It is no secret that photographing weddings is demanding. All the mental and physical energy required leaves anyone exhausted. This is even more true for all the pregnant photographers out there!
When I first found out about Baby Medina, I immediately started figuring out how far along I would be for all my weddings. My last wedding would be at 34 weeks! I didn’t know how I would photograph weddings at 8 months pregnant, so naturally I turned to the Internet. I tried to find every article I could about how to photograph a wedding while pregnant. I absorbed any and all advice!
I found a few articles, but honestly there wasn’t much out there. So I decided that when I was done, I would write my own! I thought it might be helpful for anyone else trying to navigate a wedding day while pregnant, no matter how far along you are. I photographed weddings all during my second and third trimesters. I also was extremely nauseous and sick (like literally throwing up all day long) for many of those weddings. Some of this advice is geared toward my fellow mamas who are struggling with those symptoms!
Here is everything I did to make it as smooth and easy as possible to photograph wedding days while pregnant!
BRING AN ASSISTANT
I cannot stress this enough! Having an assistant there to carry all my bags, make sure I drank water, and do any extra walking/fetching was huge. And no…your second shooter does not count. The assistant is not there to photograph anything, they are simply there to take care of me. This allowed me to still be able to give my clients all the energy and attention they deserved! I brought my husband, my friend Tania, and my mom along as my assistants for different weddings. Plus the assistant was able to take lots of behind the scenes footage for Instagram!
PACK ALL THE SNACKS AND WATER
This is extra important if you’re struggling with lots of nausea like I did. For me, any amount of hunger instantly led to extreme nausea and usually throwing up. Making sure I ate something every 45 minutes to an hour was key to trying to curb those symptoms. Staying very hydrated and snacking is super important no matter what symptoms you experience while pregnant. In the craziness of a wedding day it is easy to forget to eat and drink. Another reason an assistant is important: they can shove a granola bar in your face when you forget!
Extra note for the nauseas mom: I recommend bringing barf bags if you typically throw up a lot during the day like I did. I cannot tell you how often I would quickly use one of those and throw it away while walking from one location to the next 😅 It’s gross, but this allowed me to not be worried if I had to throw up. I could just do it and then keep going!
BRING A CHANGE OF SHOES
Wedding days are looooonnnggg. Pregnancy is hard. No matter how far along you are, you are bound to feel discomfort and/or pain after hours on your feet. I found that having pair of flip flops or even a different pair of flats to change into for the reception helped so much. Normally I would never wear flip flops on a wedding day, but luckily all my couples and their families were gracious and completely understood that my swollen feet needed to breathe!
EMAIL THE VENDOR TEAM BEFOREHAND
It really takes an entire team to pull off a wedding. I like to introduce myself to the whole vendor team before a wedding (regardless of whether or not I am pregnant) in order to build rapport with them all. This email became even more important after I got pregnant! I would tell them how far along I would be on the wedding day and give them a heads up that I would have a second shooter and an assistant with me. Here is exactly what I sent to make your life easier:
“For those of you that will be onsite, I want to give you a heads up that I will be 34 weeks pregnant on Saturday (😱) which means in addition to my second shooter, Hailey, I will also have an assistant with me. My assistant, Tania, is there to carry my bags as well as make sure I eat and drink enough water! If you see me taking a little break or chowing down on a snack, now you know why. It takes a team to make a wedding happen, and it takes a team to grow a little baby!”
ACCEPT HELP
I normally hate asking for or accepting help on wedding days. I am there to serve and make everyone’s life easier. Accepting help from others made me feel like a burden. It was really hard for me to get over that and actually let people carry things, get me water, or grab something for me. But it is important! If a bridesmaid is willing to grab the bride’s shoes and bring them to you during details, let them. If the videographer offers to grab you a drink during the reception, let them. If a groomsman offers to carry your bag, let them. Get over it and know that no one is offering you help because you’re weak or something is wrong. They genuinely care and want to help! Let them because girlfriend, you just need extra help when you’re pregnant. 🤷🏼♀️
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