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Hall of Shame: Wedding photographer ghosts couples
Instead of having their wedding day captured forever, they are left without anyone to snag the joyous moments that come when tying the knot. And it's left more than a few people upset by Hoover missing in action.
(FOX 2) - Smile and say cheese to Kendall Hoover, a wedding photographer.
She is the person that happy couples hire for their big day — that is, if she shows up.
Instead of having their wedding day captured forever, they are left without anyone to snag the joyous moments that come when tying the knot. And it's left more than a few people upset by Hoover missing in action.
Just ask Josh:
"You're a cruel woman. How are you going to do this to someone on their big day?"
Or maybe Cassidy:
"One, it was very unprofessional, but it was also cruel what she did."
As for Gabrielle, she says, "it feels dirty, and I'm disgusted."
According to these three unhappy customers, Hoover is a con-woman who's not interested in their matrimony. She just wanted their matri-money.
A ‘Clerical Error’
Tarah and her husband Josh are among those who contacted Hoover. They had seen her ads on Instagram showing her wedding business. It's called Photography by Kendall H.
They paid the $985 deposit in April 2024, which was 18 months before the wedding.
During that time, they didn't hear anything from her.
"A year and a half, you'd think she'd reach out and say 'hey, what's up, how are you guys doing? Are you guys excited?'" said Josh. "She never reached out or anything."
That was until right before the wedding when Hoover offered them the old "pay the balance in full now for a discount deal."
"I'll give you an additional 10% off. I'm like, ‘yeah,’" said Tarah. "So we paid it."
They paid $2,600 in total, up front. Then the wedding day arrived.
"Friday morning, day before the wedding, I woke up to a text message from her saying she was not going to be able to do the wedding because of a clerical error," Tarah said.
That was Hoover's clerical error — not Tarah's. After all, they hired her more than a year earlier.
The couple ended up having to scramble to find another photographer last minute and shell out thousands more. It left them with a bad taste in their mouth.
"You screwed us over. With no remorse. No sorry. Clerical error," Tarah said.
From guilt-tripping to a midnight cancellation
Cassidy is another unhappy customer of Hoover's, telling FOX 2 she paid nearly $3,000 for her photography services.
Cassidy hired Hoover for an October wedding. Hoover had bad communication, she remembered, and fired off an email a month before the wedding to ask what was going on.
She said Hoover responded with a message that included quite the guilt trip.
"I felt awful. Her husband is in the hospital and I sent this really stern email," Cassidy said. "But I said I was sorry, hope she was doing better, didn't hear back from her."
Then, at 1 a.m. on the day of the wedding, Cassidy gets a message: Hoover will not be able to photograph the wedding.
And she didn't give the money back either, crushing Cassidy.
"Every girl dreams of their wedding day and to have someone cancel on you, especially your photographer — on the day of your wedding," Cassidy said with tears in her eyes. "It's really horrible."
Caught in a lie
Hoover's neighbor has even hired her for a wedding in August. Jennifer had paid her $1,749 to get things set up.
Then Hoover began avoiding her.
She would reach out for confirmation, and not get any response. Then on the Friday before the wedding, Jennifer got a text.
"Unfortunately, I had to leave town unexpectedly because my mother passed away Wednesday," read the message from Hoover to Jennifer.
Jennifer doesn't believe that, because on the same day, Hoover posted a TikTok from her outside a Detroit Tigers game. She had a beer in her hand.
"For someone who didn't know her, who didn't live across the street from her for six years, it would sound like a great excuse," said Jennifer. "You wouldn't have been at comerica the same day you were telling me your mom died."
Atleast two of the victims have filed police reports.
Confronting the photographer
When approached by FOX 2, Hoover first ignored the requests to comment on allegations made by several couples.
After pressing her for answers, she said, "brides have been refunded, it's all been taken care of, and that's all I have to say."
And what does Rob Wolchek have to say?
"I now pronounce you're in the HAAAAAALLLLL OF SHAMEEE."