Videographer Refuses To Give Refund After Bride-To-Be Dies In A Car Crash — ‘We Hope You Cry All Day On What Would Have Been Your Wedding’
The groom says they were the only vendor to not issue a refund.
Mitchell Hollander and Jakob Owens / Unsplash A shocking altercation between a groom and a wedding vendor that first went viral in 2020 has resurfaced on social media, sparking a renewed sense of outrage online — especially because the vendor in question has shown no remorse for what many feel is an unconscionable lack of basic kindness.
The wedding videographer refused to give a refund when the bride-to-be died in a car crash.
Weddings are expensive affairs for not just the bride and groom but vendors too, which is why wedding vendors typically have ironclad refund and cancellation policies.
But of course, life happens and sometimes exceptions need to be made, even if only in the interest of kindness.
Dallas-based videography company Copper Stallion Media made it clear they disagree. They made national news in 2020 when their client, Alexis Wyatt, died in a car crash just before her wedding and they not only denied her groom-to-be Justin Montney's request for a refund but retaliated for the request in truly shocking ways.
Copper Stallion Media harassed and mocked the groom online for his refund request.
It all began when Montney emailed Copper Stallion in February 2020 to announce that his wedding was canceled due to the bride's unexpected passing. The company said at the time that it expressed its condolences and left it at that.
But when Montney wrote back requesting a refund on the $1800 deposit he'd paid, he was flatly denied and told that the deposit was nonrefundable as per the contract he'd signed. Instead, they offered to apply his deposit toward his "next wedding."
When Montney protested and publicized the altercation on social media, Copper Stallion Media lashed out in shocking ways.
The company created an entire website, justinmontneywedding.com, full of vicious screeds telling Montney that "life's a [expletive]." It also threatened to sue Montney. And on what would have been Montney and Wyatt's wedding day, the company posted a stomach-turning message on its Facebook page.
Photo: Facebook
"Today would have been the day where we would have filmed Justin and Alexis' wedding in Colorado Springs," the post read. "After what Justin pulled with the media stunt to try and shake us down for a refund, we hope you sob and cry all day for what would have been your wedding day. Sorry, not sorry."
As clips of this story have resurfaced, Copper Stallion Media has remained defiant.
As this story has gone viral once again, Copper Stallion Media has shown no remorse for the incident with Montney. Several Facebook posts, including one detailing the company's refund policy, have been bombed with mocking and critical comments from users.
Copper Stallion Media has been responding with defiance, replying to comments with mocking gifs and jokes. And the company's Facebook feed includes countless posts mocking Montney and Wyatt, including one from early 2023 boasting of having caught Montney and Wyatt's "final moments" together before her death.
The uproar has also renewed interest in one of the company officer's legal troubles.
Copper Stallion Media's Jesse J. Clark was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution in 2013 after failing to provide prepaid wedding videos to couples. He has also been under investigation by the Nevada Consumer Affairs Office, and local Colorado Springs news outlet KRDO said it was contacted by more than 30 couples and photographers nationwide who said they were owed money by Jesse J. Clark.
Despite years of uproar stemming from the 2020 incident, Copper Stallion Media claims its business is thriving. In a Facebook post in April, the company claimed it was booked solid for months.
Only one thing can truly be said about this seemingly unending saga, it's tragic all around.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.