Lost Wedding Photos Found in Street Will Be Returned to 'Relieved' Newlyweds
The newlyweds couldn't believe it when they saw their photos on the news.
— -- When one couple was in Laguna Beach, California, taking engagement photos for their neighbor, they had no idea they’d stumble upon another couple’s lost wedding photos in the process.
“I feel really bad we found these. They could have just gotten run over,” Brian Heisman, of Chino Hills, California, told ABC News of the accidental discovery.
The Heismans took the memory card that had been lying in the street home to see if the photos provided any clues as to whom they belonged. The photos were labeled “Joe and Sindy” and they had been modified on Dec. 24.
“My wife goes, ‘I just can’t imagine losing wedding photos like that,’” Brian explained. “She put ads in the local paper in Laguna Beach, posted on Craigslist, called nine or 10 churches, tried Googling.”
The Heismans live about 45 minutes from where the memory card was found and even tried contacting local hotels about recent weddings to no avail.
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It wasn’t until a local news affiliate noticed the story and posted a few of the wedding photos to their Facebook page that friends of the newlyweds soon recognized them and immediately tagged the lovebirds in the photos.
“People started sending me messages. It’s just been crazy,” Joel Magdaleno, the shocked groom, said. “We hadn’t even seen them yet and all these other people have. It’s surprising.”
The Magdalenos and the Heismans have now been in touch with each other on Facebook and plan to meet soon to get the memory card, full of their precious memories, finally home.
“We are very relieved. We weren’t expecting this at all,” said Magdaleno. “It was surprising we found out about our photos on the news. People I hadn’t talked to in years messaged me saying, ‘Hey, I never would’ve thought I would have learned you got married on the news.’”
Neither the newlyweds nor their photographer, David Markman, even knew the photos were missing.
Markman had sent the bride, Sindy Magdaleno, a few teaser photos from the big day over email to get her excited about the shots. Later, he also mailed one full memory card of the edited photos to her mother-in-law’s house, but the couple hasn’t been able to get there to view them.
“I think that card they found may have been all the photos in one giant exported set. I think this was the backup USB,” Markman explained.
Magdaleno and his new wife live in Long Beach, California, but Markman works in Laguna Beach. He believes the card must have slipped out of his bag.
“I'm sort of absentminded so the memory card must have dropped out of my bag near work,” he said.
Either way, the bride and groom are just thrilled all the photos have been found and are being returned to them.
“Yes, she is very excited,” Magdaleno said of his wife. “I’m so glad they were found, too.”
