The Let ABC15 Know Team continues to share the story of couples who paid a Valley videographer to film their wedding and haven’t received their video. Some of them have been waiting nearly a year to see the footage.
Several Arizona couples paid Valley videographer Ronnie Cozzolino of Phlix Photography for wedding videos but never received their footage, with some waiting nearly a year.
"We tried emailing, calling, texting, and messaging on Instagram," Mary said.
Mary married her partner in February 2024 and joined other couples who say they never received their wedding footage. She worked with a lawyer to send a demand letter, but it came back undeliverable because there was no current address.
"I've spent so long in the mindset of oh God, I'm not going to see any of the footage, I'm not going to see any of the photos from my wedding and that's really upsetting," Mary said.
Brandy, a small business owner who paid Cozzolino $1,500 in January for social media content, also didn't receive her materials.
"I felt like he was stealing from my business," Brandy said.
After posting about her experience on social media, Brandy discovered others in similar situations.
"To find out this has been happening since early 2024, it seems like a pattern now, and this is bigger than just me," Brandy said.
Collectively, the women and couples say they paid more than $25,000 to Cozzolino.
Jessica Gelder, owner of Shine Events AZ and a wedding planner for 15 years, says there's little regulation in the industry.
"Most of these photographers and videographers are independent contractors. They get to decide what the rules are, they get to decide what the contract says," Mary said.
Tips to protect yourself when hiring wedding vendors:
- Check reviews on multiple sites including Google, Yelp, The Know and Wedding Wire
- Verify vendors have liability insurance
- Use secure payment methods instead of apps like Zelle or Venmo
- Ask for adjusted payment schedules, such as three payments instead of two
- Reach out to people tagged in vendors' social media posts
"If you are dealing with a reputable industry professional, they're going to give you options to meet in the middle and make it successful for both parties," Gelder said.
Since our first story, we’ve heard from two more women who also claim they hired Cozzolino, but he has not delivered their wedding video materials.
Cozzolino declined an on-camera interview but said, in part, through a text message: "My only goal now is to officially close that chapter, leave my old photography business behind, and resolve these outstanding issues with dignity."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
