News

Photographer's gear stolen from pews during wedding at Boston church

BOSTON — A local photographer is scrambling to find gear for a wedding shoot this weekend after a thief stole her equipment at another wedding this past weekend.

“I wanted to throw up," photographer Alyssa Stone said.

As the bride and groom were about to tie the knot -- a panicked Stone got a knot in her stomach when she found her gear had gone missing from a pew at the wedding she was photographing.

“It was right before the bride and groom were supposed to walk down the aisle and I felt really helpless,” Stone said.

The South Shore photographer was shooting only her second wedding.

It was Saturday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross -- one of Boston's most historic churches.

“How do you go in and steal someone's livelihood during communion?” said Stone. "I want to punch somebody.”

During mass, someone stole Stone's bag -- with all her gear -- that was sitting in one of the church pews. The bag contained about $4,000 worth of equipment.

Equipment she needs as a photographer for several South Shore newspapers.

As for the newlyweds, Alyssa was the second photographer working the wedding.

“What happened to me, shouldn't ruin their day,” Stone said. “It sucks, but we were still able to hopefully give them wedding photos."

Several photographers have reached out to Stone to donate or lend their equipment and now, she's planning to check local pawn shops in hopes of recovering any of her gear.