Couples shelled out £1,000s for wedding photographer - then he went AWOL with money and memories

Couples across Lancashire say they have been left heartbroken by a wedding photographer who disappeared without delivering pictures or videos of their big day - and in some cases didn't turn up at all.

LancsLive has spoken to more than 15 couples who say they paid Daley Wilson to cover their event after reading glowing reviews online.

Instead of fond memories of the happiest days of their lives, they faced a nightmare.

For some, the Haslingden-based snapper has gone AWOL since the beginning of this year, with no texts, phone calls or messages to those awaiting the permanent memories of their nuptials. A handful who received messages from Wilson have managed to obtain raw images - but many had paid thousands for fully-edited pictures and video footage.

One bride told LancsLive that when she finally received raw files on a USB drive from Wilson, several of the images appeared to be pointed at her breasts.

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On several occasions, couples say Wilson didn't turn up at all. And others told LancsLive they have been waiting more than 12 months to hear from him.

One couple say they have been left with no visual memories of their ceremony whatsoever, after purposely asking guests not to take their own snaps.

"We've lost memories of the actual ceremony"

Gareth and Maurizio tied the knot at The Priests House in Barden Tower, North Yorkshire on December 21.

"In a way, I wish he never turned up, because me and Maurizio would have said to our guests, you can take photos," said Gareth. "But, we explicitly told the people in the hall 'don't take photos', because we didn't want people holding their cameras up when we had a professional photographer.

"So we've lost memories of the actual ceremony. Which we could have had, if we had known and had the worst. On the face of it, not turning up would have been worse, but actually turning up and knowingly not giving us our stuff is worse than not turning up at all."

Gareth and Maurizio booked Wilson in 2022 for their wedding at the end of 2023. The couple had a chat with the photographer over Zoom and recalled him being "really friendly". He tried to put the pair at ease during the stress of wedding planning.

As a family member had been to a wedding where Wilson had taken photos, the couple felt confident with their choice. They opted for a 'basic package' costing £995 including two photographers.

The couple were promised a first batch of pictures two days after the wedding in order to send thank you cards out to their guests. However, Gareth and Maurizio told LancsLive they had to send constant messages to Wilson before they received a handful of watermarked photos. Five months later, it's still all they have.

"You don't get those photos and those videos back"

Karina booked Wilson in 2022, well in advance for her wedding, which took place on March 31, this year. She found the photographer on a wedding supplier website and initially shelled out a deposit of £499.

She'd opted for the 'essentials package' at £799. Then in January 2023 a videography package was added for £650 with a deposit of £150.

But Wilson never turned up to the big day.

She said: "We had a phone call with him and we really liked his personality. He came across really passionate but also very friendly. I think that’s what makes everything worse in this situation as you genuinely wouldn’t think he was the type to behave the way he has! It's sad really."

She added: "Obviously I never got my deposit back from Daley. My bank refunded... but I think it’s about time he started to face the consequences of his actions.

"I think the worst part is that I had no contact from him whatsoever ever after that call in January, except for the automated reminders to pay my invoices.

"So he never actually said that he wouldn’t be shooting my wedding."

Emily Rebecca Wright was legally married in 2020 and had a ceremony in August 2023. She told LancsLive she paid £2,999 and received the raw images of her big day after waiting around nine weeks.

She said: “It was our three year anniversary when we did our big day. Daley was hard to contact leading up to the wedding and was forever giving excuses. Emails were going to junk, or his emails were staying in the outbox. We paid £2,999.

"He did turn up to our wedding, we received our images but if I’m honest, they’re not great and haven’t got the amount we were supposed to. Then we received nothing since then."

She added: “The videos to me are most important because it brings the day to life again! I’m not bothered about the money, it’s the memories that matter most and he’s taken that away.”

Mandy Elliot got married to her husband James on September 2, 2023, in St Annes. She received her digital photos in November, but still awaits the rest of the ‘Gold Package’. Mandy paid a discounted price of £1,125. This includes two photographers, ten prints, a USB and wedding album.

No album, USB or printed pictures were ever sent. She said: “When we first met up with him, I think it was April 2023 and we had our engagement photos done. He was saying he had taken on too much... When it was our wedding day he told us he was still really busy with weddings. Whether he said this to us so we didn’t pester him for bits afterwards but we respected he was a busy guy so we didn’t want to bother him as much for the printed pictures."

"This has just completely tarnished it"

Another bride, salon owner and businesswoman Kersti, knew Wilson on a personal level having worked together several years ago. After becoming friends, she decided to book the photographer for her wedding day as she wanted 'somebody she could trust'.

Getting married in September 2023, Kersti opted for a £2,000 package which included digital images, USB, videos and albums. Booking the service, she didn't have any reason to believe anything was untoward in the days and months leading up to her big day, but this quickly turned into a nightmare she didn't expect.

"The night before, I hadn't heard anything from him at all so I had to message him and ask him what time he was going to be arriving the following day," Kersti said.

"It wasn't until after the wedding that I realised that we didn't get our pre-wedding shoot either. So we paid for that, like an engagement shoot and we didn't get that. He turned up at around 11 o'clock, I think it was on the wedding morning, when we were getting married at 12, so there was quite a lot that he had missed."

