PHOENIX — You plan every detail to make your wedding day perfect, but what happens when the one person responsible for filming those memories doesn't deliver? The Let ABC15 Team is helping a group of married couples try to get their wedding footage.
"It's such sensitive footage that it's like, I didn't want to do anything to upset him or to ruin anything for us, because that's something that obviously can't be re-recorded," said a newly wed Phoenix woman.
From the flower to the first dance, your wedding day is meant to be unforgettable. Taylor and Logan wanted to capture everything, that is their personality, their story, the things they love.
The Mesa couple said they spent a year planning their wedding.
"You have so many things that you are thinking about and making sure things are running smoothly," said Taylor.
The couple hired Ronnie Cozzolino, of Phlix Photography Services, to film their wedding. "With Ronnie it was quick and simple," said Taylor. "He was constantly communicating with me."
The couple signed their contract and paid the videographer a deposit of $1,300 in February 2024 for a highlight film, drone shots, and raw footage.
"We had a choreographed dance which was, to me, the most important thing that I wanted to capture on the video," said Logan, Taylor's husband.
January 17, 2025, the day of their wedding the videographer shows up to shoot their big day. The videographer was hired to film for 10 hours, and the couple paid the final balance of $1,320.
"There were no red flags, he was dressed to impressed," explained Logan.
According to the couple's contract agreement with Phlix Photography it would be up to a 12-week turnaround, or 3 months to receive all edits.
Logan said they ended up going 15 or 16 weeks before they decided to reach out to the videographer. "I sent a text to our group chat and said, 'Hey, is there an update on this? Because we have not heard anything.' No peep. No text. No communication," said Logan.
Taylor and Logan presented the Let ABC15 Know team with dozens of text messages between them and Cozzolino.
The couple repeatedly asked for an update on when they would receive their video.
In May, Cozzolino finally responded to them and asked the couple to provide a hard drive so they could get their footage. But according to Taylor and Logan, they never heard a response from the videographer. The couple's contract states the couple paid for a digital download link for their raw video footage.
Christel Bell spoke with Cozzolino via text. He acknowledged that he has not resolved his contractual obligations.
"I’ve been trying a long time to resolve this situation, but due to life circumstances it has taken far longer than I could have ever anticipated," Cozzolino replied as a text message.
In August, the couple filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They also sent a formal letter with intent to pursue legal action.
Taylor said, " We got to a point where we felt like we were talking to a wall."
Then they found out they were not alone. Another couple, Phoebe and James, share a similar experience with the same videographer.
"Today is our six-month anniversary, and we'd really like something to watch," said James, who married his wife in November 2024.
They too hired Phlix Photography to film their wedding.
"It absolutely guts me," said Phoebe as they have been waiting nearly a year for their wedding video.
"Our vows are missing, which we didn’t have anybody else present for," explained Phoebe.
"My first look with my father wasn't there. Those moments meant a lot to me," Phoebe said with tears in eyes as she described two important moments of her life on her wedding day.
Phoebe and James paid upwards of $2,600 for and edited highlight film, drone footage, and all raw footage. "This is causing us so much emotional distress. We're trying to move on with our lives," explained Phoebe. "We're just trying to get our footage and live as a happily married couple and put this in the past."
Some good news, since our interview with the couple and right before the story was scheduled to air, Phoebe and James told the Let ABC15 Know team they had received about 80% of their raw footage however, they are still waiting on their edited wedding day film that was part of her contract.
Phoebe feels it's not right that she has to pay someone else to edit the film.
The Let ABC15 Know team has discovered is not just these two couples. There are other women, all with similar contracts. They're missing their edited wedding video.
Most of the women say they have received their raw footage.
There are demand letters sent to the videographer from four different brides.
According to the contract, if there's a dispute between the parties they would go through Alternative Dispute Resolution, or the ADR Procedure.
It's a process that requires voluntary participation of both parties involving a mediator or arbitrator.
Three women tell us they tried this option. Because they couldn't get Cozzolino to communicate with them to arrange the procedure, they say all attempts at arbitration were ignored.
They also didn't have a valid address as letters of demand came back undeliverable.
Cozzolino would not agree to an on-camera interview, but in his text message he wrote, "My only goal now is to officially close that chapter, leave my old photography business behind, and resolve these outstanding issues with dignity."
Meanwhile, these couples are still holding on to hope.
"It still stands we’ve received nothing; we’ve paid in full; it’s been 9 months since our wedding at this point," said Logan.
Phoebe and James filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General. The AG's office investigates consumer complaints involving deceptive or unfair practices in the sale or advertisement of goods or services.
A person can bring action for a violation of the consumer fraud act as well.
Our goal is to get answers for these brides. We'll keeping reaching out to Cozzolino to help these women get their wedding footage.
