I don’t want it to rain on my wedding day…

“In the run up to the wedding I kept reminding myself that you can’t control the weather and took the approach of “how lucky am I, if the biggest thing I have to worry about is rain on my wedding day?” but of course we still hoped for sun…” Zoe (a rainy day bride!)

Even the thought of rain on your wedding day can cause a great deal of anxiety. When you wake up on your wedding morning and you draw back the curtains to see black cloud (when you are pretty sure that really reliable weather app did not predict it), your heart sinks and you are overwhelmed with sorrow, disappointment and perhaps a bit of panic. It dawns on you that it is just not going to be the day you imagined. I know the feeling well. It rained on both my twin sister’s wedding day (actually a better word would be poured) and it rained on our wedding day too. The weather forecasts told me that my day was going to be clear blue skies! I must have looked at the wrong one. I wish I had read this blog before our big day.

The truth is, we want to be able to control things. But the even greater truth is that we just can’t. We can hope, but we can’t rely on good weather in the UK. Which means we have to have a good back up plan. After 15 years of shooting weddings in the UK, we thought we would share with you some advice for coping with a rainy wedding day both practically and emotionally and how to make it work. Because it really can. 

We recently shot a wedding over at Studland near Sandbanks - one of the most beautiful places to be in the world. It is truly stunning. Except it rained. All day. Henry and Zoe got married on the waterfront and invited so many people who weren’t from the area. Naturally, they wanted to treat people to the views, yet the rain prevailed and the outside couldn’t be enjoyed in the way they had hoped. BUT, the day was not ruined. It was just different. They had the best time. So what did they do to make their rainy wedding not just OK but truly brilliant?

Here are a few tips:

7 top tips for coping with a rainy wedding day

1. The Venue

Some wedding venues have the benefit of having beautiful outside and inside spaces but there are a lot that rely so heavily on their outside space. If you have gone for a venue reliant on its outside space, make sure you have a plan of where to go if you have a rainy wedding day. Where will your guests be and where will you have photos - both groups and couple shots? Talk to your photographer and make a plan. Zoe and Henry had a simple marquee for the guests for the late afternoon and evening but part of their venue was the hire of the house on the land. Although the wider wedding party didn’t use this, the bridal party stayed in it and so this provided a great back up space. It had a covered porch area and a lovely lounge. When choosing a venue, choose somewhere that has some cover for photos on a rainy day. OR, make a plan to go somewhere between the church and the venue.

2. The magic of light

We can’t tell you how important light is in any venue. Lighting defines a space and can set the tone and ambience. It adds the magic. If your weather isn’t good, the lighting you have is even more important. Light curtains, fairy lights, festoon, spotlights…any or all of them create a beautiful feel and are so worth investing in. Lighting can truly make your photos because it adds depth and atmosphere. Zoe and Henry decided to add festoon to the outside space and it made such a difference to a rainy day. They also had a lot of fairy lights on the inside of the marquee. It’s easy to hire lighting and it doesn’t cost the earth. If you live in Dorset, get in touch and we can tell you where to get it all from. 

3. Prepare the extras

Make sure you have a lovely umbrella or 5 for photos. Also, think about back up shoes to wear under your dress.

4. Flexibility

If you are British, you know you need to expect any weather, despite what the forecasts say! If you want to get the best photos on a rainy wedding day, it is so beneficial to be flexible and jump on the good weather when it arrives. It’s a good idea to fully respect catering timings but apart from that, things can be juggled a bit. Zoe and Henry dropped everything when it stopped raining for a short time and we were able to get some lovely photos outside. 

5. Attitude

This is really vital. So many of us can be so affected by our emotions. Rain can cause huge disappointment. But the weather on your wedding day is out of your control and do remember that everyone wants to celebrate you and have a blast no matter what the weather. Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone and try to embrace the weather no matter what. If it rains, try hard to accept it and choose to make the best of it. So many others will be getting married on the same day and the best fun, memories and therefore photos will come out of the people who choose to embrace it. Don’t worry about your dress…we know it was a lot of money but you won’t be wearing it again!  So put those wellies on underneath it and go outside and embrace the rain. You won’t regret it.  

6. Knowing about the edit

There are a few reasons why rain can disappoint but one of them is to do with not enjoying the venue or getting the photos you dreamt of. One thing that is worth remembering is the beauty of black and white. Black and white is so classic, timeless and elegant and it is so forgiving of the weather. Take a look at these photos of Zoe and Henry. You would never really know that the weather was so wet and overcast. The photos look so elegant and timeless and the edit covers any drearyness.

A rainy wedding day might not be what you had in mind when you imagined the day you got married. The weather can change a day and make it so different to how you thought it might look. But it doesn’t need to be disappointingly different. It will be so beautiful in its own way. There will be stories and photos you wouldn’t have otherwise got and in the years to come, you will remember the important parts which usually involve people - sunshine or no sunshine. Zoe and Henry said this about their day….

“In the run up to the wedding I kept reminding myself that you can’t control the weather and took the approach of “how lucky am I, if the biggest thing I have to worry about is rain on my wedding day?” but of course we still hoped for sun…

Then the weather couldn’t really have been worse, it rained constantly! Our ceremony was wet, the humidity got into my hair and my dress got dirty straight away….but genuinely none of that mattered! The day filled with so much love and laughter and joy with all of our guests and that really is the only thing you notice or remember. It was a wonderful reminder that the pursuit of perfectionism is futile, especially on a wedding day! Our day turned out different to what we planned or expected but if I had my chance again I wouldn’t change anything. I adore our ceremony photos in the rain and with all of the umbrellas, they feel extra special and uniquely ours.” (More testimonials here.)

Take it from those that have gone before you! And finally….

7. Know that we are with you, ALL day.

We have an absolute TONNE of experience…in fact years and years of it! You can feel safe with us. We will make sure we get beautiful photos and we will work with your suppliers to make sure you have the best day, no matter what the weather is like!

Read more about our approach here and please do contact us. We would love to shoot for you.

Other interesting reads from our years of experience here.

Suppliers:
Venue: Studland Bay House
Hair by: oliviasharpmakeup.co.uk/
Makeup: niponakhan.co.uk/