Wedding Photographer Contracts COVID-19 After Groom Doesn't Disclose Positive Test

Wedding Photographer Contracts COVID-19 After Groom Doesn't Disclose Positive Test

A Texas wedding photographer contracted COVID-19 after the groom did not disclose his positive test result before the wedding day.

The incident happened recently in Texas. The unnamed photographer, who has asthma and three children, had been at the ceremony (which was without masks) for a couple of hours, when a bridesmaid made an offhand comment thanking her for coming despite “everything that’s going on with the groom.” Upon the photographer asking for clarification of the remark, the bridesmaid mentioned that the groom has tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day and told her not to "freak out" because she thought since he wasn't showing symptoms that everything was fine. After hearing the news, the photographer and her assistant left the ceremony early, but the exit was not without controversy, with many in the wedding party deeming her actions selfish and even the wedding planner calling it "the most unprofessional thing she’d ever seen."

Nonetheless, the photographer took appropriate precautions to protect her family and subcontracted imminent future weddings, which paid off, as she developed symptoms and tested positive a few days later, though the couple showed no signs of remorse for the turn of events. In fact, before she left the wedding, in speaking with a bridesmaid, she said: "I have children. What if my children die?" Incredibly, the bridesmaid responded: “I understand, but this is her wedding day.”

Of course, it shouldn't need to be said that COVID-19 can absolutely be passed from person to person even if the carrier is asymptomatic. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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64 Comments

There's no guarantee they won't die. I can't believe how stupid and irresponsible the wedding party was.

I understand the first comment as that you were annoyed by the overly emotional writing of this article. I agree, bringing the children into this is pushing the narrative a bit too hard. Yet its still a factor. Im a working healthcare professional and there are cases of newborns getting a stroke from covids change to blood function.
Nonetheless its very, very unlikely. Even Asthma isnt considered an actual Risk-Factor anymore. So in truth, shell propably be fine. But still: not telling her despite knowing (!) and allowing the photographer to judge for herself borders on crime.

As I noted below, I'm a healthcare professional with over 33 years of cardiovascular and pulmonary critical care experience. I hardly need someone like you to tell me how the virus "behaves". And yes, while very few young children have died from COVID, that doesn't mean there hasn't been any deaths of young children. And, you don't know the health status of the photographers children (or others in attendance, for that matter). They too could have risk factors that would place them at a higher risk for complications and even death.

From your link below...
"Child deaths tied to covid-19 remain remarkably low, months into U.S. pandemic"

Notice it doesn't say NO children have died.

Who are you to tell others how to protect the health of their own children, especially someone as scientifically ignorant as yourself.

And, as I mentioned, the photographer was not the only person in attendance at this maskless wedding. Many others could have been infected as well, with possibly dangerous and deadly consequences.

Probably? Maybe that's a good enough gamble for your children.

What a selfish, irresponsible attitude. This is why America leads the world in infections and deaths. Really over people like this. Just so selfish.

Yea I notice Switzerland gave up on their first approach, no restrictions at all. Yes gambling with other people's health is irresponsible wherever you live.

But I do, I live there. Our numbers are one of the highest of the world. Still we think we can manage it. More than a 100 people die every day (out of a population of just about 8 millions). It seems the people here do not care that much. My children are wearing masks. Why don't yours?

Switzerland -
Over 400,000 cases
Deaths - 5883
Recovered - 318,000

Which means that 82,000 are still suffering issues due to covid.

While you are correct, the odds are "low", do you really want to take the chance? Don't forget of the 400,000 cases but where people recovered, how many of those will have long term damage to their health?

I bet when you and your family get into a car you put on your seatbelt, but what are the chances of a crash? Better than the 68 to 1 you and you family are gambling with every day with Covid-19!

What an ignorant response. By now... you don't know yet that mask-wearing is protective of others, not yourself??? The mask prevents droplets, which are the mode of transmission, from leaving the infected person's mouth and nose, and traveling to another person. Nothing is perfect about this, especially when worn incorrectly (exposed nose, hankie and scarf type coverings, etc.), but wearing a typical mask like a surgical mask is unlikely to protect you if exposed.

Peter, even a mask can't fix stupid. Please ignore Petoftheweek.

