A woman who had guests at her wedding take pictures on disposable cameras was left stunned when she finally got the photos developed.

Helena Stark told Newsweek she and her now-husband shelled out $150 on six cameras and getting the photos developed from their big day at her grandma's home in Napa, California.

"We got Fujifilm cameras off of Amazon as a sort of party favor so guests can take pictures," she said. "It was a pretty small wedding of around 20 people, and most guests were older, so I figured everyone knew how to use a film camera."

The subject of taking photos can be a touchy one at weddings, with many brides and grooms now calling for guests to refrain from taking snaps on their phones and leave the photography to a professional. In a YouGov poll of 1,295 adults, 49 percent of respondents approved of prohibiting guests from taking pictures with just 31 percent against any ban.

Stark's disposable cameras were supposed to be a fun alternative to guests using their phones. However, it didn't work out quite the way she wanted it to.

"We got them developed at Walmart, and that took about three weeks, and then got them back and...well, you saw the video."

In a clip shared to the TikTok account @squish.and.co, Stark took viewers through the resulting snaps, most of which appeared shrouded in darkness with it almost impossible to see anything that was photographed.

Not all of the images were a write-off, though.

"About 16 were usable out of 160 that were developed," Stark said. "A few people in the comments on the video suggested no one used flash, but I have a few I did flash on, and they just turned out a sort of washed-out green."

The experience appears to have put Stark off using disposable cameras again.

"I distinctly remember film cameras not being this difficult to use when I was younger," she said.

Stark is not sure what caused the issue.

"I think that either the film was low quality or very old," she said. "It could be a development issue too, but my stepdad was a photographer and had a darkroom in our house, and I remember seeing more light leak issues, not just total darkness."

Stark was heartened to learn that several people commenting on her video had experienced similar issues with disposable cameras.

Thankfully, Stark confirmed they also took "hundreds" of photos using digital cameras. That has certainly helped her look back on what happened and laugh.

"Honestly, when I saw what the photos looked like, I just started laughing," she said. "Things like this happen with weddings; I'm just glad we had other photos as a backup!"

Have you had a wedding dilemma? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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This story was originally published July 5, 2024, 8:02 AM.