when I did not invite Tina to my wedding next year.
Tina obviously thinks I’m an asshole and my mom thinks I should have kept the peace. I am just going to drop off a thumb drive with all the pictures band wash my hands of this.
No editing. No nothing.