Tips If It Rains On Your Wedding Day

What if it rains on our wedding? What if we’re getting married in December and it’s going to be dark outside? What if it’s freezing cold and we can’t go outside at all?

I think it’s fair to say that these are some of the worries most of my couples share. This is the UK and let’s face it, when it comes to the weather, well, Spain we are not! 

At the end of the day, the weather is just one of those things we can not control so there’s really not much point worrying about it, but we can prepare for it and as such make sure that if it does happen to be a bit grim, you don’t have all your eggs in one basket and can still have an amazing day! 

So, with a couple of hundred weddings under my belt, here are my tips for how to handle a bit of bad weather on your wedding day and how I approach getting you great wedding photos, whatever the weather may throw our way.

Have a Wet Weather Plan

Think about your Plan B when choosing your wedding venue. Even if your hope is to get married outside, it’s a really good idea to keep in mind what would happen if it’s raining at the point you are choosing your wedding venue. Speak to the venue about what their wet weather options are.It gives you the best of both worlds, a beautiful outdoor space but the back up of an indoor or covered area should it be raining. The Dreys in Kent for example allows you to get married outside in a woodland area but you also have the backup of a covered area should it rain. Same with The Great Barn in Rolvenden. The options have improved post covid as the temporary rules in the UK allowing licensed venues to hold ceremonies outside on their grounds have become permanent meaning a lot more venues can offer both an outdoor and indoor option! 

Don’t panic! 

Don’t worry, it won’t affect the vast majority of your wedding photos. As a wedding photographer, I’ve always approached my weddings in a mainly documentary style. 95% of the day I’m focussed on those genuine moments between you as a couple, you and your friends, you and your family. And the thing is, those moments will happen WHATEVER the weather does, so we don’t need to worry about that! 

If you’d like some couples portraits and family photos then the first thing to say is that over the past 11 years, I can think of only a couple of weddings where the weather has been so bad that it’s not been possible to get outside at all throughout the day for some photos. In fact, I struggled to find many rainy wedding photos to use for this post! So there’s a really good chance that even if it’s raining during the time we were planning to get outside for some photos, we can just be a bit flexible and move it to a different time. Kate and Joe’s wedding day was wet and grey nearly the whole day but I knew the weather was set to break a little bit and that 20 minute window was enough to get some beautiful photos for them.

Grab Some Umberellas

Embrace it! Now this may not be for everyone, but if you’re up for grabbing a brolly and going outside in the rain then that’s totally fine with me! If the rain isn’t too heavy then this is definitely an option but if you’re a bride, a pair of wellies or trainers is definitely a good idea.

Have Your Photo’s Indoors

If it’s really really wet, then remember photography is about light, not so much the quantity of light, more the  quality of light. That can be a glorious sunset at golden hour yes, but it can also mean a hallway, a window, a staircase. Making sure you hire an experienced wedding photographer who’s used to dealing with all the British weather can throw at them is absolutely one of the most crucial things you can invest in.

Hire An Experienced Wedding Photographer

If it’s going to be dark, make sure your photographer can make their own light. This is where experience really matters. Taking photos in golden hour when the weather and light is glorious is one thing, but what if you’re getting married in winter and the suns gone down by the time your ceremony is finished?

For me, one of my favourite things is taking pictures using my own lighting equipment (I've got freaking loads taking over the house, ask Claire!!)

All the pictures below were taken using my flash and lighting equipment, it opens up infinitely more possibilities and means your wedding photographer isn't reliant on golden hour or good weather to get you the photo's you're really dreaming of!!

Remember, Enjoy Yourself, Remember What it’s All About!

Honestly, of the weddings in my career where it’s rained, I’ve never once got the sense from the couple or their guests that it’s actually affected their enjoyment of their wedding day in the slightest. In fact, I’ve quite often found that rainy wedding days have a real buzz and energy to them. I can’t quite put my finger on where that comes from, perhaps it’s that British spirit of pulling together in adversity and just cracking on, or perhaps the realisation that everyones enjoying themselves regardless of the weather releases that pressure and worry in a couple, but whatever it is, it’s definitely there.