Totally irrelevant question. If nearly 1 year after this all started, you still didn't understand that the masks don't protect you from catching the virus, but protect others from receiving it from you.... I really don't know what to say :-(

"Did the photographer wear a mask?"

Being in Texas, I'm aware that some folk down here are explicit "covid deniers" for whom refusing to wear masks is actually a religious issue. There are employers who forbid their employees to wear masks. It might have been that this photographer was pressured not to wear a mask. It's not a joke around here.

In a case like that, it's a matter of whether the photographer can say "no" to the job.

Why is this anybody’s fault but the photographer’s? She knew there’s a risk yet didn’t protect herself. Why would she assume that she wouldn’t contract a contagious airborne disease at an event like a wedding?

Alex - Why further the narrative that personal responsibility is no longer relevant to personal risk management?

So there was no "personal responsibility" for the groom to let others know he was positive for COVID, so that others could make their own "personal risk management" decisions? What if there were other guests there who were perhaps immuno-compromised? Elderly guests who are at greater risk of dying? Just because he wasn't showing symptoms doesn't mean he couldn't pass the virus to others, who could go on and spread the virus even further, even if they themselves remained asymptomatic. Putz.

Resorting to personal attacks is not constructive.

I was being kind.

Sure, in the same way that Alex was being informative and factual when writing the headline for this piece.

You’re upset by somebody you don’t know that is questioning a baseless narrative. Notice that Alex’s story has no facts or data. It’s effectively clickbait.

Of course we all wish the best for this photographer. We can also simultaneously acknowledge that she took a risk that apparently didn’t play out well for her. She chose to take that risk. Nobody forced her to do a shoot without proper PPE, or to do the shoot at all.

Every shoot I do, I assume every person I’m near is carrying some viral load. It’s on me to avoid getting it. Personal responsibility. If I contract covid, it’s my fault.

I love it. Blame the victim.

Let's say you had an important appointment with someone in an office on Main Street, and as you're traveling down Main Street to your appointment, you get hit and severely injured by a drunk driver. By your "logic", it's your fault that you were seriously injured because you should have assumed you would be hit by a drunk driver on Main Street and taken a different route. Nobody "forced" you to take Main Street.

"Notice that Alex’s story has no facts or data." Really? What's missing?

Here's more on the incident...

https://www.mediaite.com/news/jaw-dropping-report-texas-wedding-photogra...

It's both sad and pathetic that you seem bend over backwards to absolve the wedding party of the "personal responsibility" to ALL those in attendance to inform them that the Groom had tested positive for the potentially deadly COVID virus. (Not to mention the fact that the entire affair was maskless. Who else could have been positive and not known it? What about their "personal responsibility"?) The photographer was hardly the only one there, and many other people could have been infected as well, with possibly deadly results.

Adults that contract covid in late 2020 are not victims. I think that's the core of where we disagree. I could see the photographer's kids being the vicitims in this - if they are young and live at home, their health and well being is the responsibility of their parents.

I don't think your analogy of comparing an adult navigating a world where we all know covid is floating in the air versus an adult negligently operating a motor vehicle on a public street where drunk drivers are the exception to the norm is very useful. But, to attempt to leverage it anyways, I'm of the opinion that the photographer in this narrative is the drunk driver. She acted negligently. She knew the risks and apparently exposed herself anyways. Her kids are the people walking down Main St - they don't expect their mom to put them at risk, but she did anyways.

Maybe a better analogy is one that leverages your appeals to authority where you mentioned that you are a doctor. If you contract a disease from your workplace, who is responsible for your protection and your outcomes? Do you protect yourself or do you put your protection in the hands of other adults? Do you wait for others to tell you when to apply your PPE or do you decide for yourself? Do you wait for others to tell you what level of PPE to apply or do you decide for yourself?

