Ten Tips for Great Rainy Day Wedding Photos
If there’s one thing we hear our couples worry about most in regards to their wedding, it’s the weather. But I swear to you, it’s going to be okay no matter how much rain comes down. Below are ten tips to ensure you’ll have gorgeous rainy day wedding photos…
1. Love Your Venue
Choose a wedding venue that you are still going to love even if everything gets moved indoors. Usually this means natural light, interesting architecture, and plenty of space. If you like your venue inside and out, then the battle is over. Done. No more stress, your photographer has got this. Yes, those umbrella pictures you see are cute, but usually that’s only a few minutes worth of photos. You’re not going to do all of your pictures out in the rain!
The Kimmel Center has wonderful light coming in regardless of the weather outside. It is hands-down our favorite thing about this venue.
The Union League has warm, rich architectural elements and decor. The library has natural light pouring as an added bonus.
2. Buy Large Clear Umbrellas
You want clear umbrellas because black will block light from your faces. While we can’t do an entire portrait session in the rain, sneaking out for a few is so much fun.
Hurricane Joaquin. Roads were flooded, it was so windy and rainy, we don’t think there’s a chance we’d go outside. And then Dana, awesome cool bride Dana, says “Hey, let’s do it!” Everyone was laughing hysterically, we were only out for a few minutes and it was a blast.
3. Book Your Hotel Wisely
If taking portraits inside your venue isn’t an option (maybe the outside is Eden, but the inside looks like a 1990’s catering hall) than make sure you choose a stunning location to get ready so we can also do portraits there if it’s raining. It’s a huge bonus to have a pretty space on a rainy day! Boutique hotels and Airbnb’s are great options. Look for lots of natural light, plenty of space, and an interesting interior.
4. Take Cover
If the rain isn’t coming in sideways, sometimes we can photograph under spaces that are open to the elements (giant trees, covered exteriors of buildings, etc). Some of our favorite rainy day photographs were taking under a giant weeping willow we just happened to pass alongside the road.
5. Trust Your Photographer
If you’ve hired an experienced, talented photographer, chances are they’ve dealt with this before. We use our creativity, experience, and eye for light to make the rain work to your advantage. Sometimes the photos we get on a rainy day are even more dramatic and beautiful than the originals would have been because we have to think in a totally different way.
Kerri & Mike’s ceremony ran very late and then it started raining once we stepped outside. Outdoor photos were obviously not an option. We quickly came up with a new plan, set up lighting, and created stunning, gorgeous portraits.
6. Wait It Out
Storm photos are seriously the best. The light before the rain is soft and muted and after the rain it’s sometimes golden with dark stormy clouds in the background. If you can relax and know that we’ll get outside if and when we can, we can usually make it happen!
7. Have Fun
Too much importance is sometimes placed on the details and photos at weddings. This is the day you’ve been waiting for so have fun! Enjoy every minute, rainy or not. It may take some meditation, deep breaths, pep talks, or a few tears to get there, but try to let your worries go and just embrace the moment!
8. Bring Extra Shoes
OK so you’re going to be gutsy and risk getting wet to get some great photos. But no one wants to dance in wet shoes all night! Bring some rain boots, flats, flip flops, anything! Just keep those fancy shoes dry.
9. Book a Post-Wedding Portrait Session
If you really have your heart set on outdoor photos (and who doesn’t, really), just book a session with your photographer after your wedding. What a fantastic reason to put your dress back on, try out a more casual (or daring) hairdo, and take photos at the location of your dreams. It’s so much fun, I love when we do this.
Post Hurricane Joaquin wedding portrait session! On a much sunnier day with fall leaves (which is what they originally wanted for their wedding anyway!).
10. Relax
Most importantly, stop and take a deep breath. Relax. It’s your wedding day and it’s going to be incredible regardless of the weather. No amount of rain is going to make your vows any less poignant when you look into each other’s eyes. I know, rain on your wedding day is less than ideal, but some of our favorite photos are from weddings where it rained! The more you can be present, have fun, and ignore the weather, the better your photos will be.
We’ll be on your team to make quick decisions, find interesting spots that you may not have considered, and ultimately, get really beautiful photos that you’ll love regardless of where they were taken.
Nishali + Jeremy’s wedding was the most rain we’ve seen. Ever. Hurricane strength winds and the tent almost came down. There was so much rain during the first dance that our camera bags were literally floating in two inches of water and guests had to congregate in the center of the tent to keep dry-ish from the waterfalls coming off the edges. It was flooded. But amazingly, they had a great planner who kept disaster at bay and 3 hours later… a beautiful night to release Chinese Lanterns!
