Becoming parents changes you in ways no one can prepare you for. When you’re also destination wedding photographers who spend months on the road, the shift is even bigger.

After Alma was born, our life as a couple, parents, and business owners completely transformed. From navigating sleepless nights and postpartum recovery to getting back to shooting multi-day weddings in Italy, these first three months taught us more about life, work, and love than we ever imagined.

If you’re a photographer, creative, or soon-to-be parent trying to figure out how to balance it all, this is for you. We’re sharing the real, unfiltered truth—no sugarcoating, no fluffy Instagram version.

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1. Finding Out We Were Pregnant

I’ve always been deeply in tune with my body, and I knew something was different right away. My usual morning espresso suddenly didn’t appeal to me. I craved pasta—lots of it—and for the first time ever, I didn’t want wine. That’s when I knew.

A week later, the test confirmed it: we were pregnant.

Unlike many couples, we didn’t go through months or years of trying. We were lucky—it happened quickly. But that didn’t make the journey simple.

2. Pregnancy as Destination Wedding Photographers

Running a destination wedding photography business while pregnant came with unique challenges. Shooting 12-hour wedding days, traveling across Italy, and keeping up with editing schedules required careful planning.

I downloaded an app to track my cycle so I could time the pregnancy around wedding season. We wanted to avoid delivering in the middle of our busiest months—June through September—when most of our Lake Como weddings, Amalfi elopements, and Tuscany multi-day events happen.

Even with planning, the first trimester was tough:

• Constant fatigue
  
• Food aversions (goodbye coffee!)
  
• Staying active to prepare for labor
  
• Managing gestational diabetes with strict food tracking
  

3. The 60-Hour Labor That Changed Everything

Nothing prepares you for labor. Mine lasted 60 hours. There were contractions, hospital trips, epidurals, tears, and endless waiting. Every woman’s story is unique, and mine was intense—but it also showed me what my body was capable of.

That moment when Alma finally arrived changed everything. From that point forward, life had a new purpose.

4. Returning to Work Five Weeks After Birth

Five weeks postpartum, we were photographing a five-day destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast. Was I ready? Physically, maybe. Mentally, I wasn’t sure. But we made it work.

Here’s what helped us balance newborn life and wedding photography:

• Bringing my parents to weddings so they could travel with us as nannies
  
• Scheduling shoots and events around feeding and pumping sessions
  
• Outsourcing certain editing tasks to save energy
  
• Allowing myself grace to work at a slower pace
  

It wasn’t perfect, but it was real.

5. Breastfeeding, Pumping, and Wedding Days

Breastfeeding quickly became a full-time job on its own. Between feeding Alma every two hours and pumping during events, I had to adjust everything about how we worked.

I learned to:

• Pump discreetly during dinner hours at weddings
  
• Travel with a portable cooler full of milk
  
• Build a freezer supply weeks in advance for long shoots
  
• Let go of perfection when things didn’t go as planned
  

This wasn’t something anyone talks about when they picture luxury destination wedding photography. But it’s the reality of being a photographer and a mom.

6. Balancing Motherhood and Creativity

The hardest part of these three months wasn’t the exhaustion—it was finding myself again.

I’m a mom. I’m a photographer. I’m a business owner. All three identities compete for attention, and some days one wins over the others.

Here’s what helped me feel grounded:

• Setting small creative goals rather than trying to do it all
  
• Leaning on Vic for partnership at home and in business
  
• Saying no to projects that didn’t align with my energy
  
• Asking for help—from family, friends, and other moms
  

7. What We Learned About Life, Work, and Love

Becoming parents while running a business taught us more than any course or coaching program ever could:

• Time is the most valuable thing we have
  
  Every hour matters. Every moment with Alma matters.
  
• Slowing down makes room for better work
  
  Fewer weddings. More intention. More storytelling.
  
• Help isn’t optional, it’s essential
  
  Building a support system made it possible to keep doing what we love.
  
• Perfection doesn’t exist
  
  Parenthood and business are both messy—and that’s okay.
  

For Other Photographer Moms (or Soon-To-Be Parents)

If you’re a wedding photographer, creative entrepreneur, or business owner thinking about starting a family, here’s our biggest advice:

• There’s never a “perfect” time to have a baby
  
• Planning around wedding season helps—but life has its own plans
  
• Build a strong support system early
  
• Be ready to redefine success, creativity, and balance
  

Listen to the Full Episode

This post is just a glimpse of our journey. In the latest episode of the Say Cheese Podcast, we open up about:

• Pregnancy and shooting weddings
• The realities of postpartum recovery
• Breastfeeding and pumping while working
• How becoming parents changed our business and creativity