Wedding photographer donates bride's deposit to Black Lives Matter after she demands refund

Photographer says: 'The Black Lives Matter movement has my endless support'

A wedding photographer is being applauded for her handling of a refund request from a customer upset over her support for Black Lives Matter.

This week, Shakira Rochelle, who owns Shakira Rochelle Photography in Cincinnati, Ohio, received a text message from a bride-to-be asking that she receive a refund because “we cannot bring ourselves to support anyone who is so outspoken on matters that simply do not concern them as well as someone that does not believe that ALL lives matter.”

In the message, which was screenshot and shared to Twitter by Rochelle’s friend, the bride continued: “We would be truly embarrassed to have you at our event and feel that you aren’t stable enough to complete the job we need from you.”

The bride concluded the message requesting to be removed from the contract she’d signed with Rochelle ahead of her upcoming wedding, and asking how and when she could expect a refund of her deposit.

Earlier in June, Rochelle shared her support for the Black Lives Matter movement on her Facebook page, where she wrote: “Shakira Rochelle Photography stands in solidarity with the black community. The Black Lives Matter movement has my endless support.”

In response to the message, Rochelle informed the bride that she is “sorry to hear that,” but that the deposit was non-refundable.

But rather than keep the deposit, the wedding photographer said she would be donating the money to the Black Lives Matter organisation.

“I wish you a lifetime of growth and I would like to thank you for your donation to Black Lives Matter,” Rochelle wrote, prompting the former client to write: “You will be hearing from our attorney.”

The text exchange has since gone viral on Twitter, where it has been liked more than 992,000 times and prompted hundreds of people to applaud Rochelle for her response.

“Your response was perfect. I support the hell out of you. People like that don’t deserve your time and effort.”

One person offered Rochelle legal help free of charge if she is contacted by her former client’s lawyer.

“Let me know if you need legal help. Happy to do what I can without charge,” they wrote.

Rochelle’s business Facebook page has since been flooded with positive reviews, with many praising her photography and her values.

“Fantastic work! Great values, and stellar pictures!” one person commented, while another said: “Beautiful photographs and an owner with integrity.”

As for Rochelle’s response to the outpouring of support, she wrote on Facebook that she “never had the intentions or the desire to go viral for this or anything else” and that she considered deleting the original post after suggestions her response was a “business tactic to make a profit on the BLM movement”.

However, explaining that it would “go against everything I stand for,” to remove the post, Rochelle said: “I have always stood up for human rights and will continue to do so. I have marched with my loved ones as well as alone.

“My intentions are pure. Please know that what you saw from me was the complete story.”