Book with AZAR if you want your wedding memory ruined! AZAR misled us into signing a contract and then violated it, leaving us disrespected and disappointed. Before signing, Andrew... told us he would be the lead photographer, with his wife Lesya as second. Their social media showed 32 years of combined experience—20 for Andrew and 12 for Lesya—which was key in our decision, as photography was the most important part of our wedding. Andrew mentioned partnering with an experienced videographer, leading us to add one to our package. We communicated exclusively with Andrew throughout the planning process. On our wedding day, we were shocked to find Lesya as the lead photographer and their teenage daughter as the second. The promised videographer was absent, and Andrew was handling videography himself. We paid for 32 years of photography experience but received less than half! There was no communication or apology. We felt blindsided and anxious, unsure if the videographer canceled or if Andrew misled us from the start. We felt trapped, relying on someone we had never met to capture our most important day. It’s not like we could argue with him in front of 100 guests! We don’t know why Andrew thinks it’s okay to put us in such distress on our wedding day! Sadly, it was hard to understand Lesya’s instructions due to language barriers. After months of planning with Andrew, it was frustrating to see him not even photographing. We don't know if any of our requests were communicated to Lesya. Many photos were poorly composed, with harsh shadows and overexposure. Some important moments like the first dance and sparkler sendoff were major letdowns. Their daughter left 3 hours early without notice. We had carefully planned a schedule requiring two experienced photographers to cover multiple locations. When one left, the remaining photographer had to scramble, impacting both quality and quantity of photos.
When we raised concerns after we received all final deliverables (3 months after wedding), Andrew denied promising him and his wife being the photographers, despite their website clearly showing only them at the time of booking. We had no reason to think anyone else would be our photographers. He also denied ever promising a third-party videographer, even though he had referred to the videographer as "he" throughout planning. If we had known the reality, we never would have booked them. Andrew also argued that our emotions weren’t affected, claiming we "looked happy"—as if we should have appeared miserable on our wedding day. This was ignorant and disrespectful, ignoring our genuine disappointment and implying we were lying. He only admitted his daughter left early (He had the heart to argue it was 1 hour not 3 like that makes it okay.) after we confronted him repeatedly. He downplayed the issue, offering a $30 refund for all the missed moments and stress we endured. What an insult! We don’t want any couple to have this devastating experience. They can promise the world to get you to sign, but once you're locked in, they claim they delivered the agreed-upon number of photos, and you are not allowed to criticize the quality or experience. Planning a wedding is stressful enough without worrying if your photographer will betray your trust! We urge anyone considering AZAR to think carefully. They might have had good reviews but weddings might have started to feel like just another transaction to them. You deserve better on your most important day!