What if it rains on our wedding day?
What should we do if it rains on our wedding day? It’s a question that has almost definitely crossed the minds of anyone planning an outdoor wedding. While there’s sadly still no way to predict the weather with 100% accuracy, there are some steps you can take to help ensure that a bit of rain on your big day doesn’t get in the way.
Over the years, probably the single most useful tip I can offer is to…. Have a plan.
It sounds simple, but having a plan for what to do if (or when!) it rains is vitally important as it means there’s no need to worry or panic if it does start to rain, or snow or anything else involving wet stuff falling from the sky and getting in the way. It instantly means you can relax as you know what’s going to happen and removes any need to worry about the “what-if’s”.
Without a plan, there’s often more panic involved than there needs to be as things might need to be rescheduled, decorative items moved around your venue or even sections of the day transformed from being beautiful outside events to taking place indoors or under cover.
Obviously these things are sometimes easier to accomplish at some venues than others, but by having a plan for what to do when it remains everyone involved in making your day perfect will know what you want to happen and can hopefully look after it all on your behalf.
No one wants their wedding day to be ruined by the weather, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Here are a few tips for keeping your wedding on track, even when the forecast looks bleak or there’s a chance of rain.
1. Have a Plan B.
If rain is in the forecast, make sure you have a backup plan for your outdoor ceremony and reception. This might mean moving things indoors, having a marquee (or fabulous tipis) set up or working with your venue to have indoor spaces setup just in case they’re needed.
2. Consider an Indoor Ceremony.
If there’s a strong chance of bad weather, consider having your ceremony indoors instead of outdoors. This will ensure that you don’t have to worry about the weather ruining your big day.
Talk to your venue though as some have the space to setup indoor AND outdoor ceremonies for you, going with outdoor if the weather’s OK and switching seamlessly to an indoor ceremony at short notice if needed.
3. Buy some umbrellas!
Now, this is usually an absolutely cast-iron way to encourage the weather to behave itself – buy some wedding brollies in a suitable style to match your dress, decor or colour scheme. If you have enough umbrellas for you and your wedding party it means the fun can just keep on rolling whatever the weather decides to do. Might need a little added braveness too, but a set of perfectly matched wedding umbrellas can make all the difference when it comes to venturing outside in the rain.
4. Be flexible
Sitting hand-in-hand with the idea of having a plan B for bad weather & buying umbrellas is being prepared to be flexible on your day. If the weather decides to not cooperate there’s not a lot anyone can do about it and things will almost inevitably need to change. This might mean we’ll need to re-think when to shoot photos, or find a new location for group or couples photos – or consider throwing confetti indoors (this always needs a conversation with your venue team as they might not be happy with that idea!!). As long as you’re able to go with the flow, we can too – and will do whatever we can to still ensure you come away with perfect wedding photos from your big day, whatever the weather has in mind.
5. Bring the brave!
Now… if we’ve got everything else sorted, you’ve got a worry-free plan B, someone lined up to look after it and the most awesome set of matching wedding brollies ever invented – all that’s left is to bring the brave!
Being brave enough to venture out into the rain and create something absolutely awesome is a swift path to all sorts of fun. Braving the worst our lovely British weather can throw at us means we can create something incredibly unique – and fun. Did I mention the fun? Throw caution to the wind; grab those brollies; stop worrying about the little things and just focus on what’s most important on the day – you and your special other person! If you’re both ok, laughing, smiling and having fun then you’ve got this… you’ll ROCK it and we’ll be right there with you!
6. Trust your photographer & videographer!
We’ve got this. It’s not going to be the first time any of us have shot in the rain and as long as you’ve booked someone good (me, me, me!) we’ll be armed with weather resistant cameras so we don’t need to stop photographing out of fear something might break, will be fully ready for a bit of rain and ready to capture you two rocking the heck out of your wedding day. Sure, a bit of rain on your wedding day may mean we’ll rethink locations or perhaps switch to using lighting and shooting indoors rather than outside but trust us. Can’t speak for everyone but I’ve got no more interest in ending up drenched than anyone else so if it’s truly awful, I won’t be asking you to spend lots of time standing around in the rain. If aiming for a fabulous night shot, I’ll go get lights setup, balanced and ready to roll before asking you to come outside. We’ll be out for a few minutes at most, before grabbing all the gear and heading back inside.
If it rains during the day, it’s worth keeping in mind that things like throwing confetti works just as well with a few umbrellas and rain happening. It all adds to the moment and uniqueness of your big day so if you’re up for it, let’s crack on and keep shooting!
We’ll look for puddles, reflections, rain to back-light and generally use every trick in the book to create something fantastic. Trust us, bring the brave and we’ll rock the heck out of it!
7. Seize the moment!
This is something that’s always important as weddings are full of once-in-a-lifetime moments but it’s especially true if the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s all about having fun, enjoying every second and making the absolute best of whatever we’re faced with on the day. We can’t rearrange the day for another time or guarantee the weather, so seize every moment and make it awesome!
Rain on your wedding day? We’ve got this!
In conclusion, while there’s no guarantee that it won’t rain on your wedding day, having a plan in place and being prepared to make the absolute best out of whatever happens can help to ensure that you have the best possible day. By having a back-up plan for inclement weather, you can relax and enjoy your big day, knowing that you’re prepared for whatever comes your way. So don’t let a little rain (or snow, or hail or anything else!) get in the way of your perfect wedding!
