Wedding was on the 19th. The photographer was scheduled at 1pm and was fully paid for 9 hours of nonstop photography.(1pm-10pm) The contract stated that there would be 2 photographers (a wife and her husband who own their own business). The wife being the professional photographer whom has several degrees in photography and tons of experience, knowledge, etc. The husband being the one who takes the "extras", admitting that he has no background in photography and is there to help his wife with pictures of decor, cake, candid photos of the guests, etc.
On the day of the wedding I lost track of time (as many brides do on their wedding day) and it was suddenly 2pm. Being that the photographer was an hour late, I contacted the photographer and they said that they would be there soon, as they were on their way. At 2:45pm, the photographer's husband showed up, alone, and called my mother outside to tell her that his wife's father was in ICU and wasn't expected to make it through the night, so she would not be able to make it to the wedding.
I was completely blindsided. This man had no idea what he was doing. He didn't know that there was a detailed shot list given to his wife (thank God I printed a copy out and had it with me). It was as if a random person was given a fancy camera and took photos of our wedding, as he had no idea where to stand in regards to lighting, or what poses/positions to do. My husband and I got absolutely NO photos alone, no photos of just of us and our guys/girls, none of us and our grandparents, none of us alone with our parents. During the reception he was super distracted and on his phone, then HE LEFT AN HOUR AND A HALF EARLY WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. At about 9:30pm it was time get ready for our sparkler send-off, and he was nowhere to be found. I asked a couple of guests sitting by the door if they'd seen him and they said that they saw him pack up and leave around 8:30pm. I called him and told him that he was paid to stay until 10pm. He said that he "didn't know" and that he was too far away to turn around, as a result, we didn't get any pictures of the sparkler send off as well.
My husband and I have come the the conclusion that we will end
up renting his tux again, getting my hair/makeup done, putting my dress
back on and taking pictures with another photographer in order to get
what we can of the shots that are missing.
We spent a total of 20k on a wedding that wasn't fully photographed and spent $1,200 on an unprofessional photographer whom missed numerous shot. We have also NOT received any money back and the company has not contacted us with sneak peaks, an apology or anything since wedding day.
I am a very understanding person and did not freak out or become rude to him at all. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND HER DECIDING TO STAY WITH HER DAD IN THE HOSPITAL, BUT..... if I owned my own business, I would AT LEAST call every photographer in the area and ask them to step in given the circumstances, and give them all of the profit.
What do I do from here??? Do I ask for all of my money back, do I suck it up and deal with the crappy photos I have, do I sue for "breach of contract"? I'm trying not to go crazy or be dramatic about the situation, but this was the most important day of my life and there is only ONE chance at wedding photos.
HELP.
Thank you all in advance 
