Don't know if this has been mentioned here yet.  I really hope this person is no longer shooting weddings:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218248/Newlyweds-win-court-battle-1-500-wedding-photographer-shoddy-pictures-include-missing-heads-car-close-ups.html

Lol Slyvia and Mark!  Scary photos.

Wow! Those are unbelievably bad. Most people could have done better with a point and shoot on auto.

OMG..looks like a six year old fooled around with a camera!

Let's see it optimistic: That wedding dress is whiter than white 

At least this couple looks very happy

Bah - keep "saving money" on wedding photography folks.  Yep.

I have a wedding photography business and I'm asked at least a dozen times a year to give an aspiring photographer tips on what they should do before they shoot their first wedding which is inevitably right around the corner from when they contact me.  I cringe every time it happens because I realize how humongous the responsibility is to do a good job.  "Fake it till ya make it" will only take you so far. 

The fact the Bride and Groom sued for damages and won frightens me as a concept but clearly they were entitled to a full refund.  The award didn't grant them even that.  1450 pounds is what?  Around $2,500 American?  That isn't super premium prices but it isn't "this is my first wedding, let me shoot it for you please" cheap.  I wonder how he put together a portfolio worthy of charging that much.

well i think that the wedding couple should have sued, and I think they were awarded at least what they were due.  I don't think as a photographer one should be worried.  It is not like they were awarded $1,000,000 or anything.  They merely got back some of the money they paid.  

If I had a wedding couple that thought the pictures really were awful, and didn't want any of them, or worse, if a memory card was erased or some other mishap, I would happily give them a partial or full refund.  Obviously this photographer wasn't willing to do that since they had to sue to get part of their payment back.

But yes, it certainly is stressful doing weddings with the high level of anticipation.  Things simply can't be redone.  I have done weddings for a couple years but really prefer microstock

If the photographers client was unhappy, I can't believe he wouldn't have refunded the whole money. I can't believe they were forced to go to court to get their money back! That's just wrong. I wonder if the photographer used someone else's photos as a portfolio in order to get this job. Maybe he was just having a BBAAADDDD day.

I can imagine images lost in the film day, but in digital, even if you don't have time to look at each photo, you can check the general look - which was awful in the examples given. 

Now, I wonder how the guy got the job?  Did he purchase images on the internet to show as his?    Not the same thing, but I found an image I sold of a bathroom counter in the site of a granite counter seller, and of a swimming pool in a pool seller.  Do they need other people's work to market their own work?

Well, as someone who was on the other end of the camera during a horribly bad wedding shoot, I can tell you it is hugely disappointing. For most some of us it's a once in a lifetime event. My wife and I were married in a small town in northern Canada and the photographers could be counted on one finger...

Based on my own experience, I would never shoot a wedding - not without formal training.

OK, I just looked at the pictures. Mine weren't nearly that bad. I think my 9 year old would do a better job with his toy camera.