Double Header Wedding Survival Guide

I remember when I first started as a wedding photographer and I found double headers to be nearly impossible to handle! There was even one point where I swore I would never shoot them again! Fast forward a few years later and I’m actually going to admit something that I never could have imagined that I’d be saying out loud… I love Double Wedding Weekends!

Woah? Did that really just come out of my mouth?! Having two weddings in one weekend means that I am able to block off a future weekend to spend with my husband, without sacrificing revenue AND while working for two couples that I absolutely adore! It is truly a win-win!

If you have a Double Header Wedding Weekend on the horizon – I hope these tips help to make it a success!

1) Comfortable Shoes: Your feet will be doing a lot of work during a double wedding weekend. You’ll be carrying heavy equipment for 8-10 Hours each day, standing for long periods of time, and your shoes need to provide you with significant comfort and support! I recommend looking for shoes that have been accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association with significant cushioning and flexibility.

2) Hydrate and Rehydrate:  As many athletes and former-athletes know, staying hydrated is the key. In the 48 hours leading up to the wedding, I carry a large water bottle filled with lemon slices in ice water and constantly refill it! Especially during the hot summer months, you’ll want to make a conscious effort to keep your body hydrated.

3) Anti-Inflammatories + Pain Relievers: Carrying heavy equipment for 8-12 hours at a time can truly do a number to your back, shoulders, and legs. I always carry a small little bottle of Tylenol / Advil with me… just incase I start to experience back pain throughout the day! Taking one dose before the second half of the day (often right before the reception) has made a big impact on my post-wedding pain!

If you’re looking for a natural alternative – Consider eating an anti-inflammatory diet in the days before the wedding! Cut out refined sugars and processed foods and increase your intake of colorful fruits and vegetables (specifically: brocolli, apples, sweet potatoes, fish like salmon or tuna, and certain types of nuts!) – Maintaining a healthy diet is key overall, but I have noticed a difference in post-wedding pain by being stricter about what I’m eating in the days leading up to the wedding!

4) Hire an Assistant: This has been the big game changer for me this year! On long travel days, my assistant drives me to + from the wedding and spends the reception uploading my second shooter’s cards and my cards from the wedding day! She also brings me water throughout the day and does a lot of the leg work so that I can focus on photographing. She’ll read down the family formal list, cross off photographed portraits, and track down rogue family members! She wears so many hats… so that I don’t have to. I can focus on doing what I do best and capturing some gorgeous photographs for my clients!

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… My assistant spends the end of the evening uploading all of our memory cards so that we leave with the image files in two places (on the cards + my harddrive)! Having all of our memory cards pre-uploaded during the reception means that I can start the culling process on long rides home and immediately back up the images when I walk through the door! It also allows me to go straight to bed rather than spending precious time uploading between weddings. That extra hour of sleep is so very important when you have back to back wedding days!

5) Pre-Schedule Your Days: Thursday (Prep) + Friday & Saturday (Shoot) + Sunday (Rest)
The day before weddings (especially on double-header weekends) is my prep day! I charge all of my batteries, clean my lenses and cameras, ensure that flashes, pocket wizards, + battery packs are operating properly, pre-create client folders for future image storage, and print all questionnaires and timelines for both weddings. I think for both weekends and have everything organized and prepared for me to easily go from one wedding straight to the next!

The day after your double-header should always be a day of rest. You’re going to feel more exhausted and sore than usual. It’s easy to try to push through the exhaustion, but after trying that twice – I ended up sick and miserable the following weekend! Now, I take Sunday as a day to truly rest, relax, and reward myself with some quality family time!

Also, be sure to take into account that you will need twice as many days for your standard workflow! You have two weddings to cull, edit, blog, and export – so allocate additional time in advance to ensure that you don’t fall behind schedule during wedding season!

I hope this post was helpful! For more tips, check out past Tech-Talk Tuesday Posts!