Man Who Left Bride In Tears After Refusing To Move For Photoshoot Applauded

A bride was left in tears after a pair of restaurant diners refused to move seats so she and her groom could pose for wedding photos.

But while emotions ran high for the newlyweds, the dining friends were unmoved have found plenty of support for their actions on both social media and from a leading wedding photographer.

Wedding photographs matter. A 2019 poll of 2,000 newly married Americans conducted by Minted found "finding a photographer/videographer" ranked as the fourth most important element of any nuptials, behind only finding the right venue, choosing the right dress and deciding the guest list.

However, one recently married couple may be regretting their choice of photographer after becoming embroiled in an unsavory incident with a diner at a popular restaurant. The diner took to Reddit to share their experience, posting their version of events under the handle Kooky_Remove_3386.

According to the post they were enjoying dinner with their "best friend" in the popular eatery when a bride and groom dressed in their finest wedding attire entered. "They were having their day after photoshoot around downtown apparently and also stopped at the restaurant to take pics because of the aesthetic," the Redditor explained.

The problems then began when the couple's photographer asked the two diners to "move seats for around 15 minutes so he could photograph the couple at the booth" where they were sitting.

"It's one of the most famous parts of the restaurant," the Reddit user explained. "We kindly declined as we were already dining, having a table full of meals. Plus the restaurant was packed so only a couple of really small tables were empty for us to sit."

Despite saying no, the photographer "kept insisting" they should move as a "favor to the newlyweds." They continued to say no though. At this point, the bride and groom stepped in and began "begging" them to switch seats, explaining "how special it is that they take pictures there."

The Redditor was unmoved though. "My friend and I said we understand it might be special but this is a restaurant, they don't own the restaurant and can't just have people move seats just like that," they said.

Furious at their continued refusal, the groom began "yelling" and asked the restaurant manager to intervene. However, he "defended" the two diners noting they are "paying customers" and therefore had no obligation to move.

"The bride was tearing up and said how we are heartless for ruining this for her and making her upset one day after her wedding," the Redditor said. "They eventually left."

Despite the emotional outburst of the not-so-happy couple, the two friends felt "no shame" over the incident. Commenting on the post, Kari Thorleifsson, a freelance photographer who has shot countless weddings, told Newsweek the incident was "a good example of what can happen when photographers do not plan accordingly for their shoots."

"The photographer should obtain all permits and take care of any possible fees or reservations beforehand, and make sure all communication with locations such as restaurants run smoothly before, during and after the shoot," he said.

He also felt the two friends were "absolutely right" to stay in their seats. "It was a reservation that they had booked and paid for. It is outrageous for a photographer to ask people to get out of their seats for anything more than a minute or two. They could have dealt with the restaurant manager and asked for 15 minutes after the friends had finished and paid for their meal before the next booking. They should've never asked someone to get out of their seat during their meal."

Thorleifsson said he would have handled the situation very differently. "I would have spoken to a manager at the restaurant a day or two before and worked with the restaurant to obtain a reservation or a permit to shoot there at a particular time so no miscommunication was possible," he said.

"But let's say they didn't plan on shooting at the restaurant beforehand. I would have spoken to a manager at the restaurant first to see if they had any open spots before even beginning to talk to people sitting down for their dinner."

Thorleifsson's criticism was echoed by many of those commenting on social media. Corgwin said: "Talk about entitled!! They should have made a reservation and paid the restaurant a fee."

Jacques_Naurice, meanwhile, commented: "I bet if they just called they could have had the whole place for half an hour before they open" with ClarissaNight77 lamenting: "always amazed how much a wedding can make a couple so entitled and crazy."

Newsweek reached out to Kooky_Remove_3386 but was not able to verify the details of the case.