It’s the week of your wedding, you’re finalizing all the last minute details, and you check the weather…Rain. Rain is in the forecast on your wedding day. Now what?! It’s our natural instinct to panic. But before you do, read this post first! The rain doesn’t have to ruin your wedding day, instead you just need to be prepared. And I have some personal tips and ideas to help you prepare!

Get Clear Umbrellas!

Clear umbrellas are an amazing way to keep the rain off your hair and makeup. The bubble shaped clear umbrellas are the best and provide more protection. Matt and I, as California Wedding Photographers, always have two clear bubble umbrellas with us on wedding days even if there's the slightest chance of rain. It’s a great idea to purchase enough for the entire wedding party and even better if you get enough for your guests as well. 

There are some really cute ways to display them for your guests. For example, you can use a large crate or barrel then have a cute sign made that reads something like “Our love is rain or shine! Grab an Umbrella”. There are all sorts of fun ideas on Pinterest.

Give Blankets or Towels as a Wedding Favor

Another fun idea to keep your guests warm and happy, would be to use blankets or towels as a wedding favor. Your guests will love you for it. You can even print a cute tag that reads something like “To have and to hold, in case you get cold”. If you’re on a tight budget, another thought is to have several bins of blankets or towels setup around the ceremony or reception areas that your guests can use during the wedding festivities.

Make sure you have a place to take cover

Ideally you want to make sure you and your guests have a good backup plan and a place to take cover in case the rain starts coming down hard and heavy. Check with your wedding venue to see what options they have available. You may need a good indoor location for photos too. As your wedding photographers, we recommend an indoor location that preferably has 1 or more large windows for good lighting. But don’t worry, we’ll also be scouting out the venue for a good indoor backup spot if we need it.

Be prepared to make timeline adjustments

I know it’s stressful to think about having to make timeline adjustments, but it’ll be ok…I promise! Depending on what the radar is showing, you may need to move the ceremony time to fit into a break in the weather. Of course, if everything is indoors you don’t need to worry about making any adjustments. 

In a case where you planned an outdoor ceremony and the radar shows rain right at the start of the ceremony but stops 30 minutes later, that would be where you may decide to push the ceremony back. Just make sure to communicate with your guests. Adding in extra time throughout the day will help tremendously as well when you know rain is in the forecast.

Now, you may be wondering, “Jen, I’ve got enough to stress about during the day…how on earth am I going to be able to monitor the radar too!” We’ve got you covered! As your California Wedding Photographers, Matt and I turn into meteorologists on rainy wedding days so never fear. We will watch the radar for you and advise when we see a break in the rain. We’ll also help you make those timeline adjustments too.

Embrace the Rain

Do everything you can to prepare for the rain, buy the umbrellas, have an indoor backup, build extra time into the timeline, have warm blankets for the guests…but then when the wedding day comes, just let it unfold! Embrace the rain, dance in the rain, make the rain part of your day. You can’t control the weather, but you can choose to not let it ruin your wedding day. Do your best to keep a positive attitude and remember, you’re marrying the love of your life and that’s all that truly matters!

If you’re worried about your wedding photos, we’re here to reassure you that over the years that we’ve been shooting weddings, we’ve become experts in photographing in the rain. So please don’t worry, you’ll have beautiful portraits to remember your wedding day for years to come.

Jen Peterson with Jen Peterson Photography is a Northern California destination photographer with experience in weddings, engagements, and elopements. If you found this post helpful and would like more information on our photography services, reach out!

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