Wedding videographer doesn't deliver

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A newlywed couple celebrating the biggest day of their lives ended up singing the wedding bell blues. They say their wedding videographer ripped them off.

Melissa Riccione said, "It made me feel like I could really trust her and that it was a good company to work with."

But for newlyweds Joe and Melissa Riccione, that trust was violated as soon as their wedding was over. They hired Starlite Productions to videotape their wedding and reception, and even the preparations. That was back in August. Nine months later, they still haven't received a single frame of their wedding video.

"Was the whole thing just a show? Were they just pretending with their tripod and their headphones and their equipment?" questioned Melissa.

Melissa, a school teacher, and Joe, a doctor, told News 4 that Starlite's owners, Lonnie and Sherry Anderson, put on a good front to get their $1,600.

"Yeah, we did take dancing lessons. I fumbled through that. I want to see that. What does that look like?" Joe wondered.

And they have also heard from other newlyweds who are also waiting for their videos.

Joe added, "I get angry because I see my wife crying, thinking about this, or I see her upset, and that's what gets me angry."

Air Force lieutenants Matt and Nataliya Ables have been waiting even longer for their video. The couple was married at Trinity Episcopal Church back in July and they are now stationed in Arkansas.

Lt. Matt Ables said, "Either did a great job of scamming us to make us feel comfortable, or they had done this before. But whatever the case was, they were engaging us constantly leading up to the wedding."

Matt Ables pilots C-130 cargo planes, just like the ones at the Niagara Falls Airbase, and is deploying to the war in Afghanistan this summer. The Ables paid $1,500 for their video and Nataliya can't believe what is happening.

"Because it is so much more than money that was taken from us. Money can be replaced over time, but we're never going to be able to have another wedding video," said Lt. Nataliya Ables.

If you feel you've been ripped off by Starlite Productions, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General's Consumer Frauds Bureau at 853-8404.