So many brides worry about what would happen if it were to rain on their wedding day. Below, I’ve highlighted some things to consider as you’re going through the process.

Does your venue have a rain plan? Especially if planning an outdoor ceremony and/or reception, make sure you’re aware of the backup plan if rain is in the forecast. It’s always better to have Plan B in the back of your mind than no backup plan at all. If you’re working with a planner (which I recommend you do!), make sure all vendors are aware of Plan B, just in case. As you get closer to your wedding date, your planner will be keeping an eye on the radar for any forecast changes.

If it does rain, does this change where you’ll want to take photos? As your photographer, I scope out spots to shoot ahead of time. But, if you don’t like the indoor areas of your venue, we’ll want to have alternative options. Fun fact: I always bring 15 clear umbrellas with me to every wedding in case we need to use them for portraits. I love how they look in photos! 

While it likely won’t rain all day long, consider being flexible with your timeline. I recommend doing the first look first, if rain is in the forecast. That way, the entire day will be wide open to take other photos and be flexible with your timeline. Or sometimes, it works to move things around based on location. For example, if we have wedding party photos outside at 3:00pm followed by family photos at 4:00pm, but the rain won’t subside until 4:00pm, we can be flexible in doing the family photos inside and the wedding party photos outside if the rain stops. Flexibility like this is only possible if you do a first look. If you’re not planning for a first look, a majority of the photos are taken during cocktail hour. So if it is raining during that small window of time, that limits our options.

Lastly, and most importantly, keep the big picture in mind. Whether it rains or not, at the end of the day, you’ll be married. That trumps any curveball that could be thrown at you. If you’re set on having your ceremony or photos in the rain, embrace it! Many times, moments like that turn out to be more memorable. April and Jackson’s wedding day was unexpectedly rainy, but they made the most of it.