Some memories are priceless.
For Texas newlyweds Alexandria Headley and Tyler Hamel, they’re willing to pay $2,000, no questions asked, for the safe return of their precious wedding photos.
The couple got married on Sept. 4 in Alabama and their photographer, Ashtynn Wilhite of Ashtynn Bree Photography sent them a “sneak peek” of about 30 photos from the event before sending the rest. But she’d never be able to send the rest after having her equipment stolen in San Francisco last week.
"Luckily I do have a couple (photos) of myself and my husband that I really love, so we're very thankful for that," said the bride.
While on their honeymoon last week, Wilhite set off to do another photoshoot in San Francisco at the iconic Painted Ladies.
"She travels all over the US, she's incredibly talented, her photos are gorgeous," said Headley.
During that session, her car was broken into, all her equipment stolen, including her laptop, SD cards, and hardrives.
"We had so much like luggage in our trunk that we couldn't fit our gear back there," said Wilhite. She and her colleague put the equipment on the floorboards, covered with a blanket. She guesses they were only about 30 to 50 feet away from the car during the 30-minute shoot.
But despite their proximity and the large amount of people milling about nearby, no one noticed anything until they got back in the car.
"I looked over my shoulder and I saw the glass everywhere," she said. Her first thought was that something broke, but she quickly realized that thieves had broken into her car, taking off with everything. "And then I immediately had a panic attack."
Wilhite guesses about $8,000 to $10,000 of her equipment was stolen, along with her entire career’s work. "We’re from Alabama, so this kind of stuff never happens," she said.
Based on her interactions with law enforcement after reporting the incident, there’s a slim chance her equipment will be recovered. But she has locked her laptop with a little message to whoever next opens it, with her name and contact info, as well as a $5,000 reward for just the hard drive. "That’s the most important thing to me."
And that hard drive is important for Headley too. Without it, her wedding photos are just gone. She and her husband are offering $2,000 for their return, no questions asked.
She especially wants the pictures with her grandparents back, who are in their 80s.
The pictures with their family are particularly important, she said. The couple lives in Dallas now, and had family at the event from Georgia, Ohio, "Our family’s really spread out and I just don't see the possibility of all coming together again, because COVID-19 is still prevalent."
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