*sings* It’s like rain {ey-ain} on your wedding day…

Browsing through my twitter feed the other day I came across a tweet by wedding photographer Fiona Kelly. She said of all the weddings she has shot this season it had rained on all but one!

This tweet started me thinking… your wedding can be blighted by the thought of rain and it’s often a concern when it comes to setting the date. Traditionally brides and grooms opt for a *ahem* ‘summer’ wedding…  Which is starting to become quite difficult lately, seeing as we don’t get much of a summer anymore.

It’s natural to dream of gloriously sunny days when picturing your wedding vows and to hope the sun will shine prettily when it comes to your wedding photography too. But, how would you cope if it did rain on your wedding day?

Hopefully, you’ll have read this fab guest post from our lovely Fiona Kelly on how to deal with it and I also turn the concept of ‘rain being a bad thing’ on it’s head by actively encouraging you to embrace a rainy day wedding with fantastic inspiration, ideas and DIY tutorials… enjoy XxX Take it away Fiona…

Picture the scene; the love of your life proposes to you in some fabulous way, down on one knee or whisking you to some picturesque little spot. You’re thrilled, excited and once the whirl of those few days fades slightly your thoughts instantly springs to your wedding day. So much to think about, so much to decide and plan. If, like many brides, you decide to opt for a spring or summer wedding your mind sends you down a little pathway at this point… Its a gorgeous sunny day, the birds are tweeting, there is a soft breeze stirring the lush green leaves on the trees. Your mind races a little more and you maybe imagine a stunning venue with a terrace or garden. The light streams through the windows to illuminate a beautifully decorated room. Pretty flowers are filling the air with the soft scent of summer. You’re dressed in the perfect wedding dress, with your best girls and parents with you. Maybe one or two photos are taken in the sunshine before the big wedding moment, just to capture the bond with your oldest friends and those last moments as a single lady. The ceremony is perfect, your groom is the most handsome man you have ever seen. He has a tear in his eye when he sees you for the first time and your vows are the most wonderful thing you have ever said. Every word means so much and at that moment you only have eyes for each other. Family and friends cheer as you kiss for the first time as husband and wife. Hurrah! Time for the party and a chance to relax and celebrate in style. All your friends and family are there, sipping champagne or pimms in the sunshine, enjoying the views and the warmth. There are maybe some outdoor games to keep your guests amused while enjoying the tempting little canapes that are served by the diligent waiting staff. You head off with your photographer for some beautiful portraits of the two of you, capturing that special time just after the ceremony when it all seems slightly surreal but amazing. There are a handful of family photos to be taken and a perfectly sun-dappled shady spot is found, and when it comes to the photo of the whole wedding party everyone rounds up with drinks in hands and shouts a cheer of celebration for the two of you.

This is where your head leads you. This is your perfect day and that day, more often than not, involves sunshine.

So the plan is there, this is what you are hoping for when you book for that day in July. As the big day is approaching you are watching the weather forecast, its not looking good. Maybe they are wrong, maybe it will change as we get nearer the big day… Its not improving! The morning of your wedding day arrives and its raining. Not just raining, its torrential. The sky is black, there’s a weather warning of floods in the area and you are desperately trying to not let it spoil your perfect day.

Stop right there.

Ok, so the British weather has done its thing and given you a day with rain. This will not stop it from being perfect. It will be a different kind of perfect from the one you imagined, but it will still be perfect. Your gorgeous groom will still look handsome and say ‘I do’. Your family and friends will still laugh and cry with you and cheer when you kiss for the first time. You will celebrate, you will have fun and you will get married. It will be amazing!

This is also the point that I (and every other professional, experienced photographer) come in from a supportive and practical stand point to make sure that you still get photos that reflect that perfect, if somewhat rainy, wedding day. This year has been a real corker for rain. I can honestly say I have only had one wedding where it didn’t rain at all! Seriously, and its almost July. Its been a challenge practically, photographically and emotionally. I want my brides and grooms to have an awesome day. I want them to be happy, excited and as unstressed as possible. I see it as part of my job on the wedding day to help this happen, and I have done my fair share of calming worried brides on the morning of damp weddings.

Here are a few things to think about, and a couple of ideas for how to deal with the Great British weather on your wedding day. It is Britain, after all, and the chances are reasonably high that it might well rain. Even in summer. We aren’t renowned for our glorious sunshine and balmy summer days. But this need not put a dampener (sorry, no pun intended) on your day.

