Brides,

That dreaded word: rain. There is nothing more unpleasant than knowing it’s going to rain on your wedding day. Right now, you can already feel the dripping faucet of Alanis Morissette singing her “Ironic” song in your head. But hey, it’s still your wedding day!

How do we make the best out of a rainy wedding day? Does it mean the wedding photographs will only be a glimmer of the beauty it could have been? Can we still achieve great photographs? Here are some answers to those questions.

Light rain here. You can hardly tell based on the lens I used, so no worries!

1. Light Rain = Go for it!

Brides, grab those umbrellas! Bridesmaids, grab her dress! It’s GO time. With a light rain, or drizzle, it’s still possible to do photographs outside. Yes, you get rained on a little bit, but it’s so worth having the pictures outside that you truly want.

Tip: Set aside time to brush that rain off after the shoot.

My plan is to always set aside the time needed for couples to brush that rain off and re-apply hair & makeup touch-ups when we decide to do portraits outside. If we allotted 30 minutes for portraits, I will likely skim this down to 20 minutes so that we have an extra 10 minutes to get back to a state of normalcy. This helps you be relaxed and assured you have time to look in the mirror and know you still look your absolute best!

Using a light behind Claire & Rob to capture the rain in the background lends a hand to this shot.

2. Pouring Rain = Be Creative

One thing about rain is that it makes for some of my most creative work! When it rains, let’s take advantage of it by trying unique ideas to make the rain a part of the portrait.

Tip: When you want to try something more creative wait until a time when you won't be bothered by getting wet.

Some of my most fun, creative shots have come at night during the reception. This is a time when most couples feel better about getting wet if they have to. So, grab those umbrellas again and take a few minutes for some extra creative portraits!

We had perhaps 2 minutes before another rain cloud pushed us back inside. Thank you sun!

3. On-again, Off-again Rain = Change of Plans

I tell all my brides how logistically-minded I am. You will inevitably see my reference my iPhone as I look over the schedule and figure out new game plans when necessary. I also utilize the Weather Channel, Weather Underground, and Dark Sky apps to figure out the pattern for forecasts and where the rain is going to be. It sounds stressful because it is, but my hope is to figure out my options and share those with you so we can decide together what we should do about portraits.

Tip: Create a rain strategy before the wedding day if rain is imminent.

Another Tip: If rain clouds are scattered, take time to breathe and create new strategies rather than foregoing portraits altogether.

Recently at Katie & Graham’s wedding we had this experience where scattered storm clouds would only give us 5, 15, or 20 minutes at a time to accomplish portraits before we would get rained out. Fortunately, Katie & Graham handled it like champs with huge smiles and a carefree spirit! So breathe in, then out, and relax! It’s better to take 5 minutes of time to create a new plan than to ditch good portraits altogether!

Thanks for viewing this post for brides on how to make the best out of a rainy wedding day! Until next time, love yourself and love others!