Brides and vendors claim they were ripped off by Barrie photographer

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

The newlyweds and brides-to-be allege to have fallen victim to an apparent scam by Jacqueline Poole-Montesano.

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"She was great up until we paid. After that, she kind of went radio silent, ghosted us," said Jade Mark of Toronto.

Bride-to-be, Jade Mark, of Toronto, Ont., plans to be married in October 2024, and alleges the wedding photographer she hired 'ghosted' her. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)

The 27-year-old bride-to-be, scheduled to tie the knot in October, said she booked Poole-Montesano of Pink Champagne Photography a year in advance and has been left in the dark.

 "She was also very quick to let us know that if we paid the full amount upfront that she would give us extra money off of our package," Mark added, but said despite efforts to schedule an engagement photo shoot for months, she was ignored.

 "My fiancé and I are out $3,600. We have a month to go before our wedding. We are hunting for a new media team to try and at least get some memories of our big day," she said.

 Mark said it became clear weeks ago she and her partner were not the only ones having trouble getting a response and action from Poole-Montesano.

Through social media, Mark said she and dozens of other brides have similar experiences with Pink Champagne Photography, run by the Barrie photographer.

 "What she is doing is really unfortunate and cruel to people," said Melody O'Donnell from her home in Hamilton.

Melody O'Donnell, of Hamilton, Ont., claims her wedding photographer 'ghosted' her. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)

O'Donnell married in May and said that despite a contract with firm deadlines, she was met with very few answers when she reached out to Poole-Montesano.

"Once I started to question if I would receive my photos on time within the three-month deadline, which was outlined in her contract that she wrote, I was ghosted," said O'Donnell.

Bride Chayla Reichel of Barrie said she was not provided with her entire online wedding album as promised, and while waiting for the edits to be completed, Reichel said the album was abruptly removed.

"She has taken our wedding album offline and is refusing to give it back to us unless we put in writing that she did not breach our contract. So, we're currently being blackmailed by her in order to receive our photos," said Reichel.

Photographer Andrew Perrins is part of a group of about a dozen vendors who say they have yet to be paid by Poole-Montesano for their services.

"I'm currently out about $3,600 myself. And from the amount of vendors, I guess that we've amassed and talked to right now, we're just over $30,000," he said.

The vendors provided a statement to CTV News which indicated Poole-Montesano's admitted personal and health issues have hindered the business and communication with those who rely on Pink Champagne Photography to put food on the table for their families.

"Over the past two seasons," the statement noted, "things began to decline. Payments fell behind, and client communication became increasingly difficult. This year, things took a devastating turn. Many of us are still waiting for payment for services rendered, and despite multiple attempts to resolve these issues, we've been left in financial and professional limbo."

Photographer Jacqueline Poole-Montesano of Barrie, Ont. (Source: Instagram)

Photographers and newlyweds said they're in disbelief this could happen. Poole-Montesano has blamed health issues and told customers she's struggling to keep up and meet deadlines.

When contacted by CTV News, Poole-Montesano's legal representative, Lawrence Pomfret, said, "Due to physical illness and subsequent mental illness, she is unable to provide any substantive comment at this time."

Many of the brides said they found Poole-Montesano through Instagram ads for Pink Champagne Photography, offering engagement and wedding photo packages at great prices. The average deal was about $4,000.

Mark said she never had an engagement photo shoot, and weeks ago, she heard from Poole-Montesano, who asked her to try to book a session through her online portal. Mark said this was the first time she was directed to a booking portal.

Bride Gisella Sarmiento was married in April. Sarmiento said when she asked Poole-Montesano for her photo package, she received only a fraction of what she paid for, and many were "unusable," including photos of Sarmiento in her dress, which included a reflection of the Barrie photographer sitting on a bed.

Sarmiento said Poole-Montesano had threatened self-harm online and in emails and messages to her and other brides before blocking their phone calls and locking them out from her social media accounts.

Sarmiento, who said she has struggled with mental health for years, described being shocked by the response she received from the photographer after she asked for her overdue photos.

"For somebody to just say this out loud and put blame on so many people that we're affecting her and we're the ones making her go through this, she's really not thinking about her clients if she really wants to tell me that she loves her job, she loves her clients. This is not proof of that," said an emotional Sarmiento. "This is the opposite, really. Again, this is supposed to be the best time of my life, and it's been the most stressful time."

Gisella Sarmiento was married in April 2024, and claims her wedding album is being withheld by the photographer. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)

"It really hurts to see this going on, so yeah, it's a horrible situation," said Perrins, who is trying to locate photographs for the brides from other vendors to make things right.

"Things were happening within her life as well that were definitely affecting her, but still, you have a business to run and responsibilities, and you really don't want to take advantage of anyone in that situation despite any concerns that you may have," said Perrins.

Those affected said they want Poole-Montesano to do the right thing and honour their contracts by returning their photos to them and paying her debts to those she owes money to, including Mark, who last heard from the photographer in late August.

"You are creating a situation on people's happiest day of their life that makes it somewhat of a traumatic experience, and no couple should have to go through this. What you're doing is wrong. What you're doing is criminal, and your actions will catch up to you," said Mark.