Rain, rain, go away….

You found the perfect venue, your dream dress and have spent hours making sure every little detail of your big day is perfect. Then the week of your wedding, you notice the weather forecast for your day is less than ideal. While worrying about it won’t change the outcome, making sure you are prepared ahead of time can make all the difference in the world! That’s why I’ve put together 5 tips to preparing for and dealing with dreary weather on your big day.

1) HAVE A BACKUP PLAN AND A WEDDING PLANNER: When you are searching for your dream venue and know that you want some of the events of your day held outside, make sure you check out the venue’s backup space. While in a perfect world you won’t need to use the backup space, it’s important that you see it and love it ahead of time, just in case. Hiring a wedding planner is also a great idea. They can help you plan for both scenarios from the get go, that way no matter what the weather, you are prepared. And if it does happen to rain on your day, they can help facilitate moving the ceremony site indoors, direct vendors of any changes, and rework timelines as needed.

2) PLAN A FIRST LOOK: Deciding to see each other before the ceremony is one of the best options to getting amazing images on your wedding day. If it does happen to rain, you now have two periods of time to capture your images – before the ceremony and during the cocktail hour. Many of the rainy day weddings I have photographed the rain slowed down one of the two times allowing us to go outside for photos.

3) BE PREPARED WITH THE PROPER ACCESSORIES: Embrace the rainy weather by having the proper accessories like umbrellas, rain boots and a stylish wrap. One of my favorite companies, Splendor for your Guests, has a wide range of colored umbrellas that you can rent or buy to match your color scheme. The colorful umbrellas will help keep you dry and stylish as you move from venue to venue on your wedding day. Not to mention if you pair an umbrella with a cute pair of rain boots, you’ll be ready to go take some amazing photos in the rain! And don’t forget to pick up a shawl to help keep you warm.

4) THINK ABOUT YOUR GUESTS: Bound and determined to say “I Do” outdoors no matter what the weather? Make sure you’ve thought of the comfort of your guests. Provide them with umbrellas and shawls in your color scheme to keep them dry and warm, while keeping the photos of your ceremony beautiful. Splendor for your Guests can also help you with this! You might even want to think about providing hair dryers and other toiletries in the bathroom so your guests can freshen up before the reception.

5) RELAX AND HAVE FUN: Your wedding day only happens once – don’t let rain get you down! Embrace it, go with the flow and have fun. As a wedding photographer, I watch the weather just as much as the bride does on the week of the wedding. If there’s even the slightest chance of rain, I make sure to pack my umbrellas, along with items to help protect the bride’s dress if we go outside for photos. I want to be prepared so that you can relax, have fun and get some amazing images to remember your day by.

And just remember…
” Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

Contact me today to learn more about my wedding photography and how I can help you prepare for anything on your wedding day.