Couples out thousands after Utah-based national wedding business suddenly closes

SALT LAKE CITY — New 12 months’s Eve was the proper evening for Lindsey Foreman and Justin Penn to say, “I do.”

“It was proper on the banks of the Chicago River. We had fireworks behind us at midnight,” Penn mentioned. “It was implausible.”

The couple has all of the photographs and reminiscences from their Chicago marriage ceremony, together with when Justin’s youngsters stunned Lindsey with their very personal vows.

However photographs simply don’t do moments like that justice.

“It was that second at our marriage ceremony the place I believed to myself, I’m so glad that is on video,” Foreman mentioned.

The now-Mr. and Mrs. Penn employed Utah-based Tolman Media for marriage ceremony videography providers. Their contract exhibits Tolman Media Wisconsin and Chicago IL, an LLC with a enterprise license originating in Utah, charging $1,675 for 11 hours of videography with a 10- to 12-minute spotlight video and uncooked video information.

That LLC is one in all greater than a dozen registered in Utah, below the Tolman Media title. Many of the LLCs embody the names of assorted states the place Tolman Media seems to have been working.

The corporate’s mannequin is to seek out native photographers and videographers to contract with, who present providers to {couples} within the state they’re getting married in. The {couples} pay Tolman Media immediately. On this case, the Penn’s solely used Tolman for videography and employed a separate enterprise for pictures.

The Penns defined they confronted struggles coping with Tolman Media all through the method, however the firm stored telling them issues had been OK regardless of seeming disorganized.

“You’re trusting an organization with the most important day of your life,” Justin mentioned. They had been nervous, however nonetheless had religion they’d get their video.

When February started to roll round and Lindsey Penn hadn’t heard something, she arrange a gathering with their Tolman contact.

Nonetheless, their contact missed the cellphone assembly and Penn would discover out Tolman Media utterly shut down.

The videographer who shot their marriage ceremony obtained in contact to inform them the information, and Lindsey mentioned Tolman Media by no means paid him for filming their marriage ceremony. Tolman Media was alleged to edit the footage in-house, with the videographer handing off the footage.

The couple gave the impression to be out of luck making an attempt to get their marriage ceremony video, with no response from the one electronic mail handle Tolman Media claimed was nonetheless working. The cellphone numbers had been all disconnected.

All of the moments they had been wanting ahead to reliving, had been gone.

“I feel I like went by means of the levels of grief,” Lindsey mentioned. “Like, I used to be emotional. After which I used to be offended.”

‘Working away with everybody’s cash’

Shannon Dance and her fiancée Annette England mentioned they employed Tolman Media for his or her upcoming April marriage ceremony in California.

Their contract exhibits the LLC Tolman Media Empire – Los Angeles providing eight hours of photograph and video protection with 600 edited photographs, a ten+ minute spotlight video and uncooked video information for $3,046, which Dance mentioned she paid in full between two transactions.

Dance’s contract additionally options Brennan Tolman’s signature — the proprietor of Tolman Media.

In late February, she obtained an electronic mail from Tolman Media explaining that the corporate was closing.

“Sadly, as of two/15/2023, Tolman Media has shut down all administration operations however will proceed achievement operations by means of our gifted photographers, videographers and DJs,” the e-mail states. “Try to be receiving an electronic mail connecting you to your presently assigned Tolman Media creatives. Our creatives have been clearly instructed to onboard you and deal with you as should you had been their personally booked shopper, so your marriage ceremony ought to go on with out interruption.”

It defined that an electronic mail would keep energetic for 90 days in case of any points.

Shannon Dance and Annette England (Photograph courtesy: Shannon Dance)

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At first, Dance wasn’t alarmed.

“We’re nonetheless going to be taken care of and there’s nothing to fret about,” Dance mentioned, upon seeing that the e-mail promised their pictures and videography distributors would nonetheless be capable of shoot their marriage ceremony. “And that was just about it. That’s all we heard.”

A number of days later, Dance’s photographer reached out to say that she had not been paid any of the cash that Dance had given to Tolman Media, and that Shannon and Annette would wish to rebook the photographer and videographer at their very own charges.

