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A Wake County judge granted the state’s motion for a default judgment Monday in its lawsuit against a Triangle-area couple and their wedding photography business.
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Holly Christina Photography and its owners, Holly and Christopher Ayscue, made headlines last fall after clients alleged the business had failed to deliver the wedding photos and videos for which they had paid thousands of dollars. The Ayscues allegedly stopped responding to client emails around November before announcing the immediate closure of the business in January for unspecified reasons, The News & Observer previously reported.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office sued the business and the Ayscues in February, alleging the couple had scammed hundreds of brides out of nearly $600,000. Though the Ayscues originally agreed to an order in the spring for them to send all undelivered photos and videos to clients by mid-June, Jackson said they failed to do so.
That led to his request for a default judgment during Monday’s hearing.
Assistant Attorney General Mercedes Restucha argued the couple never obtained representation and didn’t submit a response to the state’s complaint, making it possible for a judge to automatically find in the state’s favor.
No one appeared in court Monday on behalf of the Ayscues or Holly Christina Photography. Superior Court Judge Craig Croom granted Restucha’s motion, which included $1.1 million in civil penalties and nearly $550,000 in refunds to more than 100 customers.
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Restucha described the couple as “quite untrustworthy” in remarks to the court Monday. She noted Jackson’s office received 228 complaints about Holly Christina Photography, with only 82 impacted clients having received refunds from their financial institutions. The Ayscues have yet to refund any impacted customers, Restucha said.
Croom also granted Restucha’s request for an injunction to prevent the Ayscues from running any photography or videography business in North Carolina or accepting advance payments from clients in any sort of business. Finally, the couple must deliver any remaining raw and edited photos and videos to affected clients and provide a verified list of those clients and their addresses to Jackson’s office, Restucha said.
Meanwhile, the Ayscues also face criminal charges in Forsyth County after a bride said they never fulfilled their more than $5,600 contract for her wedding, The N&O previously reported. Those charges remained pending as of Monday morning.
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This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 2:57 PM.