Following the event, Kersti told LancsLive she received between 40 and 50 previews. She then had to chase daily, seven to eight times, for the edited pictures of the wedding.

Eventually she was given access to an online gallery of raw footage. But this access was later rescinded.

Earlier this year, Kersti says she only received the raw photographs and raw videos from Wilson after "getting into panic mode" and purchasing a £50 hard drive herself - and then pleading with the photographer to upload them.

"Women dream of their wedding day," Kersti added. "I've been obsessed with getting married for so long. I spent two and half years planning and I made sure everything was absolutely perfect and how I wanted it. This has just completely tarnished it."

"Money is tight"

Booking Wilson back in 2020, Michael France and his fiancée Zoe Mcgahon, had to postpone their 2022 wedding for family health reasons. Now, they are now looking forward to their upcoming nuptials this June, but some original plans are looking slightly different.

The couple say he seemed like a "reputable photographer" with "a lot of great references and reviews".

Michael added: "He seemed reliable and trustworthy, his price was fairly priced for what we needed to. His photos were stunning. He had a good background in the military too."

But since trying to catch up and update the photographer a few months ago, the couple say they have been "completely blanked". There has been no reply from their emails, phone calls, Facebook messages or any other form of communication.

The couple paid £300 through bank transfer as a deposit and don't think they'll be getting it back.

Michael added: "It was worse for others than us. Still money we hadn’t budgeted for, money is tight. I felt bad for them and very angry at him. I felt really angry for others."

Now, the pair have booked a new photographer for their day, but the experience has left a bad taste in their mouths. He said: "I’m more annoyed about the situation and his horrible behaviour than the money to be honest.

"I just feel bad for everyone, especially those who paid thousands and he just didn’t show up. At least we had time to find someone else, luckily enough."

"I just feel so stupid"

Samantha booked Wilson in 2022 for her upcoming wedding in August this year. Friends had used his services and recommended his services.

However, she didn't hear from the photographer for most of last year and didn't know what was going on until she found other couples talking about his services online. "He still sends out automated emails to people to pay," Samantha said.

"I've only paid out a small amount, thank God. I've not got a refund back, my bank won't refund me."

Samantha paid a £150 deposit and a further £150 towards the cost of her package, which if she paid in full before August, would have set her back £1,900. Fortunately, Samantha has booked another photographer for her day, but this hasn't stopped her from feeling affected by the initial plan.

She said: "I've been through the anger, crying and thinking he can get away with it." Samantha added: "I looked at the reviews and obviously my friend had him.

"I thought I had done everything right. I just feel so stupid."

Bekka Kipling booked Wilson for her wedding in October 2023. She received her photographs in December that year.

But when she requested the second portion of her package - video footage of her big day - her email bounced back.

"These are the things we can't replace," Bekka said. "In theory, you only have one wedding and you don't get those photos and those videos back if they disappear."

She set up a Facebook group for couples in a similar position. Bekka explained: "The group consists of a mixture of couples who have either had their wedding and are missing items or are about to have their wedding and have paid a deposit or in full."

Today, none of the couples LancsLive has spoken to has heard from Wilson since March. LancsLive has made numerous attempts to contact the photographer, all of which were either ignored or undelivered.

His website has been taken offline but social media accounts remain active.

A statement was posted on the Facebook page, Daley Wilson Photography and Film, on February 12. For some, this was the first communication that had seen for months..

It read: "I would like to begin by offering my sincerest apologies for the lack of communication and in the way I have conducted my business services over the past few months.

"I understand the gravity of my actions and I deeply regret the impact, the hurt, inconvenience and stress I have caused from being absent from my customers and I take full responsibility. My apology not only extends to my customers, but to my family, friends and Team Members who have been negatively affected by the mistakes I have made recently.

"It has never been my intention to cause upset, ignore, or deceive my couples and I have prided myself on trying the provide the best service possible, I feel embarrassment and shame for not reaching what has been expected of me which is to provide my couples with the best experience full of memories and joy from the services that I provide, but instead caused heartache and uncertainty.

"The last 10 months have been a challenging period for me which has directly impacted my personal life on all levels. This has caused a knock-on effect on my business. Because of this, I created a situation that I simply could not handle mentally. Upon reflection, I acknowledge all I needed to do was communicate with my couples and ask for help and understanding.

"I know this is request is severely overdue, but I am committed to resolving this situation with all my couples. I know there is a long way to go regarding building trust and reassurance that my couples will receive final products and I am currently putting together a schedule and timeline of work to be completed along with the requests provided to my intermediary by some of my couples.

"Once again, I am truly sorry for the heartache and uncertainty I have created for you all and I want nothing more than to repair the damage caused. Thank you for your understanding, and I assure you that I am taking the steps needed to rectify this situation I have put you all in."

The comments were turned off.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said: “Action Fraud can confirm that it received NFRC240106421246 on January 20, 2024. It was assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police but has not been passed to a police force for investigation at this time.

“With more than 850,000 reports coming into the NFIB each year, not all cases can be passed on for further investigation. Reports are assessed against a number of criteria which include the vulnerability of the victim. However, the reports most likely to present an investigative opportunity for local police forces, those where a crime is ongoing and those that present the greatest threat and harm to the victim or victims concerned, are the ones that are prioritised.”