With a hurricane approaching the east coast fast and furious, and anticipated to hit over the weekend, I thought I needed to share how to prepare for a rainy wedding day since it can be a stressful situation. But it doesn’t have to be stressful!!! I have a wedding on Friday and Saturday, so it will absolutely be an adventure, but I want my couples to feel reassured that everything will be great as long as we are prepared and go into the day with an upbeat attitude. π I have photographed over the 175+ weddings to this point and have experienced a wide range of weather conditions, so I hope these six tips might come in handy for not just my own brides, but for anyone else who is getting married on a rainy day!
Six Tips How to Prepare for Your Rainy Wedding Day
** Note: I don’t advise going under a tree or using an umbrella in the middle of a thunderstorm. π PLEASE.
1) Keep an upbeat and positive attitude
This is the most crucial piece of advice!!! Make the most of your day because at the end of the day, you’ll be married and be with your favorite people!! Celebrate hard and HAVE FUN. π Maybe even embrace and use the outdoor conditions as an opportunity for romantic portraits! Don’t let the rain drown out your happiness.
Your day will be what you make of it. <3
2) Find a large tree or structural overhang
A lot of times, I’ll find a venue with overhang coverage or large enough trees to protect my couple and their wedding party from the rain. It might be a little overhang on the side of the building, but anything to make them feel as comfortable as possible! This is great too if we don’t want to use an umbrella for every photo and want a semi-dry place to put down the dress.
Instead of a sparkler exit outside, the bride and groom had people line up inside on their way out the door. Still a cute exit shot!
3) Have a backup ceremony plan
There are different options when it comes to a plan B, but it’s important to discuss these options with the venue so you can picture what that might entail. Even though you might not have wanted an indoor ceremony, doesn’t mean we can’t go outside to take photos before/after. We will still take plenty of outdoor portraits, just as you hoped, despite the weather conditions. π
4) Buy umbrellas and rain boots
Clear umbrellas and cute rain boots are essential! π I highly advise my couples to purchase these items beforehand, and if we don’t need/use the umbrellas or rain boots on the day of the wedding, simply return them. These items will make you feel better about running around in the wet grass and rain!!! And more prepared! Not to mention, cute boots might be an adorable detail for photos. π If you plan to purchase clear umbrellas for the wedding party, I advise buying half the number of the wedding party (12 members = six umbrellas). That way it’s not overcrowding the photo when lining them up for pictures.
5) Don’t always trust the weather
Hang tight and watch the weather predictions! There are sometimes unexpected opportunities that pop up. I use the app called, “Dark Sky” and it tells me how long and how heavy/light the rain will last in my exact location. If I see we only have a 10-minute window to fit in wedding party portraits before a storm comes, I’m going to take that opportunity to make the most of it! It might involve flipping the timeline around to work around the weather, but it is worth it! On the flip side, I have had weddings where rain was called all day, but we held out and were able to have the ceremony outside after all! You never know what the weather can do, so it’s best to check theΒ radar and see how large of a storm we are dealing with because there could be opportunities!
This wedding (picture below) was pushed 30-minutes later than the original starting time. So instead of completely moving the ceremony indoors, we were able to wait it out!
6) Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Your family and friends are there for YOU! π Don’t be afraid to ask for help before or the day of your wedding. Ask for someone to drive you around the venue for photo ops or help fluff out the dress or help dry out the dress after running around or hold an umbrella… Whatever eases your mind and makes your day more comfortable, don’t be hesitant to reach out to a family member or friend. It will create a better, stress-free day for you. After all, we are all here for you, and I will help out as much as possible to make it a fun, great experience!
I hope you find these tips helpful as we prepare for this crazy hurricane weekend!!!
Stay dry, friends!!!
+ COMMENTS
add a comment