Weddings are celebrations of love, but they can also be chock-full of embarrassing moments (sometimes family and open bars just don’t mix). Take one San Francisco affair, during which the groom drank so much, that he wasn’t able to remove his wife’s garter, instead falling down on top of her at the reception. Needless to say, the bride was mortified—and the look on her face made this clear.
While the videographer was there to catch the awful moment on camera, the newlyweds say they hid the video where they assumed it would never be watched by their family and friends. However, additional footage they didn’t even know existed was posted online, where it quickly went viral, racking up millions of views.
The bride (who is going by Jane Doe to protect her identity) is now suing George Street Photo and Video for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" in federal court. While she has attempted to have the video removed from the internet multiple times, it always seems to pop back up somewhere else.
In a statement to NBC, George Street neither confirmed or denied his responsibility for posting the video online. "We are very disappointed and upset by this situation, and we have spent considerable time removing our video from the internet," he said.
According to attorney Robert Schenk, who runs WeddingIndustryLaw.com, this bride likely won’t win her case. "Whenever a videographer or photographer approaches a couple with a contract, generally they are getting paid money to take the images, but they’re going to be the copyright owner of the images by default," attorney Robert Schenk, told Yahoo Style. "They can do whatever they want with it."
So heads up, future brides: You might want to take a closer look at your photographer’s and videographer’s contracts before signing on the dotted line. (Though, asking your husband to take it easy at the open bar isn’t a bad idea either.)