We’ve been having so much rain the last little while here in Ontario. I’m jealous of all of my Kelowna Wedding Photographer friends and their beautiful weather! So I thought it was the perfect time to talk about what to do if there’s rain on your wedding day!
It’s something no couple wants, period, but especially if any aspect of their day is planned outdoors. It’s not something that we can always predict, either. Ontario weather can change quickly and without warning, unlike areas of British Columbia, like Kelowna, where the weather is predictable. It’s no wonder it can cause so much stress when you’re wedding planning!
I hope these few tips will help you start thinking about how the weather will impact your day. This way you’ll feel more prepared to deal with it no matter what comes your way!
Have a Back-Up Plan
The simplest piece of advice I can give you is, come up with a backup plan no matter when or where you’re getting married. Even if your venues are indoors, or have indoor options, there’s still a significant part of your photos that going to be taken outdoors. Portraits when you’re done getting ready, family photos, wedding party photos, newlywed portraits, and sunset or night photos will all be affected, regardless of where your ceremony and reception are happening.
Go To A Local Greenhouse Or Indoor Location
One of my favourites is going to a local greenhouse nearby whatever venue you’re at. Unfortunately because of COVID restrictions, this hasn’t been a possibility in a while. But I know we’ll see wedding days returning to how they once were eventually! So it’s an idea to keep in mind as an option if you’re getting married in 2022.
Rent A Tent
Renting a tent is another option if your venue permits it! This is what I did for my own wedding, and we found out how long we could wait to decide if we no longer wanted it. We got married on a Friday, and on the Wednesday before, I decided to take my chances with the weather forecast and cancelled our tent. We lost our deposit but it was well worth it because the day was GORGEOUS!
Take Photos Inside Your Venue(s)
Taking photos inside your venue is also a possibility, but I recommend saving this for a worst-case-scenario option. Most venues in our area aren’t big enough (i.e. don’t have another separate area) for us to go to without being surrounded by guests. This might not seem like a huge deal, but let me tell you, it is!
Aside from space being limited, it’s also loud! I have to yell over the lull of everyone’s voices as they enjoy cocktail hour, in order to give instructions for the photos. You’ll also run into situations like guests wanting to come say hi to you, or even get their own photos. This will start to take up time and is a quick way for the time to start running behind.
We have flashes and equipment to make sure we can take photos regardless of the weather, but getting outside is definitely a key factor in getting the photos you were hoping for when you hired us as your Kelowna Wedding Photographer!
Take Photos In The Rain Anyway
If it’s not a total downpour, don’t be afraid to get outside and have some fun in the rain!
One of my past brides, Sara, brought yellow rain boots to wear under her dress for some of her photos with her husband, Shane, and it was too cute!
You can also buy sets of clear umbrellas on Amazon. Return them if you don’t use them, or re-sell them if you do! I have some that I bring as well, but the more the merrier when it comes to umbrellas.
One of my secret weapons on a rainy wedding day? A shower curtain! I have an ‘emergency kit’ that I keep in my car on a wedding day, filled with all kinds of things we could need (the obvious first aid items, extra sunglasses, a sewing kit, and so much more!) – and a shower curtain is one ‘must have’ item in there. If it’s raining heavily and you have to get from one place to another outside, wrapping your dress up in a shower curtain to stay dry is much more effective than just using an umbrella!
Add “Buffer Room” Into Your Timeline
You want to add extra “buffer room” into every section of the day. It’s a little bit of extra time in case anything runs behind or anything unexpected happens. Rain is another reason why that’s so important!
Sometimes, if you’ve got an extra 10 minutes set aside and the rain has almost stopped, we can wait it out without interfering with the rest of the timeline or having to rush through the photos you had planned.
On your wedding day we don’t want to just “get the photos done” by any means necessary. We can do that when it comes down to it – but it’s not what we WANT. We want you to enjoy the entire process of the day, and for it to be as enjoyable as possible!
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Looking for some more wedding inspiration?! Check out some of my other favourites on the blog!
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