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Proud pup mom, type A creative, lover of the outdoors, Top Chef fan girl, and wedding and portrait photographer. Welcome to the blog!
HI, I'M RACHEL!
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I’m super excited to share this information with you today! There’s always much talk on wedding related forums about the infamous ‘wedding hangover’, which is not what it sounds like. For wedding industry professionals, a ‘wedding hangover’ means something much different than it means for the wedding guests! It has nothing to do with drinking too much celebratory champagne (or prosecco, as it were…). Read on to find out exactly what I’m talking about and how I can help you with the wedding hangover cure!
Those of us who facilitate a wedding day are on our feet for hours – HOURS – at a time. We’re rushing around, the adrenaline is pumping, we’re contorting our bodies in weird positions (at least us photogs & videographers are), we’re being personable & friendly, barely getting time to eat or drink, and keeping an eye on a million things at once it feels like. Our switch is basically in the ON position all day long. And we love it! We live for it. At least I do. What we don’t love, however, is the second the day is over – literally to the second – our bodies know the fun is over, the adrenaline shuts off, and the pain sets in. We realize our feet have swollen to three times their normal size, our backs ache, our shoulders are hunched, our hands are cramped, and we feel like we just aged about 30 years.
Two weddings ago it occurred to me: the brides and grooms are going through pretty much the same exact things us photographers/videographers/wedding planners/event coordinators are! If I’m on my feet all day, barely having time to eat, walking the line of dehydration, feeling ‘on’, contorting my body in weird positions, and living off adrenaline, SO IS MY COUPLE. We’re together nearly all day and pretty much have the same schedule! If I feel like I was hit by a truck the day after a wedding, it’s likely my brides and grooms feel the same way!
The wedding I just referred to was nine hours long, which I hadn’t done in a while. I knew how sore I was after my last six hour event, so I decided to try a few things to see if they would ease the pain I felt after the wedding. There is much more to come on this, but today I’m sharing my favorite tip for the wedding hangover cure!
I’m no doctor, but I do have experience with everything I mentioned above. In my opinion, the most important thing you can do to initiate your wedding hangover cure is to stay hydrated!
Throughout the weddings I’ve photographed, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen brides and grooms drink water! You’re busy and focused on the excitement of the day; you’re not focused on boring ol’ water. That’s just a given, I’m not going to try to convince you to make drinking water your top priority on your wedding day (although you would feel awesome if you did!). I am here to convince you that staying hydrated the week leading up to your wedding will go a long way towards your wedding hangover cure!
Get yourself a large water bottle and keep it filled throughout the day. Add coconut water and those Nuun electrolyte tablets to add some flavor and an extra kick of electrolytes to keep you hydrated. Do that every day starting seven days out and by the time your wedding day comes around, your body will be well adjusted and hydrated.
There are some extra great tips about staying hydrated here.
For funsies, today I’m sharing a couple behind the scenes photos of me doing my thing, while hydrated, on a wedding day 😉
Photos courtesy of Erin Tetterton Photography
Photo courtesy of Capitol Films D.C.
HELLO@RACHELEHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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Rachel is a wedding and portrait photographer
Serving brilliant, elegant couples in Washington D.C. + Beyond
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