 • If you haven’t started the planning process then this gives you a head start. When you are looking for your venue, obviously go with the style of place that reflects the type of wedding you want, but have a little think about a couple of things. What is the interior like? If it does happen to rain on the day is it the kind of space you will be happy to be in? If you want to have a lot of group shots, or your wedding party is large will the inside of the venue be adequate to do all those group shots? Is there a room or space big enough for the whole wedding party to be photographed in if you are wanting an ‘everyone’ shot. If you have any doubt about any of these questions, ask the venue how they deal with a wet day and the photography. They should have some examples of previous weddings and how they have done it. If you already have your wedding photographer booked why not ask them to visit with you or get their opinion. They will be able to give you a great guide as to options and being realistic about what is achievable in a venue.

• If your venue is booked then have a chat to your photographer about options for your photos. Most places have areas inside that will work well for bride & groom portraits. You may have to compromise on some of your group shots if space is limited, maybe you do a few more smaller groups rather than the bigger group arrangements.

• Embrace the weather! This is the British summer time, don’t fight it, go with it. In the run up to the day if you think you may have to contend with rain why not buy yourself some fab and funky wellies and a cool umbrella? Make the portraits of you and your groom fun in the rain. Let your photographer know you are happy and prepared go outside in the rain. They can find a spot to get some shots of you cuddling under your gorgeous new umbrella, so why not try it? This is a reflection of your wedding day, and its something you will look back on and laugh about. It will be part of the brilliant story that is your day. You’ll giggle at the portraits of you wearing your spotty wellies peeking out from under your gorgeous wedding dress, I promise.

• There will often be somewhere outside that offers shelter from rain. Doorways, tunnels, under trees, gazebos…the options are endless. When it comes to it, most photographers will be looking for these options anyway. That’s what we do. We see a venue and immediately look at where will be perfect spots for particular photos. I am always thinking of plan A, B, C and more when I check out a venue. Where I would like to shoot if its sunny, cloudy, rainy etc. If there is a fabulous outside area to the venue I will always try to get out there at some point and make it work somehow. Even on the rainiest days you often get a little window of opportunity. I have been known to nearly leap on a couple during the reception when I have noticed the rain has eased and we can get outside for 10 minutes to get some photos. It might come across as slightly mad (and I do feel that way on occasion) but it will definitely be worth it.

• A really important thing to remember. No matter how hard you wish, you can’t change it. Its a really difficult thing for most brides to accept. The months of planning have lead up to this day and you may have had a few ‘control freak’ moments (we all have, I know I certainly did!). So accepting there is something outside of your planning control can be tricky. In the run up to the big day please try to let that go. I promise it really will help you roll with whatever happens on the day, on all counts. 

• The last, and most important point to bear in mind when it comes to your photography is this. Make sure you are completely happy with your photographer and the skills they have. Are you confident they can deal with whatever is thrown at them my mother nature. When you do have that perfect person who will capture your wedding trust them to do their job and make the right decision for your photos. Let them worry about that side of things, you really don’t need to. As a photographer I am there to make sure that every image I take of your wedding day is a perfect one that reflects that moment in time and tells part of your day. I am constantly making decisions and changing my ideas as the day goes on based on whats happening generally, and often because of what the weather is doing. I will not let you down and I will work around any situation to capture those images, regardless of how much rain is falling on the day. 

So what can you take from this? You can’t plan for the weather but you can make a few decisions that will help to deal with whatever is thrown at you by the good old British summertime.

Above all else, its your wedding day…enjoy it and have the best time.

Thanks so much for a great guest post Fiona, really, really sound advice for dealing with the rain on your wedding day!

So here we go, as promised… Wedding inspiration, ideas and DIY tutorials on how to style your wedding day the rainy way ;-)

Your colour palette:

Wedding invites: Imagine a wedding invite that says something cute like this… We love each other so much, we don’t care if it rains on our big day… the invite could contain confetti rain that falls out when the recipient opens it… or maybe you could have rain inspired graphics?

Request your bridesmaids wear wellies, what the heck… request everyone brings wellies and an umbrella, people love to collectively feel a part of something and imagine the photo opportunities!

Rain inspired backdrops: Background decoration for your sweet buffet stand… ? Or how about the backdrop for a fun ‘photo booth’ set? Your guests will have a ton of fun posing with silly rain inspired props.

Fun, bright and quirky umbrellas: These umbrellas look amazing hung from your venues ceiling.

Wedding cake / cupcakes / cake pops: Request your wedding stationer creates cute little clouds /umbrellas / raindrops to decorate your sweet treats.

Lantern confetti DIY tutorial: Make your rain confetti using a hole punch to create perfect crepe paper rain drops.

So my loves, if this post doesn’t inspire you to embrace the rain on your wedding day, maybe this quote and image will?

Rain is just wedding glitter on your big day! ;-)

I would love to know what you think about this post, could you embrace the rain on your big day? For loads more rainy day wedding inspiration click my pinterest board here.

{Image credits: Pinterest / Fiona Kelly Weddings}

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