diff --git a/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go b/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
index a07dfb02f..3a54257e1 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
@@ -395,9 +395,9 @@ func (b *backupReconciler) prepareBackupRequest(backup *velerov1api.Backup, logg
 		if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 			if serverSpecified {
 				// TODO(2.0) remove this. For now, without mentioning "server default" it could be confusing trying to grasp where the default came from.
-				request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location wasn't specified at backup creation time and the server default '%s' doesn't exist. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: %v", request.Spec.StorageLocation, err))
+				request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location was not specified at backup creation time and the server default %s does not exist. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: %v", request.Spec.StorageLocation, err))
 			} else {
-				request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location wasn't specified at backup creation time and the default '%s' wasn't found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: %v", request.Spec.StorageLocation, err))
+				request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location was not specified at backup creation time and the default %s was not found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: %v", request.Spec.StorageLocation, err))
 			}
 		} else {
 			request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("error getting backup storage location: %v", err))
diff --git a/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go b/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
index edae38458..44cbb6dc5 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ func TestProcessBackupValidationFailures(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name:         "non-existent backup location fails validation",
 			backup:       defaultBackup().StorageLocation("nonexistent").Result(),
-			expectedErrs: []string{"an existing backup storage location wasn't specified at backup creation time and the default 'nonexistent' wasn't found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"nonexistent\" not found"},
+			expectedErrs: []string{"an existing backup storage location was not specified at backup creation time and the default nonexistent was not found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"nonexistent\" not found"},
 		},
 		{
 			name:           "backup for read-only backup location fails validation",
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ func Test_prepareBackupRequest_BackupStorageLocation(t *testing.T) {
 			backupLocationInAPIServer:        nil,
 			defaultBackupLocationInAPIServer: nil,
 			expectedSuccess:                  false,
-			expectedValidationError:          "an existing backup storage location wasn't specified at backup creation time and the default 'test-backup-location' wasn't found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"test-backup-location\" not found",
+			expectedValidationError:          "an existing backup storage location was not specified at backup creation time and the default test-backup-location was not found. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"test-backup-location\" not found",
 		},
 		{
 			name:                             "Using default BackupLocation and it can be found in ApiServer",
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ func Test_prepareBackupRequest_BackupStorageLocation(t *testing.T) {
 			backupLocationInAPIServer:        nil,
 			defaultBackupLocationInAPIServer: nil,
 			expectedSuccess:                  false,
-			expectedValidationError:          fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location wasn't specified at backup creation time and the server default '%s' doesn't exist. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"%s\" not found", defaultBackupLocation, defaultBackupLocation),
+			expectedValidationError:          fmt.Sprintf("an existing backup storage location was not specified at backup creation time and the server default %s does not exist. Please address this issue (see `velero backup-location -h` for options) and create a new backup. Error: backupstoragelocations.velero.io \"%s\" not found", defaultBackupLocation, defaultBackupLocation),
 		},
 	}