I-Team investigates newlyweds not receiving wedding video after over a year

Shanna Wagnor and Sean Lewis got married last June at a winery near San Francisco.

“It was perfect for us,” Wagnor said.

The couple also hired a videographer and photographer to capture every moment.

While the photographer came through, they said the videographer did not.

“I think that the ceremony was kind of a highlight for us, and would love to the see the video of our vows and everything,” Wagnor said.

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The couple agreed to pay Denovo Studio $4,200 to film their wedding.

Three cinematographers shot their wedding for 10 continuous hours.

Now one year later, though they have paid for most of the contracts, they said they still haven’t received their promised video.

“Then, after the fact, he said it will be 10 days after the wedding, and then we didn’t hear from him, and then it kept going on like that,” Wagnor said.

They said the owner of Denovo Studio, Matthew Groza, stopped responding in January.

There are a number of complaints about the now-closed company on Yelp.

One couple that did get some of their raw video blamed Groza, writing, “for ruining one of the most important aspects of our wedding day.”

Underneath that comment, a response from “Matthew G. of Denovo Studio” saying, “…if you think we “ruined” your wedding day, you should be glad that we preserved the files and sent them to you. Deleting them would have truly ruined your wedding, so snap out of your self-centered realm of life and be grateful you received what you did.”

KESQ’s I-Team tried tracking Groza down, finding on WhitePages that one of his last known addresses was in Palm Springs.

News Channel 3 did not find Groza at the Palm Springs address, but a woman who said she never knew him, but has received mail from him at that address.

“Somebody came to serve him papers here, like two months ago,” the woman said. “And I said no, he doesn’t live here.”

So what should you do if you’re looking for a wedding photographer?

“Take hiring your wedding videographer just as seriously as you do your wedding photographer,” Ivy Jacobson, Editor for The Knot, said. “First of all, it’s important to have wedding insurance. Just in case anything happens fraud wise, or they go out of business, if you have wedding insurance, you can still get your deposit back.”

Meanwhile, both Shanna and her husband Sean are still hoping to someday hear their vows again.

“Just to kind of see everything again, to relive the day is really what we are trying to do,” Lewis said.

Other tips from wedding experts at The Knot include meeting the videographer in person before the wedding and trusting your instincts.

They also recommend checking reviews online, asking about any complaints, and using a credit card to pay that will provide you with an opportunity to get a refund.

As for wedding insurance, Jacobson said it can cost anywhere from $155 to $550, depending on the amount of coverage you want.

KESQ also reached out to Groza over the phone Wednesday but did not return our call for comment.