Ok, lets be honest we live in England, it rains!! Everyone hopes for a dry wedding day but you just can’t predict it. Last year I photographed some rainy weddings in the peak of summer and then come the winter the weddings I photographed had lovely weather. Like I said you can’t predict it, but you can plan for it!

I’m gonna go over a few steps you can take to be prepared for rain on your wedding day.

Firstly I’d say change your mindset. If it rains on your wedding day it’s not going to make your day a complete disaster. You’re getting married!!!! This is the best day ever whether is bright sunshine or thunderstorms it will be an amazing day!!

My biggest tip would be plan for rain on your wedding day! If you plan for rain at least then if it does come, you’re prepared and you don’t need to stress about it.

So, how to plan for rain on your wedding day?

Firstly, know your venue. Speak to your venue and ask them what they do if the weather is bad and everyone has to be inside. Is there enough space inside for all your guests, will any furnisher need to be moved to accommodate everyone or is there already enough space for people. By asking the question you’ll know what to expect come the wedding day.

Lots of wedding venues will have a bar area or a space specifically for guests to mingle, this is perfect if it’s wet outside. Alternatively, if you’re having a marquee or tipi wedding think about a wet weather option for you and your guests maybe an awning or gazebo.

Also, is there a space inside your venue that would work for any group photos you may want. An ideal space would be somewhere that has some nice natural window light but also has enough space for the amount of people you want in each photo. Usually there is a space to use but if not, you know that any group photos will need to be done outside. If this needs to happen we can look for any shelter to take advantage of or get cosy under lots of umbrellas to stay dry. This will create some really lovely photos that tells the story of the day so well.

This brings me onto my second tip for what to do if it rains on your wedding day. Allow more time than you need. I posted a blog on how to plan your wedding day timings where I touched on this a bit. You can check that post out here. Have enough time in your schedule to allow for a bit of flexibility if it does rain. I recommend at least an hour and a half between the ceremony ending and the time you need to sit down for your meal (not including any travel time). An hour and a half gives you a good amount of time to have some photos taken and have a nice amount of time to get round and chat with wedding guests. However if you up’d this to two hours you have even more flexibility on the day if it does rain. Having a bit of extra time to play with on the wedding day has helped me out on more than once occasion. This is especially helpful if you know (due to space) you have to do your group photos outside. If you have a bit of extra time before the meal then you have the option to see if the rain will pass. Like I said this has helped me out more than once!

 

If you know you only have the option to do your photos outside it is also a good idea to have some umbrellas to bring along on the day. Not only will these be a lifesaver for your photos it’s also nice to be able to have umbrellas for guests who may want to stand outside for a bit. White or clear umbrellas are best from a photo point of view. It’s also a nice idea to get some nice looking wellies and be brave to venture outside for some photos. These can be really lovely photos that tell a lovely story.

If you’re wanting to throw confetti on your wedding day ask your venue if it can be thrown inside as you exit the ceremony if the weather isn’t great on the day. Again, this might not be your first choice but by asking the question before the wedding day, you’ll know you have a plan if the rain does come down. Churches will usually say no to this but with church weddings everyone needs to leave the church to go to the next venue anyway. As everyone has to go outside anyway throwing confetti outside with umbrellas isn’t the end of the world.

Think of your wedding in both ways. A rainy wedding day and then a day with your ideal weather. Then plan and prepare for both. I think so often couples are a little disappointed if it rains on the wedding day because it wasn’t what they had visioned. If you vision your day both ways it can just help take any un-nessasary stress away as you know you have a plan in place for whatever the weather throws at you 🙂

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