Bride demands refund from photographer over Black Lives Matter support

A photographer who was praised for shutting down a bride who wanted a refund over her support of the Black Lives Matter movement has spoken out after the saga took an "absurd" twist. Photo / 123rf

A photographer who was widely praised for shutting down a bride who wanted a refund over her support of the Black Lives Matter movement has spoken out after the saga took an "absurd" twist.

Shakira Rochelle, from Ohio in the US, went viral after screenshots of her conversation with a furious bride were shared on Twitter.

The bride-to-be had booked Rochelle to snap her upcoming wedding but decided to pull out after realising she was a supporter of BLM, demanding her deposit back.

Rochelle responded to explain the deposit was non-refundable, wished the woman a "lifetime of growth," and then revealed it would be used as a donation to the movement.

However, things took a dramatic and unexpected turn when a "photoshopped screenshot" began circulating online that claimed she had deliberately shut the bride down as a "tactic to make a profit from the BLM movement".

"This is the most incredibly absurd thing I have ever heard," Rochelle wrote on her business Facebook page, adding that the claims had "hurt my soul".

She went on to state that the original screenshot which showed her response to the bride had been shared by a friend who asked permission, explaining she never expected it to go viral.

The saga surrounding a bride who dumped their photographer for supporting BLM has taken a new turn. Photo / Twitter

"I am not in need for clients or business as I already don't have enough availability as it is," she said. "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."

The saga initially began when the exchange between Rochelle and the disgruntled bride were shared by Twitter @PINKdot_COM with the caption: "I love it here."

It's not clear how they obtained the screenshots, but they quickly went viral, amassing over 1 million likes since being shared on June 16.

Despite the unnamed bride-to-be threatening Rochelle with legal action, the bride was slammed as "ignorant" while her sassy response was applauded by thousands.

literally what deposit is usually refundable anyways? like “bride” sounding real ignorant the groom might wanna rethink her

— 𝕃𝕌ℕ𝔸✨🌙 (@_gummyybearr_) June 16, 2020

That “Thank you for your donation to Black Lives Matter” at the end. Oh yesssss ma’am. pic.twitter.com/G2GNu5Ui59

— 💙Keke💛 (@Keke_Well) June 16, 2020

As a lawyer, I am always appalled by people who think they can just say, "I don't want this contract I signed to be valid." Um, no, it doesn't work like that. Crazy people.

— Jillian Chantal (@JillianChantal) June 16, 2020

While it's not clear who has begun circulating the new "photoshopped" screenshot, people have labelled the stunt a "despicable ploy".

It seems that this situation is far from over and many have stated they will be "staying tuned" to see how it pans out.