What if it rains on my wedding day?

Ohio Wedding Photographer | Ashleigh Grzybowski

Planning for a rainy wedding day is not the weather couples plan for their big day. While a rainy wedding day is not ideal it doesn’t need to damper the mood on your big day! The most important part of your wedding day is getting married. A few thunderstorms won’t stop that and you can still have gorgeous photographs from your day!

The amount of pre-planning and impact rain can have on a wedding day heavily depends on the location of the ceremony and reception. An outdoor ceremony and / or reception will require more intention to ensure there is a solid back up plan. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when considering how rain could impact your wedding day.

Preparation is Key

After dreaming and spending so much time planning your dream wedding, the last thing you want to do is create a back up plan for rain. I understand this…I have been there as a bride. But, having a solid back up plan and communicating to all vendors is key. This will avoid unnecessary stress and last minute dashes day of that create stress. You should enjoy your wedding day. A solid rain back up plan is necessary if the ceremony and / or reception are planned to be outside. If your ceremony and / or reception are outside, the next tip is highly recommended to give you the most stress-free wedding day possible.

Hire a Planner

A Wedding Planner is worth their weight in gold for many reasons. One of those reasons is helping to navigate and create a rain plan. When a rain plan is created, it can involve additional rentals, different spaces that need transformed into a ceremony or reception space, moving furniture/decor and so much more. One piece that is always involved is communicating with vendors (every single one of them). Hiring a Wedding Planner is an investment. An investment into a wedding professional who can create, execute and deliver on the rain plan if needed. Best part, you don’t have to worry about all the details or communication day of your wedding! Your planner is handling everything! They are working so hard behind the scenes to make sure your wedding vision is realized regardless of the weather.

I believe a Wedding Planner is always a valuable investment and I highly recommend couples invest in a planner. If planning an outdoor ceremony and / or reception, I believe a Wedding Planner is a must to ensure a stress-free day for you, your fiancé and family.

Don’t Obsess Over the Forecast

After having a solid, back up plan in place, it is time to relax and delete the weather forecast app off your phone. Checking the weather every hour the week leading up to your wedding will not change the weather. It will only add stress and anxiety to what should be a week full of excitement and fun!

Be Willing to Go Outside

Day of your wedding is here! If it rains on your wedding day I want to encourage and remind you that you can still have gorgeous photographs from your wedding day. With experience photographing several rainy wedding days and the most important day of action is to be willing to go outside. I will watch the forecast and take you outside whenever possible as the rain breaks. I pack clear umbrellas with me to every wedding. The rain typically breaks at some point during the day and we will take advantage in the rain to grab beautiful outdoor portraits. If the rain does not let up, we will use the indoor space, covered porches, etc for portraits available at the ceremony or reception areas.

More questions about rainy wedding days? I’d love to hear them below!

Ashleigh Grzybowski is a Wedding Photographer based in Columbus, Ohio and serving couples across Ohio.  Ashleigh specializes in producing timeless, high quality imagery for kind-hearted couples who desire a warm, boutique experience honoring their life-long commitment and legacy.