Newlyweds call I-TEAM to warn others about wedding photographer

Couples paid thousands but say they didn't get videos, photos as promised

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several Florida newlyweds, including a military couple from Jacksonville, contacted the I-TEAM wanting to warn others about a wedding photographer they said they wish they never hired.

All the couples say they paid Nick Seago, owner of SNi Photography, thousands of dollars, but all of them claim Seago didn't deliver as promised.

According to state records, Seago has owned SNi Photography since 2014, and it appears clients were happy until about a year ago.

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Newlywed couples want their memories

Chris Dendor is in the U.S. Navy and he and his wife Samantha are from Jacksonville. They were one of the first couples to contact the I-TEAM. They said they paid Seago $3,500 for photos and video of the wedding and were looking forward to sharing the video with family and friends who couldn't make it for their big day.

It's been nearly a year and the Dendors said they've only received some of their photos and none of their video.

"That is the biggest heartbreak, to me, like I will never have that video back," Samantha Dendor said. "We’ll never be able to see that. We will never be able to recreate that, like we will never have our friends like that, together. It really hurts cause we will never get to recreate it."

It's especially upsetting for them because a family member who was too sick to travel to their wedding has now passed away without seeing them say their vows.

"(Samantha's) grandfather, who passed away before we got the video, we know he really wanted to see it. That’s frustrating. That’s hard, because he was supposed to be at the wedding and he ended up getting really sick," explained Chris.

"We just want the memories," Samantha said.

Katie Keith also contacted the I-TEAM. In February 2018, she signed a contract with Seago and SNi Photography for almost $3,000 for a wedding package that included unlimited images, a highlight video and a long-play video capturing their vows and speeches.

"The contract does state that you will receive your material between six to eight weeks after the wedding," she said.

But ten months after her wedding, she was still trying to get her video.

"I would get excuses like, I'm out of town, I'm out of the country," she explained. "I thought I did all of the correct steps, and still, you know, bad things happen to good people. as they say."

Where is wedding photographer Nick Seago?

The I-TEAM has tried to find Nick Seago for weeks. We've emailed and called him but haven't received a response. We partnered with our sister station in Orlando, WKMG, to try to track him down at his last known address in Gainesville. The property appraiser confirms he still owns the house, but neighbors said he moved out months ago. An effort to find Seago at SNi Photography's business address in Winter Park hit a dead end as well. It turns out the address is for a UPS Store.

While the couples said they haven't been able to reach Seago, after our investigation with WKMG, Katie Keith told us she received an email from Seago that said absolutely nothing, but the email did include unedited video from her wedding.

SNi Photography's ratings drop

The couples tell us they all found Nick Seago and SNi Photography on the popular wedding website The Knot -- with Seago awarded "Best Photographer" three years in a row. However, his five-star ratings were replaced with bad reviews within the last year. 

The I-TEAM reached out to The Knot to find out criteria and the process for a business to appear on its website and haven't heard back yet, but we took the issue to the Better Business Bureau and Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

"You look at the ratings online and he has 4.7 stars to this date. How do you protect a consumer at that point?" we asked Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

"You know, one, is going through it and making sure, I don't know why he'd still have a 4.7 rating," she said. "People need to go onto the websites and just slam him -- but also (report) it."

And according to the Better Business Bureau, multiple customers have been complaining. 

"He already has an F rating with the BBB," said Tom Stephens, President of Northeast Florida's BBB.

"The company at this point has been unresponsive," added Holly Salmons, President of Central Florida's BBB.

We've learned a bride did sue SNi Photography last year for not delivering her wedding video and she won. She was awarded more than $3,000 but confirms Seago still hasn't paid her.

If you have a complaint against SNi Photography and Nick Seago, you can file it with the BBB here.