One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from female wedding photographers is:  “how in the WORLD did you manage your business and photographing weddings while pregnant?”

Oh goodness. What a loaded question! For those of you who may not know, I shot 14 weddings (7 of which were back-to-back) while pregnant with twins. Woof! Though it certainly wasn’t easy, it was possible—and here are the six things that saved me:

1.) I maintained open and honest communication with my clients

The minute I was given a due date by my doctor, I went home and looked at my wedding calendar. There was one wedding that I thought might be an issue, but I wasn’t too concerned. The next day, after learning that we were having not one, but TWO babies, my due date was moved up—and I knew that wedding wasn’t feasible. I spoke with my doctor to gather her thoughts on the rest of my wedding schedule, and we agreed that I should be fine to shoot all weddings on my calendar but one.

I made the decision to not tell anyone other than very close friends and family until we were safely into our second trimester. Before posting on social media, I reached out to all of my brides with this email:

Why did I tell my brides before most of my friends? I wanted them to hear it from me, and I wanted them to know that I would be at their weddings with bells on (and a big ‘ol belly). I also knew that I’d run the risk of doing damage control once word got out and brides panicked, thinking I wouldn’t be able to shoot their weddings. Managing expectations and being honest with my clients was absolutely key.

And what about the bride that I had to let go? Thankfully, she was so, so kind, understanding, and thrilled for us. I immediately refunded her deposit and helped her secure a different photographer within just a few days.

2.) I hired backup

Even in if my clients hadn’t purchased a second photographer, I brought one with me to almost every wedding—for free. Though that personwould sometimes act like more of an assistant than a second shooter (carrying gear, keeping me hydrated, etc.), they’d take over shooting the reception for a few minutes, allowing me to sit and rest. My husband was also nearby for most weddings, as well!

Towards the end, I not only brought a second photographer, but also hired backup in case I were to go into labor early. I reached out to other professional photographers with similar styles and had them “on call” in case something were to happen. The weight that lifted was truly invaluable.

3.) I stayed hydrated

Staying hydrated (and fed) while pregnant is incredibly important—even more so in the South—in the summer months—with two babies in your belly. I drank no less than two gallons (!!!) of water at each wedding and kept an arsenal of snacks in my bag. I sipped and ate every chance I got.

4.) I bought grandma shoes

Yes, I did. They were HIDEOUS. In fact, I was so embarrassed by them, that the second I walked into the bridal suite and introduced myself to the bridal party, I immediately pointed out my “sweet new kicks” and asked them not to judge me. HA! And now, almost a year later, I’m thinking about bringing them out of retirement and letting my freak flag fly. Because they were like walking on clouds, y’all.

5.) I only carried what I had to—and I carried it comfortably

Because I was already toting around an extra 20 pounds, I did my best to not add to the pain. I am a huge believer in the ShootSac— (not sponsored– I really do love it!) I added comfy padding to the strap and packed it very intentionally, using only the things I knew I’d need on me at all times, as well as the three lenses I shot with the most. And really, this is a habit that I’ve stuck with. It’s made me much more intentional about my shooting, and I always had a bigger bag nearby, should I need extra gear.

6.) I listened to my doctors and to my body

This was, probably, the hardest part of all. I am very much “go, go, GO!” all of the time, and to say that my pregnancy knocked the wind out of me was the understatement of the century. It was hard. The hardest thing I’ve ever done. And hearing my doctors (and my body) telling me to slow down was certainly not easy.

After having a come to Jesus meeting with myself, though, I realized that the best thing for me to do was to shoot weddings on Saturdays and effectively put myself on bedrest for the remainder of the week—because that’s about how long it took me to recover.  In hindsight, I know that that was the only thing that got me through all 14 weddings. After my last wedding at 32 weeks, I let myself “rest and nest”, and four weeks later, we had our little buddies.

How did you handle pregnancy and photography? Any tips, questions, or suggestions for future posts? Leave them in the comments below!

Special thanks to my girl Brittany for taking all of these behind-the-scenes photos… and for SAVING ME during that time!

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