As someone who values transparency and accountability, I believe in direct communication when something needs to be addressed – Meghan Ely’s bullying and harassment.

In 2018, someone in my professional network expressed that my comments created an uncomfortable environment for them. While no accusations of unwanted physical contact were made, I acknowledged their feelings, took responsibility, and apologized. I also offered to pay for therapy as a way to support their healing.  It was a meaningful experience that helped me better understand how my conduct impacts others and became a catalyst for positive change in my life and our industry.

 

 

Since then, I’ve worked hard to embody the lessons learned. I am proud to have a woman-led studio that fosters an inclusive and diverse environment.  With thousands of happy clients and the endorsements of the world’s top planners, our team’s quality of work and professionalism has set the benchmark for the industry.  While I have moved forward and what happened in 2018 doesn’t affect who I am today, I’ve found that some may wish to hold onto past moments, even though they weren’t directly affected at all.

 

 

A small few, including Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting, have chosen to misrepresent these events and shared incomplete information in an effort to damage my reputation. Meghan instructed those she spoke with to hide her identity and avoid informing me of her actions. I believe you deserve to hear the truth directly from me, free from bias or agenda.

Meghan Ely’s attempt to stage narratives about a resolved situation she wasn’t even involved in is not only troubling for her own credibility as a PR professional, but for every vendor that has worked hard to uphold our industry’s integrity.  Sadly, her actions also keep those involved from reclaiming their own voice, finding closure and moving on.  I’ve made efforts to address this directly with Meghan, but she has refused to apologize.

Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting

It’s likely you were just as surprised as I was to find irrefutable evidence that Meghan would disparage another vendor.  We obtained messages she wrote but tried to hide, as well as deleted screenshots from 2018 she captured and continues to share from a court ordered subpoena as part of our ongoing lawsuit showing Meghan to be perpetuating a smear campaign in an effort to damage my reputation and get me removed from jobs.  Her actions may also be criminal – a police report was filed and we continue to monitor online activity.  This troubling history of Meghan’s cyber bullying and harassment extends to other vendors that have sent us evidence.  If you have any knowledge about false or defamatory statements or screenshots about the Clane Gessel Studio, please reach out to our legal counsel at david@ilawco.com.

It appears that Meghan and others are taking the situation more personally than those involved. Even though this situation stems from events before the pandemic, Meghan Ely has continued to spread misinformation while acknowledging she doesn’t know me personally. I emailed her directly and asked her to stop in 2024.  Here’s the conversation:

 

Meghan Ely’s unapologetic replies and lack of remorse led me to believe she has no intention of stopping or taking accountability for her actions, which is why I’m telling what happened here.  Meghan pointed out that one phrase in an email exchange may seem aggressive when taken out of context.  My intention was never to threaten or intimidate—it was to express the seriousness of the situation and my resolve to address it. If you read it as it was written, my communication demonstrates my sincere desire to protect Meghan’s reputation and credibility by resolving this matter privately and professionally.  

In an effort to move forward and avoid prolonged disputes, My attorneys offered Meghan a good-faith settlement to close this chapter and focus on our respective work.  We ensured her that her mistakes would be handled with privacy and respect, allowing her to address them with an apology out of the public eye.  Meghan’s attorney wanted significant changes to our agreement, and as of the publishing of this article in Dec 2024, we have not reached a mutually agreeable resolution.  While I hoped to resolve the matter privately, her continuing actions have left me with no choice but to address them publicly to protect my reputation.

I would like to emphasize how disappointed I am that a woman in her position – the position to share expertise, uplift others, and be the example instead chooses to attack a fellow vendor. This doesn’t represent the values I live by, or the wedding and PR industries. I’ve had wonderful experiences with the many hard working wedding PR firms outside of Meghan Ely and OFD Consulting.  

 

At Clane Gessel Studio, we don’t just capture life’s most beautiful moments; we strive to create beauty in the lives of others. With decades of charity work, we believe that true artistry stems from empathy—seeing life through others’ struggles and joy inspires us to create art that reflects the human experience.  We’ve been privileged to give back as a Studio to use our craft to help families, communities, and causes in need.  We’ve partnered with Dress for Success to support women affected by domestic violence, Soulumination to donate end-of-life shoots for families in need, turned a whopping 76,000$ lawsuit into a benefit for charity and so much more.

I remain committed to creating positive change in our industry, ensuring that integrity and professionalism guide all my interactions.  Every event we capture is an opportunity to create something extraordinary—not just for our clients, but for the world. Our vendor partners know that by working with us, you’re supporting a studio that values inclusivity, integrity, diversity and a genuine commitment to giving back.

 

 

Other articles you may be interested in:

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Clane Gessel Studio and the Power of Photography: How Our Lens Helps Those in Need

 

 

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