Another form of "Bride Bullying"

Grabbed from simonmainwaring.com 

TIP: Please read from top to bottom. We are referring to FOREIGN blogs and photogs. 

It's been awhile since we had one of these 'controversial' posts that kind of gets people all riled up. But we just cannot take it any longer. We just really, really have to ask this. And maybe it's ignorance on our part, and if it is, then maybe you can help us understand the logic behind this. But let us ask this question once and for all:

If you are a wedding blog or a photographer for that matter, what gives YOU the right to tell brides not to submit their weddings to be featured? What gives YOU the right to even ask for a lock-out. Did YOU pay for some sort of exclusivity fee? And as their photographer, didn't they pay YOU for YOUR services? So why are you the one dictating a bride that she can't have HER WEDDING submitted???

Once in a while, we get requests from brides who would ask for their feature in our blog to be taken down. The sad part? These brides were the ones who emailed us, excited to be featured. Then, all of a sudden, they'd have to ask their feature to be taken down because they were either told by a blog that they have a lock-out period, or their photographer apparently does not allow it. Here's a sample of an email we recently just got and again, this is not an isolated case because once in awhile we do get emails like this.

Dear RB, 

Hope this email finds you well. I am so incredibly sorry, and embarrassed to be writing for the following reason, but fear I must. Unfortunately, I need to ask that you remove the post about my wedding. There were certain binding regulations with my photographers which I was not aware of, and I am not allowed to have sent my wedding information to you for posting. 

This is not the first time we've gotten an email like this and it INFURIATES us soooo much! THIS IS JUST SO WRONG. A bride is naturally proud of her wedding and the mere fact that she submitted her wedding means that she wanted their wedding to be featured. What gives a blog or a photographer the right to take that away from a happy couple????? IT'S INSANE! Now if you paid a couple for some sort of exclusive rights then yes, maybe you have the right to demand that. But if not, then forgive us if there's something we don't seem to catch here but what the hell?!? This is definitely bride bullying, that's what it is. 

Now don't get us wrong. I'd like to think that this shallow madness does not happen in the Philippines. I'd like to think that a bride can get featured in RB, Bride and Breakfast, Bridal Book without being asked to have a lock-out. We're referring to International-based blogs who would demand lock-outs which is totally absurd. First of all, if you are a good writer, you can blog about a wedding a thousand times over and know how to feature it differently. Don't get us wrong about the photogs either. To our knowledge this requests come from photogs outside of the PH. Unless we are unaware that this is already happening locally as well? But whether it's happening here or elsewhere, however way to look at it, it's just wrong. Totally wrong. To rob a couple from celebrating their wedding. To rob a couple's right to be featured the way they want to be. That's just plain MEAN. And I do hope that locally, it will never come to this.

And if you are a bride, and you experience this in the future, KNOW YOUR RIGHT. You have the right to your own wedding for Pete's sake. don't let a blog or a photographer bully you into lock-outs and whatnot. Read your contracts and make sure you are not getting screwed. And if there is some sort of clause that robs you from submitting your wedding, then maybe you shouldn't patronize a selfish supplier like that. 

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