Dance understood the photographer wanted to receives a commission, however the couple had not deliberate on paying twice over.

It additionally immediately contradicted what Tolman Media despatched to shoppers throughout the nation.

“We had been simply actually wired. I used to be anxious about it. I cried about it. As a result of I used to be actually freaked out and was like, what are we going to do?!” Dance defined. “We simply misplaced hundreds of {dollars}, and we’re not going to get it again in time to pay somebody new.”

The photographer and videographer had been keen to work out a deal for the couple, however the couple couldn’t afford the brand new worth. With barely a month till their marriage ceremony, Shannon needed to begin over to discover a totally different group from scratch.

She couldn’t get ahold of anybody from Tolman Media to ask a few refund.

“They’re principally operating away with everybody’s cash,” Shannon mentioned.

KSL TV has spoken with someplace round a dozen different brides-to-be like Shannon and Annette, who’re in the same scenario. Many despatched over their contracts and cost screenshots with proof they paid Tolman Media LLCs wherever from a whole lot to hundreds of {dollars}, for providers they gained’t get except they pay over again.

Forcing photographers into a tricky spot

Abby Yerkes and her fiancé, Eric Creech, personal A&E’s Imaginative and prescient in Omaha, Nebraska. Abby takes photographs and Eric shoots video for weddings, senior photographs, {couples} and households.

They labored as contractors for Tolman Media, filling in areas of their schedule and utilizing it as a backup to get enterprise.

The couple obtained an electronic mail despatched to Tolman contractors, explaining the closure. It mentioned all Tolman Media companies in each state aside from 9 (Pennsylvania, North & South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Michigan, Indiana, Idaho and Kansas) had been shutting down. The companies nonetheless working, the e-mail mentioned, had been working as franchises and would rebrand below totally different names.

“With the current recession and its impression on the economic system we’ve got reached some extent in our operations the place there is no such thing as a money left within the enterprise and we’re pressured to shut our doorways,” the e-mail learn. “You probably have been assigned an upcoming marriage ceremony from Tolman Media, please do your greatest to meet it.”

It tells the contractors that any brides with ultimate funds nonetheless due, might simply pay them immediately, however that photographers and videographers would wish to separate no matter was left.

Wedding ceremony videographer Eric Creech and photographer Abby Yerkes (Photograph courtesy: Abby Yerkes)

“They had been principally saying that (shoppers) weren’t getting a refund,” Abby mentioned. “And so clearly, that doesn’t — we’ve got no manner of getting that (cash).”

Abby and Eric started to succeed in out to the ten or so shoppers whose weddings they had been set to work by means of Tolman Media to clarify the scenario.

Whereas some shoppers solely paid deposits to this point, others had paid in full. It meant that Abby and Eric both needed to ask for cost once more or work at no cost.

“We’ve been making an attempt to get involved with anyone, like even the world supervisor,” she mentioned. However like with everybody else, the corporate stopped responding.

A number of different photographers, together with some in Utah, instructed KSL TV they weren’t paid for previous weddings both. Some say they’re owed wherever from $800 to greater than $1,000 for weddings labored over the winter and final fall.

Yerkes mentioned she and Eric have been paid for the weddings they’ve already labored, although the cost was gradual and behind schedule.

They’ve been put in a tricky spot as they work with {couples} on upcoming weddings the most effective they will, balancing methods to transfer ahead.

“There’ll be some shoppers that he has mentioned they paid in full,” Abby mentioned, of a few of Eric’s shoppers. “And he’s being tremendous beneficiant and simply doing it out of the kindness of his coronary heart.”

Submitting a fraud declare

Abby mentioned a few their shoppers have filed a fraud declare, and not less than one has been in a position to get better their cash.

Justin and Lindsey are additionally hoping to get their a refund.

They mentioned the previous Tolman videographer who shot their marriage ceremony was in a position to monitor down the footage. They’re planning to pay him immediately for it, and are nonetheless figuring out if he’s in a position to edit collectively a spotlight reel for them.

