This Photo of a Bridesmaid Pumping During Wedding Photos Is Going Viral

There are plenty of stories out there of “bridezillas” out there—but Rachael Downs isn’t one of them. In fact, she encouraged her maid-of-honor, Allison Hepler, to pump during her wedding photos—and they’re now going viral.

The photo was taken in October 2019, but, a year later, is now making the rounds on social media. Downs, 28, is a nurse in Alabama and nursed her own daughter for 18 months, so she knew the challenges. “I know what it’s like. I actually pumped at Allison’s wedding. We just didn’t get any photos!” Downs told TODAY Parents, adding, “The groomsmen finished their pictures early so I went to get Allison and she was like, ‘I just need to finish pumping.’

That’s when Downs and her photographer, Amber Fletcher, came up with the idea to have Hepler pose for the photos with her pump. One now-gone-viral photo shows Hepler using an electric breast pump and holding the pump’s motor rather than a bouquet like the other bridesmaids.

The post already has over 5,000 likes and 2,000 comments, with one person commenting, “This bride is absolutely fantastic. What a treasure of a friend! I see way too many stories in my breastfeeding groups about bridezillas throwing fits over the party leaving for any reason or ‘inconveniencing’ the wedding in any way. Those women need a friend like this.”

Another person wrote, “Best. Damn. Thing. On. The.Internet. Kudos to you, that amazing bride/friend (not a selfish bone in her body), and this momma who said ‘I can be a good mom, and good friend, AND take care of my needs simultaneously.’”

A third person also commented, “I love this. Support for the bride by being present and support for the bridesmaid by not making a fuss over having her pump. I wish I had friends like these.”

“We never thought it would blow up the way it did,” Downs told the outlet. “But I’m glad it did."