The weather so far this year has been a bit backwards if you ask me! With all of the rain we’ve been getting this May (along with the threat of massive flooding) it’s not a surprise that many brides are probably having to make arrangements and plans for a rainy wedding day. When it might not be the most ideal conditions for an al fresco dinner reception or even for portraits, it can still easily be worked around in a beautiful a tasteful way. As a Washington DC area wedding photographer, rainy and snowy conditions are nothing new to me. So, one major tip that I have for you is to request a viewing of a full wedding gallery that shows different weather conditions from the photographers you are currently interviewing. This way you can be doubly sure the person you’ve chosen to work with is confident to be flexible and prepared for situations like this!
Planning Tips for Preparing for Rain on Your Wedding Day
- Stay in close contact with your wedding planner or day-of coordinator to make sure you have a backup plan in place with your venue. If you have any parts of your wedding day scheduled to take place outside it will take a huge load off of your shoulders if you make arrangements for unideal weather conditions. I’ve photographed weddings during a hurricane, spring rains, and snow. Venues are well prepared to deal with unscheduled and unexpected changes in the weather. Make sure you are, too!
- When working with your photographer try to ensure he/she has a plan in place and knows your venue’s restrictions and indoor availability for proper lighting and space in order to handle any portrait time that may have to take place inside. Any true professional will also have access to umbrellas for you to use and/or will search your venue for other portrait location options such as a porch area or dense tree area that will offer you some cover. Another great tip is to have a radar weather app on your phone (or your maid of honor’s phone) so you can watch the weather closely when it comes to portrait time! In addition to watching the weather, believe it or not the lighting conditions on rainy days provide the best lighting for outdoor portraits. The sky is essentially a giant softbox. If you’re willing to head outdoors for your portraits I am confident you’ll fall in love with the results.
- When going over your timeline consider adding in some additional time after your outdoor portraits for hair and makeup touchups. When I work closely with my couples on their timeline planning I try to make sure we have a cushion of time for touchups, no matter the weather! But if your prone to have slightly frizzy hair with humidity or if you’d like to make sure your makeup is as flawless as when it was applied it’s a great idea to have at least 10-15 minutes for touchups just before your ceremony or the entrance into your reception.
I hope these tips have helped you become a little less stressed out about the possibility of rain on your wedding day! Try to think of it this way – they say that rain on your wedding day is good luck. And remember, it never hurts to bury the bourbon! 😉 Happy planning!!
