Bride demands refund after photographer supports BLM

Bride demands refund after photographer supports BLM

A bride reportedly demanded a refund from her wedding photographer after they publically supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, but her actions ended up backfiring.

Shakira Rochelle of Shakira Rochelle Photography is just one of many business owners who voiced their support for the movement, which has gained renewed traction in the wake of George Floyd’s death. On June 6, she took to Instagram and posted this image, captioning it “Shakira Rochelle Photography stands in solidarity with the black community. The black lives matter movement has my endless support.”

 

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Shakira Rochelle Photography stands in solidarity with the black community. The black lives matter movement has my endless support ✊🏼.

A post shared by Shakira Rochelle🌿 (@shakirarochellephotographyy) on

This image reportedly did not sit well with one of her clients. A bride-to-be messaged Rochelle asking for a refund back and to be relieved of their contract. In her message, the client explained that they cannot support someone who does not support their beliefs.

“We have done a lot of talking and we cannot bring ourselves to support anyone who is so outspoken on matters that simply do not concern them as well as someone that does not believe that ALL lives matter.”

“We would be truly embarrassed to have you at our event and feel that you aren’t stable enough to complete the job we need from you.”
In response, Rochelle said that their contract is non-refundable, and that it would instead be donated to the BLM movement.
“Unfortunately the contract you signed states that your deposit is non-refundable. I will email you a cancellation agreement shortly that will require your signature to forfeit your date. I wish you a lifetime of growth and I would like to thank you for your donation to Black Lives Matter.”
Rochelle’s friend shared screenshots of the exchange to Twitter, where it quickly went viral. To date, the post has over 1-million likes, 192.4k retweets and 3.7k responses.

Rochelle has since been flooded with positive support. However, she recently posted to warn that there is a photoshopped screenshot claiming that this was a business tactic to make a profit on the BLM movement.

“This is the most incredibly absurd thing I have ever heard. The original post started out private until a friend asked if she could share it. I never had the intentions or the desire to go viral for this or anything else,” Rochelle explained on her Facebook post. “Prior to this I am already booked until winter. I am not in need for clients or business as I already don’t have enough availability as it is.”

“I considered deleting the original post but it is viral on multiple platforms from other people and deleting it would go against everything I stand for. I have always stood up for human rights and will continue to do so. I have marched with my loved ones as well as alone. My intentions are pure.”

Feature image: Unsplash

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