Alex's story is missing actual information - data. How many other places did the photographer go where she put herself at risk of contracting covid prior to testing positive? How many other people did she have close contact with at the wedding? (the clickbait headline implies it was solely the groom) What other risk factors were at play? The only piece of useful information is that the rest of the wedding party were not wearing masks. This indicates that the photographer could literally see that she was in an environment that put her health at risk. Yet she apparently did not protect herself. Who is responsible for protecting her if not herself in an obviously risky scenario? She had multiple options at her disposal - stay there as she did, stay there yet increase her personal protective measures, or leave. The story indicates she stayed there as she did, knowing that the air around her was potentially carrying a virus that she knows she's at risk of contracting and having serious outcomes from. She waited for another adult to tell her that she was in a risky environment, even though she could see that for herself hours prior. She made the choice to increase her risk profile. I saw nothing in Alex's story or in the Mediaite story to indicate that coercion was involved.

Don't get knocked out of shape over Ban G. He is, I believe, a troll. His profile is recent and has only four posts. All on this topic. Ignore him.

However it is disappointing that these articles are not moderated.

"I was being kind." Amos, is that you?

Who is "Amos"?

A reference to a television show.

How do you know if the photographer did or didn't wear a mask? The article doesn't say...
The article did say the photographer has asthma, which is a higher risk category than the average person. We do know the majority of masks available to the public aren't as effective as N95 type masks. So she could have very well been wearing a mask but because of the need for close proximity she most likely contracted the disease from the groom! The attitude of the others quoted is astonishing. But I'm guessing they're in the invincible age range....

A couple that self-centered? That's going to be a lasting marriage.

Photography is a hobby for me. In real life, I'm a healthcare professional with over 33 years of cardiovascular and pulmonary critical care. People like this wedding party are why states like Mississippi are completely out of ICU beds.

Photography is a hobby for me. In real life, I'm a healthcare professional with over 33 years of cardiovascular and pulmonary critical care. People like this wedding party are why states like Mississippi are completely out of ICU beds.

I don't know why this posted twice.

That’s ok. It lets me upvote the comment twice.

It's not just 'states like Mississippi'. Here in Winnipeg, we were down to 5 active cases in June. Restrictions were relaxed, people got out, and now we're seeing over 400 new cases daily. The ICU beds are close to full.

Winnipeg was the shining star in Canada, but now we're hurting. The initial ramp up was mostly older people. Now, the under 40 crowd makes up the majority of cases. It was blamed on 'bar hopping'. Regardless, it's not tied to a specific region.

A lot of people have the idea, 'If it's legal, it must be safe." That's why there are people who drive the posted speed limit on an icy road.

I think a civil lawsuit is absolutely in order... As has been done succesfully in past with intentional exposure to AIDS, for example.

I feel for all photographers in this time. However, This is stupid on so many levels and look at the results. My son canceled his wedding until this is over. Love will last. So do possible permanent disabilities or death. Having a wedding mask or not and having the virus? How do you defend this. You can't. In my opinion there seem to be so many irresponsible people out there you have to look out for yourself. Including photographers.

Not to mention the fact that the photographer was not the only person in attendance. There were many other people there who could have been infected as well. What about elderly parents or others who may have some medical condition that makes them immuno-compromised?

What was the point of the groom getting tested? He's asymptomatic. Was there ever going to be the moment of clarity for anyone's welfare? They were going to completely ignore the results, always.

You can pass it on to others even if you're asymptomatic. Seems like common sense to let people know that, "Hey, I tested positive, let's be careful". This is no different than anyone with STD's not telling their partner that they are positive, symptoms or no.

I agree. Im from
Germany and here it is considered a crime if you knowingly (!) endanger a fellow citizen without warning the person beforehand (STDs or other)
As i myself are a healthcare professional by main occupation, i have to say, that this behaviour is very unfitting and shows some very poor judgment.
Just today talked to a patient where his father and his uncle died in 1 week from covid. Its real. Its annoying and all, but still real.

I think the point Mark F was making is that because this couple went on with an explicitly maskless wedding anyway, regardless of the fact that one of them tested positive, there was no point in the groom having taken the test anyway. It made no difference in their actions, and likely they knew it wouldn't...so why bother with the test?

See my reply to Mark F. He may have been tested for COVID for honeymoon travel or an upcoming elective medical procedure. Whatever the reason, not informing ALL those in attendance was dangerous and highly irresponsible and reprehensible.

@El Dooderino Vasectomy? Lobotomy? Conscience implant?

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