What If It Rains at your Wedding? Do These 3 Things

This is more than likely every couple’s biggest fear for their big day…

“what if it rains on our wedding day?”

It's a legitimate fear, and depending on where you live, it's possible that it's more than just a low likelihood event. Think about the couple that lives in Seattle, imagine several dozen days of rain per year. Although very few people pray for rain on their own wedding day, the reality is that many of us do have to deal with it.

Now, while some couples in other parts of the country can largely rest easy in knowing that it's highly unlikely they'll need to deal with inclement weather, consider the fact that on your wedding day, many possible types of other things could go wrong.

Perhaps the wind blows very hard, or it rains. Now, maybe you don't have to deal with rain, but you might have to deal with extreme heat. Maybe you're getting married at the end of August, and it's extremely hot. There are so many different types of scenarios that could go wrong, but the main point I'd like to make is that on your wedding day, something is likely to go wrong, but the point of this article is that even if it does,

there are ways you can deal with it…How?

Let's get into it.

Plan ahead
The biggest advice I could give a prospective couple for their upcoming wedding day is, make sure you have a backup plan. Having worked in the insurance industry for many years, my mind is simply wired that way. Thinking from arisk management and mitigation standpoint, the thing you can do to protect yourself is to

have a back-up plan in case things go wrong.

Working in the industry for many years, even in the least likelihood scenarios, things always go wrong.
In the instance that you plan an outdoor ceremony, one thing you could do is make provisions, in the instance that the wind blows or that it rains. Maybe you were thinking about having an outdoor ceremony in an open field, with plastic chairs for your wedding guests, but if it rains?

The last thing you want to be doing on the day of your wedding is scrambling, wondering what should we do. And yet, I have seen that happen before. It's not pretty, and it often involves fretting, screaming, and more. But it doesn't have to be that way! If you give your wedding day a little extra thought about not just what could be perfect, but what if things are not your ideal scenario, you won't have to worry about these negative thoughts on your actual wedding day:

you'll already be prepared for it, and can simply move to plan B.

Hire a full-service event planner
Here, I specified full service coordinator, distinguished from day-of coordinator. If you don't have the time, energy, resources, or know-how to plan ahead for your wedding, consider hiring someone who does! You’ll need someone to think about these key details, even if it's unpleasant to do so yourself.

Involve your photographer
Having a great deal of experience with weddings,

Your photographer will have a great deal of insight into the things that could go wrong on your big day.

They will know the right things to avoid and how to lessen the impact of anything that might happen, such as rain. For instance, if it rains, a smart wedding photographer will come prepared with a clear plastic umbrella, or encourage you to buy one for your big day, that way if it rains, instead of you getting drenched on your shoulders, clothes, and everywhere else, you and your partner can simply stand under the umbrella. Then, a photographer experienced in shooting rainy day weddings would simply place a flash behind the two of you, triggering it off camera for a burst of backlighting.

If you're at all concerned with whether it might rain on your big day, prior to booking a photographer, inquire about their off camera lighting skills commonly known throughout the industry as “OCF.” Guaranteed, if they have the skills in this area, you already see it in their work. But if you're unsure, you can ask to see examples and they should be able to provide. Now, it's not a mandate used to combat rainy day or other inclement weather scenarios, but it's one of the best, in my opinion. The main point I'm making is that rather than being reactive, a good wedding photographer, when faced with the question of what if it rains on my wedding day, should have a quick, well-prepared answer for how they would handle that situation, and be able to explain it to you at a high-level.

The idea is that they are being proactive, rather than being reactive. which should give you some peace of mind, should something go wrong.

So, these are three examples of things that you can do to better prepare if it might rain on your wedding day and some proactive suggestions for things you can do to involve others such as wedding planners, photographers and other vendors who might be able to offer assistance in making sure that everything goes well or wedding day.

There is always a possibility, even a small one, that it could rain at your wedding but it doesn't have to be a doomsday scenario.

Have I missed something? Things you can think of that maybe I didn't consider? Suggestions for what couples can do to better prepare for a possible rainy wedding? Let me know in the comments below, thank you for reading.