The Case of the Rainy Day Wedding
I would say that one of the more frequently asked questions that I receive during the wedding planning process for my brides is “So what do we do if it RAINS?!”. Truthfully, I think this is something that EVERYONE should have a backup plan for because here in the Pacific Northwest, you just never know! Although we have absolutely beautiful summer months, sometimes the clouds and rain just decide to stop in to say hello! Here are a few tips and things to remember if you come across this on your wedding day!
1. Have a backup plan just in case!
I know it’s hard to have a real idea of what your wedding day is going to look like when you book your venue nearly a year in advance (because let’s be real, you pretty much have to book a year in advance with how booked up venues get!). You might have dreams of a beautiful outdoor ceremony but I always say to choose a venue that has BOTH an outdoor space that you love AND and indoor space that would suit your needs if it decided to rain! That’s one less thing you have to stress about because worst comes to worst, you have a plan if the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate! And trust me, your day will still be just as beautiful, I promise!!
2. If there are clouds in the forecast, bring some umbrellas!
I have learned over these past few years of photographing weddings that if the forecast says it will be cloudy, there is always a chance it will rain EVEN if it doesn’t say rain! I’ve been surprised on a couple occasions with some unexpected rain so unless the forecast shows clear skies & sunny, I just assume that there is always a chance! With that said, have some backup umbrellas! I purchased some adorable white umbrellas for my own wedding and they were perfect for when it sprinkled! You can get them at this link!
3. Be flexible with the timeline!
I generally explain this in my initial consultations with my brides, but I always want to remind you that even though we will set up a timeline beforehand, be flexible if this needs to change! I will be watching the forecast which will includes the times that they estimate it to be raining. And if the times start getting close to when I need to be photographing some formal photos, I might start switching things up! Just trust me because I got your back and will only make executive decisions if I feel they are absolutely necessary!
4. Let ME worry about the pictures!
The week of your wedding, I will already be checking the weather forecast to get the best idea I can of how to work through your big day! If I see rain in the forecast, I’ll be checking out the hours it’s estimated to rain. Keep in mind that this is MY job! I am here to help make your wedding day run smooth and do my very best to make your wedding pictures still look FLAWLESS
5. Take it one step at a time!
Even if at first you feel like this will “ruin” your wedding day, that is absolutely not the case! I have photographed SO many weddings where it rained and we worked everything out just fine! Let your vendor team figure it out – our best interest will always be you! Your day will be so amazing regardless!
I know that these are just words and in the moment, it’s harder to process! But I wanted to share some previous weddings where it rained the day of and we still made it work!
Taylor & Dakota
Taylor & Dakota were married in October of 2017 at Melrose Market Studios. I had known that entire week that it was going to just RAIN and the chances of it letting up were extremely slim. I had photographed at Melrose Market Studios before so I knew the area and remembered a perfect park that had the best fall color around that we could work with. Dakota also came prepared with the cutest bubble umbrella to use in some of her & Taylor’s formal photos! Now, I always like to take my couples out one more time for photos whether it be sunset photos or night photos (depending on the weather and time of year!). I knew it was still raining so I decided to play with a technique I like to use that helps illuminate the rain. It’s safe to say that I am GLAD it rained on their day because I have one of my favorite photos to date because of it!
Noah & Ashley
Noah & Ashley got married in Port Gamble during Fall 2016. Lucky for us, it didn’t rain the entire day but it did start raining when we started taking photos of just the two of them. I had made sure to grab an umbrella from my car JUST in case and I’m so glad I did! Although rain wasn’t the most ideal situation, I’m so in love with these fall photos with the white umbrella that adds the perfect touch!
Blair & Sara
I have to say, we definitely struggled with the rain this day at Blair & Sara’s wedding back in April but I still think everything turned out perfectly! We were lucky to have a GORGEOUS porch to do some formal photos on which did make things a little easier! The rain stopped right after the first look between the bride & groom so we were able to leave the porch and go to various spots to photograph their formal photos. However, it started to rain right before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. I remember Sara deciding to keep the ceremony outdoors because they were planning to have a short ceremony and I think it was the right decision! All the guests were so wonderful and supportive – they just had umbrellas! I thought it was adorable. And luckily enough, the sprinkles stopped midway through the ceremony and didn’t come back the rest of the day!
Zack & Katelyn
These two actually flew me out to Vermont to photograph their wedding so I was determined to make sure their wedding photos turned out as perfect as I could! I found that although Vermony is literally across the country from Washington State, the weather was actually super similar to what I was used to so when it started to rain, I wasn’t even worried. I’m so used to it at this point! We just pushed through the formal photos and they were troopers. I loved how much they valued the photos because they didn’t mind standing outside while it was sprinkling just to get the shots! I will say, however, I was a little bit bummed we didn’t have any sort of sunset (those are my favorites to photograph) because of the dark clouds so once it got completely dark out, I wanted to try something out! I had played with off camera flash before at an engagement session but not for a wedding yet! I set my light stand out behind the couple and when I clicked the shutter, the flash illuminated all of the rain falling in the background and I was IN LOVE!
It’s safe to say that if it rains on your wedding day, I will do everything in my power to still provide you with photos that you will cherish for years to come all while telling the story of your beautiful day! I got your back!
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