Wedding videographer denies refund after bride dies before ceremony

Alexis and Justin. Photo / Facebook

A young man grieving the loss of his bride-to-be has been threatened with a lawsuit from the videographer booked to film his now cancelled wedding.

Alexis Wyatt, 22, died when her car was hit by a semi-trailer on an icy Colorado highway in early February.

She had been engaged to marry her fiance, Justin Montney, on Saturday, May 23.

Local television station KRDO-TV reports Wyatt signed a wedding video contract with a Texas-based company called Copper Stallion Media and paid US$1800 (NZ$2900) upfront.

When Montney contacted the company for a refund after the death of his partner, it was refused.

"They said they'd extend my service to my next wedding which was a very insensitive thing to tell me," he told KRDO-TV.

He said they should be able to give him a refund "because they didn't render any services".

Montney reportedly left a negative review on the company's page on popular wedding directory The Knot.

The page has since been taken down.

According to US media reports, Copper Stallion Media threatened to sue Montney for defamation after he went to the media and posted the negative comments.

It said the couple had signed a legally binding contract on November 29 last year.

CBS reported the company accused Montney of creating a "smear campaign" and had been flooded with calls, emails and comments online.

Justin Montney and Alexis Wyatt. Photo / Facebook

"But have you guys ever heard of decency at all?" he reportedly said in one message to the videographers.

"You guys are disgusting, I hope your company burns to the ground."

In screenshots of its replies to comments on The Knot before the page was removed, Copper Stallion Media said it understood the bride-to-be had died but "the client and her fiance signed a non-refundable contract".

It also cited "financial strain on all wedding businesses" due to Covid-19 and an inability to afford the refund.

However, Montney said he messaged Copper Stallion Media in February, "before Covid was even a part of this issue".

"We're just putting out the facts that have happened so far," he said.

Copper Stallion Media's social media pages have been disabled or set to private.

FIANCE'S TRIBUTE TO BRIDE-TO-BE

Montney shared a "difficult" post about Wyatt to Facebook after her death in February.

"Her love, kindness, and exuberant emotions taught me how to express myself and show the world how I am truly feeling," he wrote.

"Most importantly she was my shining example of family unity.

Justin Montney and Alexis Wyatt. Photo / Facebook

"She showed me that it's okay to love everyone and important to let each and every person I love know it as much as possible. No words can describe and nothing in the world can change how much I loved her.

"This world was robbed of someone who was making it a better place for each person she met."

A GoFundMe page for her parents, two sisters and fiance describes her as "a sweet, kind hearted, gentle soul".

Wyatt was a teacher, having studied English and secondary education at Fort Hays State University in Kansas.