2022 was a unique year for me as a wedding photographer and business owner, because I was pregnant for the first time, ever! There were lots of unknowns and some learning curves, but thankfully, I was able to make it through photographing 12 wedding days (and many portrait sessions!) while pregnant. Granted, that may not be as many as other photographers, but it still was enough to make me a little nervous going into wedding season!
Looking back on this season, I would love to share some tips and thoughts as I look back over the past several months that were helpful for me while navigating wedding season while pregnant.
First, I’d love to share some general things I implemented that ended up being helpful throughout my season!
1. I let my wedding couples know I was pregnant before I announced it publicly.
Sharing about your pregnancy is a very personal thing. I went back and forth on whether or not to share the good news with my couples individually once I was in my second trimester, but looking back, I am SO glad I did. Sharing the news with my couples allowed us to be on the same page and left space for open communication. I didn’t want to announce my pregnancy on social media, then have them wonder how the pregnancy could affect their wedding day. For me, it was important to answer the major questions up front (the biggest being if anything with the pregnancy, like my due date, could affect their day), and then to keep the door open to discuss any questions or concerns they might have. Wedding photography is an investment, and I wanted them to be confident that I would still be able to fulfill my obligations to them just the same!
Another perk of letting my couples know I was pregnant was not having to explain certain things on a wedding day. For example – I had more frequent bathroom trips, which never interrupted the flow of the day, but my couples were understanding when I needed to take a quick detour to the restroom. All of my couples were incredibly kind about letting me sit down to eat dinner during the reception, and there were a few times during longer receptions where I sat down while taking photos of the dance floor action. I never felt like I needed to explain why I was making those choices to my couples, which helped me feel better about photographing their day while pregnant!
2. I had a strong & consistent assistant/second shooter come with me to every wedding.
My husband photographed about 60-70% of my weddings with me prior to me becoming pregnant, so after we found out I was pregnant, we talked about him committing to helping me with all of my weddings for the 2022 photo season. Thankfully, I had already decided that I was going to take a few less in 2022, so even with his full time job, he was able to help me with all of the weddings I had scheduled. This did a couple of things for me: it helped me know, without a doubt, that I had someone I could rely on to help me with anything and everything. All of the other second photographers I have ever hired to help me with a wedding have been fantastic – wonderful shooters who are incredibly helpful – but there’s something about having your spouse there to help you in any situation that feels different. Nick was able to carry lots of our gear, knew how to set up our lighting for receptions, and knows how to support me emotionally on a wedding day (it’s so fun, but can be stressful at times!), so for me, it was huge to have him there consistently throughout my full wedding season, and took some tasks I was used to doing off of my plate.
If I felt the need, I was also open to bringing along someone towards the end of the wedding season (when I was way more pregnant!) to help and be with me for the entire wedding day (since Nick and I are sometimes doing separate things). But we actually ended up feeling like we were able to work through the last few weddings just the two of us! (For reference, my last wedding was at 32 weeks pregnant – thankfully!).
3. I ended my season early and took less weddings overall.
This may be a controversial one, and something that will be different from person to person depending on financial situations and prior obligations (weddings can sometimes be scheduled SO far in advance, it can be hard to plan so far ahead!). But for me, when I found out I was pregnant, I stopped taking any additional weddings for that current season. 14 was my number for the year, and I was happy with that at the time – and looking back, I am still happy that I decided to limit what I took, even if it meant a decrease in income. I’m also a senior, family, and portrait photographer, so I decided to supplement my income with more of those types of sessions (which were not nearly as hard on my pregnant body as a wedding day!).
In addition to taking less weddings, I ended my shooting season mid-November (typically I shoot through until mid-December) with my due date being mid-January. I wanted to have a month to finish up editing and administrative tasks before Christmas and New Year’s, with a bit of built in rest towards the end of my pregnancy. I am SO thankful I did decide to do that – after my last wedding in mid-November, my body was ready for a break!
4. The day after each wedding, I gave my body time to rest.
Most photographers try to rest the day after a wedding anyways, but this was even MORE important to me to try to stick to while pregnant!
We are a part of a church plant that meets on Sundays, so we always have a 4-5 hour standing commitment on Sunday mornings/early afternoons that often involve setting up for service, serving, and tearing down. That commitment is extremely important to us, so even during wedding season, we don’t want to miss. However – I made sure that on the weekends I had weddings, I was able to sit in the service, not serve during it. And boy did my body, mind, and emotions need that time to recoup! Then, after our commitment, we would go home and crash and just relax. That was the best way for me to be able to still have that commitment and serve in a smaller capacity during this season!
I’d also love to share a few items that helped me get through those long wedding days.
1. Nutrient dense snacks with high protein
Our bodies need lots of nutrients to properly function on long days, but especially while pregnant. While I was pregnant, I learned that my body will always give my growing baby the nutrients it needs first, then I get what’s left. After I learned this, I started noticing how much what I ate affected how I felt, especially on wedding days when I was on my feet directing people for 10+ hours. I started intentionally trying to bring higher protein, nutrient dense snacks with me (nuts, cheese, vegetables, chicken chips, protein bars, etc.) on those long days and felt SO MUCH BETTER as I went throughout the day, and the day after.
2. Drinks with extra electrolytes
Obviously, it’s important to drink lots of water when you’re pregnant – especially when you’re pregnant and on your feet! But early on in my wedding season, I started noticing that water wasn’t cutting it. I wasn’t able to drink enough on wedding days without constantly having to use the restroom, so I started drinking no sugar added propel on wedding days. I was able to drink a “normal” amount of beverage, stay a bit more hydrated, and, consequently, have a somewhat easier time recovering the following day.
3. Belly support band
I ended up not using one of these until after my last wedding while pregnant, but boy was it LIFE CHANGING! That baby gets so heavy in your pelvis in your 8th and 9th months of pregnancy, and can cause all sorts of aches and pains. A belly support band would have been a must for me if I had any weddings or sessions past the 32 week mark. I highly recommend this one from Amazon!
4. Supportive shoes
Such a simple thing that can make such a difference – make sure you have supportive shoes! Or, if you are really feeling the pain in your feet, bring a pair of tennis shoes to switch into at the reception. If you’re obviously pregnant, I don’t think anyone would fault you for it!
5. Warm foot bath
One of the best gifts my husband got me (before I was pregnant!) was a portable foot bath. This was truly my saving grace after long wedding days while pregnant – I came home and soaked them every single time, and it helped reduce the extra swelling in my feet.
If you are a wedding photographer who is pregnant and will be working through wedding season, please be sure to talk to your doctor to make sure you both are on the same page. All of the tips and items listed here are recommendations from my personal experience, and while they might not be directly applicable to your situation, I do hope they help give you some confidence that you CAN do it!
