Couple's big day is ‘ruined’ by an amateur photographer who turned up 45 minutes late then spent more time taking photos of HERSELF leaving them with just 15 pictures of their reception 

A couple were devastated after they paid £500 for a wedding photographer for nine hours but ended up with just 15 'rubbish' pictures of their reception. 

Paul and Chareen Wheatley, from Leeds, say student photographer Chloe Johnston, ruined their wedding day in September last year after arriving late, and then spent more time taking pictures of herself at their reception than of the happy newlyweds. 

The couple also endured a muddy photoshoot the groom was unable to take part in, were stunned when Miss Johnston, 20, arrived without any lighting equipment and are furious that instead of romantic mementoes of their special day they are left with just a handful of grainy prints in which their faces can barely be seen.

Miss Johnston, 20, has now been ordered to pay the angry newlyweds £605 after they took her to court, but maintains that she is happy with her work, adding that if the Wheatleys wanted better quality pictures they shouldn't have hired a student to take them. 

Paul and Chareen Wheatley were devastated after their wedding photographer arrived late and then spent more time taking pictures of herself at their reception than of the happy newlyweds

In the picture of the couple cutting their wedding cake, the groom cannot be seen (left), while top of the cake was cut off in the pictures (left)

'She pretty much ruined our wedding day by not taking nice pictures for us to remember it by - she was a photographer from hell,' said Mr Wheatley, 42, an insurance consultant.

'The photos aren't a true reflection of our day and we can't replace that, we can't redo the photos, it's really disappointing.

'They are awful, most of them aren't taken properly with some people partly cut out, the quality of the images were rubbish too.'

Mr and Mrs Wheatley say student photographer Chloe Johnston, (pictured) ruined their wedding day in September last year after they paid her £500 for her to take pictures of their ceremony and reception

Mr and Mrs Wheatley claim Miss Johnston arrived 45 minutes late and spent more time having her own picture taken in a photobooth (pictured) than she did taking snaps of them, although she says she was in the booth for around a minute and a half

The couple say they agreed to pay Miss Johnston for nine hours' work after she told them she was an up-and-coming professional photographer who was keen to make a name for herself in the wedding industry.

But after handing over the £500 they say she then  vanished and only confirmed she was attending the night before their wedding.

Then, on the day itself, Mr and Mrs Wheatley claim Miss Johnston arrived 45 minutes late and spent more time having her own picture taken in a photobooth than she did taking snaps of them. 

In the photograph of the couple cutting their cake, the groom can barely be seen, while in a shot of the cake itself the top has been sliced off the photograph. 

Mr and Mrs Wheatley also claim Miss Johnston made the bride, 37, traipse through muddy puddles for a photoshoot in the woods that left her dress filthy.

Mr Wheatley, who struggles to walk because of problems with his knee, wasn't even able to clamber down to the woody area, leaving his new wife to have romantic shots with her bridesmaids instead.

The couple received just 15 photographs from their evening do, and say they were shocked when they found pictures of her in a photobooth intended for guests

Miss Johnston, 20, has now been ordered to pay the angry newlyweds £605 after they took her to court. Pictured is one of her shots from the wedding day

Mr and Mrs Wheatley have just 15 photographs from their wedding reception (pictured), and say many of the snaps to remember their big day are of poor quality

The couple say they agreed to pay Miss Johnston for nine hours' work after she told them she was an up-and-coming professional photographer who was keen to make a name for herself in the wedding industry

'Chloe told us she was professional and was an up and coming photographer trying to make a name for herself, we took her at face value and were too trustworthy,' said Mr Wheatley.

'After we paid her we couldn't get in touch with her again, and we didn't think she was going to turn up until she sent us at message at 10pm the night before our wedding.

'She turned up 45 minutes late to our reception with no equipment other than her camera and a photography bag, no camera stand, no wide lenses, nothing to bounce the light or even lighting.

'On my wedding day I was walking with a slight limp due to my knee placement, Chloe was aware of it but asked us both to go for a long walk in the muddy woods which I couldn't do.

'Instead she took my wife and even though she was holding her dress up while walking through the boggy, damp woodland with lots or puddles it was covered in mud and got torn - it cost us £200 in dry cleaning bills.

They also claim she made the bride, 37, traipse through muddy puddles for a photoshoot in the woods (pictured) that left her dress filthy, but Mr Wheatley was unable to take part because of his mobility issues

The Facebook advert that convinced the couple to hire Miss Johnston to photograph their wedding

'Not only that, Chareen had all the romantic shots with her bridesmaids instead of me, it was a complete disaster, Chloe didn't have a clue what she was doing.'

In December the couple won their appeal for a refund at the small claims court at Leeds County Court and after enlisting the help of bailiffs reclaimed £605 two weeks ago.

The couple received just 15 photographs from their evening do, and say they were shocked when they found pictures of her in a photobooth intended for guests. 

In December the couple won their appeal for a refund at the small claims court at Leeds County Court and after enlisting the help of bailiffs reclaimed £605 two weeks ago

The court ruled that the Wheatleys should be refunded their £500, and given an additional £35 for court costs

'Throughout the whole thing she looked very chilled out and in the evening I hardly saw anything of her,' said Mr Wheatley.

'Instead of having lots of photos from the evening there was 15 at the most, later we discovered that instead of doing her job she was having fun in the photobooth - we never even gave her permission to even be in there.

'I wouldn't have minded her having a joke with a picture or two if her own pictures were adequate but they weren't.

'I couldn't believe the cheek of what she'd done, instead of concentrating on our reception she was messing around taking selfies at our expense.'

The couple say that when they complained about the quality of their pictures, Miss Johnston took to social media and complained about them online.

'When I told her I wasn't happy with the quality of the photographs she went onto forums and said some horrible things about me on there,' said the groom.

'She didn't need to do that, we'd paid for the service and had been nice until then so decided to take her to the small claims court.'

The court ruled that the Wheatleys should be refunded their £500, and given an additional £35 for court costs.

But after Miss Johnston did not pay them they were forced to hire bailiffs and finally reclaimed the money - including an additional sum for the bailiffs - two weeks ago.

'While it's too late for us to get nice pictures that actually reflect our wedding day at least we can warn others to hire a professional photographer,' said Mr Wheatley.

'We were too trusting with Chloe and while we've been able to get a refund from her it'll never replace those moments we lost on our big day.'

Miss Johnston says that she was happy with her work, and if the couple had wanted professionally lit photographs they shouldn't have hired a student. 

After handing over the £500 the couple say their photographer then vanished and only confirmed she was attending the night before their wedding

The couple (pictured) say they were 'too trusting', but Miss Johnston says she was happy with her work

'I was happy with the pictures,' she said. 'I showcased the day through their eyes, on the wedding day itself the couple were lovely. I did everything I could have and more at that wedding, I was happy with their photographs and they were.

'If he wanted a professional photographer, wanted lighting, this and that, he should have paid for that but he didn't he paid for a student.

'When I went into photograph booth, I went in for a minute and a half, I did that because there was nothing going on.

'He will do anything to drag my name through the mud, when all I tried to do was help with him and his wife with whatever problem they had against me even though they loved the product, and he's now done this to a young female.' 

The couple say that when they complained about the quality of their pictures, Miss Johnston, who took this picture at the reception of their sweet table, took to social media and complained about them online