I was at a wedding when the wedding photographer cornered me in an...

I was at a wedding when the wedding photographer cornered me in an empty hallway and asked "do you have a boyfriend?" I froze. This guy was maybe 40, wedding ring on his finger, and way too close. He had that smile that made my skin crawl. I said yes even though I didn't, hoping he'd back off. He leaned in closer and whispered "that's a shame, you look beautiful in that dress" then touched my arm before walking away. My hands were shaking. I went back to my table feeling gross and trying not to cry. My friend Sarah the bride's sister noticed my face immediately and pulled me aside. When I told her what happened she went completely pale. She grabbed my shoulders and said "oh my god, he did this to someone else too." Turns out this photographer had been their mom's choice, some "award-winning professional" she found on Facebook. The other bridesmaids had thought he was creepy during photos but no one had said anything concrete until now. Sarah grabbed my phone and made me text her everything he said word for word, including the arm touch. Then she disappeared into the bridal suite. I could hear her on the phone, voice getting louder. Ten minutes later the music stopped mid-song. Sarah was at the mic, still in her bridesmaid dress. She thanked everyone for coming then said "before we continue I need to address something serious. Our photographer just sexually harassed one of our guests in the hallway. This behavior ends tonight." The room went dead silent. You could hear people's forks hitting their plates. The photographer started packing up his cameras fast, hands fumbling with the equipment. But Sarah's husband and three groomsmen blocked every exit. He was trapped. Sarah wasn't done. She pulled out her phone and started reading. Turns out after I told her, she'd immediately posted in a local wedding group asking if anyone had experience with this guy. Within 10 minutes, seven women responded. Seven different brides saying he'd done the same thing or worse at their weddings. One said he'd followed her into the bathroom and tried the door. Another said he'd pressured her into "special portraits" alone and sent her inappropriate photos afterward that she'd been too embarrassed to report. Sarah's voice got stronger with each story. "You preyed on women at the happiest day of their lives because you thought we were too distracted, too polite, too focused on our weddings to report you. You were wrong." The photographer tried to say it was all a misunderstanding, that he was just being friendly. But Sarah's mom who'd hired him was already on the phone with the police, crying and apologizing to Sarah. The bride herself stood up and told him he had exactly one minute to leave her property before the cops arrived, and he wouldn't be taking a single photo with him. The cops showed up anyway. They took statements from all of us while guests whispered and stared. The other women from the Facebook group showed up at the station too that same night. With all of us together, they finally had enough to press charges. It wasn't just words anymore. The wedding continued without a photographer. Everyone just used their phones and it was beautiful. Sarah said later it was the best decision she ever made because now the photos were real moments, not staged by a predator who made everyone uncomfortable. Two months later I got a call from a detective. The photographer was going to prison for 18 months. Five women total came forward with evidence including texts and emails. His wife had divorced him and took full custody. His business website was gone. Every review site was flooded with warnings. At Sarah's six month anniversary dinner, she raised her glass to all of us and said "to the predators who think we won't fight back, who think we'll stay quiet to keep the peace. We won't." I'll never forget his face when he realized one question in a hallway just cost him everything he had. #aliza