What if it rains?

When we envision wedding days we think of sunshine and warmth, blue skies and The Simpson’s’ clouds. But what if the sun doesn’t show? What if it drizzles and mizzles and absolutely buckets it down with great peels of thunder?

Is it ALL OVER?

No. Absolutely NOT!

It’s your day and it’s going to be AWESOME, as you’ll have the best day whatever the weather.

I’ve put together some Top Tips for how to have an amazing day whatever the Great British weather decides to do and OWN IT!

LEARN How to Rock a Rainy Wedding

Tip One

Roll With it

This is the most important one of the lot. There’s nothing you can do at this point, whether you wanted rain or were dreading it. It’s here and it’s how you react that will make or break the day. So embrace Oasis and just ”…roll with it…” Just carry on and do what you want to do.

It’s YOUR day remember so if you planned on having photos in the park like Matt and Katrina did above, then just do it. If you want group photos outside or to play Jenga in a thunderstorm go for it. It’s YOUR day.

If you’re reacting well to whatever nature throws at you then anyone else who might be worried on your behalf, will completely relax, and everyone will have a wicked awesome day.

TIP Two

Have a Back up Plan

It is your day so have what you want, and if that’s group shots outside then go for it. But having a backup plan for photos somewhere in the dry is a good shout too.

There’re usually places in every venue where you can get group shots and couples photos that will still look great. Your photographer should be inventive enough to come up with ideas to utilize moody skies and dramatic weather.

If you have a particularly old venue, think 300 year old stately homes or castles then they can be very dark. Occasionally to make sure there’s enough light for group photos the groups are best to be a little smaller. So think them through and be ready to have a few more photos of smaller groups so everyone can be clearly seen.

Tip Three

Umbrellas and Wellies

These make ALL the difference. Having proper wedding umbrellas and being ready with really wonderful rouge wedding wellies ( try saying that ten times fast ) allow you to embrace the elements and still look great. Having PROPER wedding umbrellas is important though, white ones are best. Anything too colourful ( unless its the theme or vibe you’re going for ) or anything with logos, patterns or shapes should be avoided, if there’s writing in a photo your eyes are drawn to it, like subtitles on a film even when you can understand what they’re saying so make sure golf umbrellas are avoided. Black umbrellas too can create strange and unflattering shadows so stick to classic white.

And buy them a week or two before and leave the labels on, that way you can be very prepared and if you don’t need them you can return them and it’s not cost you a penny to be prepared.

Wellies too, I love wellies. They’re a great idea and in photos look brilliant as it’s very obvious you’ve embraced the wet and are still having a brilliant time. And again, buying them a week or two before the wedding allows you to return them.

TIP FOUR

Don’t be afraid to get wet

Yes you’re in a wedding dress and yes it is white ( very impractical ) and yes it’s raining and the walk through the field is gonna be damp. But hey, when are you going to wear this dress again? The couples that have the best time in the rain, Like Jason and Becky above just own it. It was wet, in fact on their day part of the venue flooded and there were members of staff directing water away from the doors as it was coming in underneath. Did that stop them? No! We walked to a field next door went through the sodden corn and had a great time getting some cracking pictures as the venue flooded and the rain pattered down around us. Becky’s hair probably suffered a little and it wouldn’t have done Jason’s suit any good but it was definitely the right call. They weren’t afraid to get wet and it definitely paid off.

TIP FIVE

be adaptable

Be adaptable.

Only once in 15 years of shooting weddings has it been such a daylong downpour that we couldn’t get outside at all.

Only one time.

That’s because we live in Britain and as much as we moan about the weather we very rarely, truly filthy. We don’t have monsoon. So be adaptable. Be prepared to nip off for a quick photo shoot between the Starter and the Main if the rain’s just stopped and there’s 10 minutes of sun. Or push the speeches back by 10 minutes and get everyone out for a group photo. Just preparing to be a little less rigid with timings will make all the difference.

Tip Six

Prepare your head

This must be super hard to do, I’ve never met a couple who’ve actually wanted rain for their wedding and as you apprehensively look at weather reports leading up to the day it must be so nerve racking seeing rain forecasted. it would be only too easy to be so upset seeing all these plans and ideas for outdoor activities and golden hour light disappearing.

It must feel devastating.

Friends of mine got married a couple of years back, they had a Tipi in a field with bales of straw for seats, fire pits and outdoor cooking. A proper Boho country wedding, and it lashed it down. But they had the best day! And it was such a memorable wedding for everyone there. Tamara put on her wellies and that was that, she was in the zone and with them both loving it everyone else relaxed and had a blast too.

It wasn’t like Tamara and Jake weren’t bothered there’s no point pretending it won’t bother you but preparing yourself to accept it and then embrace it will make all the difference. Your photos might not look like the ones you’d had in your head but photos in the rain can be amazing, incredibly memorable and it will make your wedding stand out from the rest.

So if it does happen to you, let it bother you for a bit, mourn the day you could have had for five minutes and then realise that this is the wedding you have and then go for it. It will be INCREDIBLE!