What to do if it rains on your wedding day? That’s a big question for brides wanting the perfect photography experience, right? Let’s take a little walk down memory lane and look back at a rainy wedding day that I remember pretty vividly. My own.

If anyone has experience telling their brides, “Don’t worry it’ll all work out,” it’s me. I find myself telling every bride that more than once on the days leading up to her wedding or even on her big day. When we planned our wedding during the height of COVID I had to remember that little phrase more than once. There are so many things that were out of my control. At the end of the day, my one dream was coming true, I got to marry my knight in shining armor! And it was going to be the best!!

Our wedding day plans worked out. On rehearsal night the weather was beautiful. We were a little concerned about guests being a little too warm, but knew The Lord would work it out. Of course, no one wants rain on their wedding day. They say it’s good luck, but seriously, what bride wants it to pour the rain on the day she’s dreamed of her whole life?!

On August 15, 2020, waking up to pouring rain was our reality. It was probably the COLDEST day of the summer! And you know what?! I found myself not stressed at all. The day we had been planning for SO long was finally here, and I wasn’t going to let something I couldn’t control ruin my it. We of course prayed for the rain to stop. I had things planned out perfectly. First look the courthouse, family photos in a pretty field. But the rain didn’t stop, so we had to switch things up a little.

Plans had to change, and I had to be okay with it

Like I said, I wasn’t going to let a little (or a lot of rain) ruin our wedding!! I knew everything that I had planned out perfectly was going to be changed, so I had to trust my amazing photographer to put us in the best places! We did our first look on the church porch and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. In our wedding video you can hear the rain pouring. I even say something like “Oh my goodness this rain!” It was a beautiful moment I’ll cherish forever. I didn’t care about anything else than seeing Thomas.

Trust your photographer

If you’ve paid thousands of dollars on a top notch professional photographer, odds are this isn’t the first wedding they’ve seen where it’s rained. Trust me!!! It isn’t your job to find all the best locations and light so your images are amazing-that’s what you paid them for. You wouldn’t know at all that it was dumping the rain in these photos, would you? We used this gorgeous front porch to our advantage. Daniele had to trust me to capture these photos in a way that just allows you to focus on the moment.

Hire a photographer that you KNOW you can trust and will be able to deliver beautiful images even if it’s pouring the rain. Forever thankful for our sweet friends Katelyn and Will for capturing our wedding day beautifully!

Have a backup plan

I originally wanted to get married in Thomas’s church. Thanks to COVID, that wasn’t possible, so we found ourselves scrambling to find something outside for a ceremony space. The fear of “what if it rains” was sinking in. We had the perfect plan! Outside, underneath the pavilion of our venue was the perfect compromise and with a little bit of decorating, it couldn’t have been more beautiful.

At the end of the day, you’re just as married

It doesn’t matter where you are, who’s there, what the weather does. At the end of your day, you’re just as married! This has been something I’ve told my couples from the beginning of starting my business. All those little things that you stress over do not matter! You have to remember the most important thing is that you’re married! Never lose sight of that. No amount of rain, sickness or sadness can ruin what God has joined together.

Just ask Jewell and Owen. You would never know that it was raining in these images, would you? I had to make a quick decision for their portraits. The rain was not letting up and we knew we didn’t want to do everything inside. Want to know a secret?! I actually took these photos in the church parking lot underneath some great tree cover that protected us from the rain. They are some of my favorites from the wedding day.

If you’re worried about what to do if it rains on your wedding day. Take some advice from the photographer who had change her perfect plans. Looking back, I truly wouldn’t change a thing. We had the most beautiful day and I’m grateful The Lord has blessed me with such an amazing husband! So don’t stress if it rains on your wedding, if we made it, you can too!

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xoxo,
Zoe