Lindsey is relieved she will be able to nonetheless get these moments from their special occasion, even when she has to pay further.

“On the finish of the day, I’ll simply be thankful for the information at this level,” she mentioned.

Lindsey’s mother has filed a fraud declare within the meantime.

“My mother was in a position to dispute the cost on her bank card and was in a position to get $1,000 again,” she mentioned. “I’m nonetheless combating the remainder.”

With one month to go till the large day, Shannon scrambled to rebook and located a photographer who might work inside the couple’s new — and even slimmer — funds. They are going to find yourself paying double what they initially budgeted for.

“We did file a fraud declare with our financial institution, however that’s nonetheless ongoing,” she mentioned. “They haven’t mentioned if, what’s going to occur. They instructed us it might take as much as 4 months. So, we’re sort of simply sitting and ready at this level.”

The Utah Division of Commerce couldn’t verify if the Utah Division of Shopper Safety has obtained complaints about Tolman Media or any of its LLCs, however did encourage individuals who consider they’re victims of fraud to file a criticism on their web site consumerprotection.utah.gov or name (801) 530-6601.

For questions or complaints regarding labor and wages, the Utah Division of Commerce mentioned customers can electronic mail the Utah Labor Fee at laborcom@utah.gov or name (801) 530-6800.

Tolman Media didn’t reply to KSL TV’s a number of requests for remark, however did publish this assertion on their web site:

To Whom It Could Concern,

It is a formal discover that as of February 15, 2023, Tolman Media LLC, Tolman Media Empire LLC, and Tolman Media Dynasty LLC have formally ceased operations and been dismantled. All belongings have been offered, there is no such thing as a money remaining within the enterprise, and no additional workers, members, managers, or officers energetic. All web sites, emails, and call data has been shut off.

Throughout this dismantling course of, we at Tolman Media HQ have labored extremely arduous to make sure that all presently booked brides are related with their extremely educated photographers and videographers. No additional adverts are operating for Tolman Media, and no additional gross sales might be made. All weddings that had been initially booked by means of the Tolman Media reserving service have now been transferred on to the photographers and videographers to meet themselves.

Finally, this dismantling comes as a whole shock. A number of months in the past, 4 licensees operating their very own, particular person LLC entities however utilizing the Tolman Media emblems and title, went bankrupt. These ex-licensees owed their photographers and videographers giant sums of cash for work that was already completed (which they by no means paid earlier than shutting their doorways). These 4 failed licensees, utilizing the Tolman Media title, brought about an inflow of unhealthy critiques, offended prospects, and disgruntled creatives that posted their expertise and opinions everywhere in the web. We had been ready to answer these critiques, however all this adverse publicity finally ended up very significantly hurting Tolman Media’s bookings throughout what was alleged to be its most worthwhile season.

All of it got here to a head in the course of the weekend earlier than Valentine’s Day, a YouTube video was posted, falsely accusing founder Brennan Tolman of profiting from his photographers and never paying them. Brennan known as and confronted the creator of the video, defined the scenario with the licensees, and that within the areas owned and managed by him, issues have been run with the very best commonplace. Sadly, the YouTuber thought he had an fascinating story, and even with Brennan’s a number of requests, he refused to take down the video.

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Over the course of that weekend, the video blew up amongst Tolman Media’s photographers and videographers, and booked present and future shoppers. Even the popular venue distributors of Tolman Media had been getting hate emails for the affiliation of our model. Photographers give up, now considering that they might by no means receives a commission for any upcoming jobs; present shoppers wished to cancel their contracts; and finally, Tolman Media’s title, in addition to the popularity of founder, Brennan Tolman, within the marriage ceremony business had unfairly develop into severely broken.

All of us at Tolman Media HQ are extraordinarily saddened by this chain of occasions, as we’ve got all the time strove to deal with all of our shoppers, photographers, and videographers, with the utmost respect.

We’re extraordinarily saddened however are grateful that each one of our booked brides will nonetheless get superb protection from their Tolman Media- educated photographer and videographer.

Tolman Media Shareholders