8 Tips for Photographing a Rainy Wedding Day

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There was pretty much a monsoon on the day Arturo and I got married, but that didn’t stop our photographer from being able to capture some beautiful photos! While we all want perfect weather for each wedding we photograph, mother nature will sometimes have alternate plans. You’re bound to photograph a wedding that falls on a rainy day, especially if you’re based in the New England area! It’s never a dream to photograph a wedding in the rain, but you can still create some wonderful portraits for your couples if you come prepared. After experiencing my own rainy wedding day and having photographed plenty more, I’ve compiled a few tips and tricks that Arturo and I use to ensure we serve our couples well on their day when rain is a factor. We’ve even used many of these on snowy wedding days we’ve photographed, and they’ve never failed us!

Purchase Clear Bubble Umbrellas

We love the Totes Clear Bubble Umbrella for rainy wedding days! Not only do they photograph well, but they’re not a distraction in portraits. We keep about 10-12 of these in our car on wedding days, since two people can share one umbrella. Our couples’ wedding parties are rarely more than 12-14 people total, which means we’d need roughly seven umbrellas to cover any bridesmaids and groomsmen, with a few extra for our couple to either share or have their own.

Invest in Rain Gear & Always Keep It Handy

Your cameras and lenses are water resistant, NOT waterproof, so be sure to have something that will protect your photography equipment! We like the Storm Jacket camera cover in the large size because it can fit our cameras as well as a 70-200mm lens if needed. They fold up into a nice, compact size, which makes it easy to keep in our camera bags (or pockets!) at all times. It’s a small investment to protect your large investments! Additionally, lens hoods will also help to keep rain droplets off of the glass of your lenses, so be sure to have those handy as well!

Talk to Your Couple About Taking Portraits Outside, Despite the Rain

If you do see a chance of rain on the wedding day, chat with your couple ahead of time to see how open they are to having some portraits done outside. Find somewhere they’ll be dry so they don’t need to be in the rain, whether it be under umbrellas, a porch covering, etc. Reassure them that their comfort is your first priority!

Arrive Early

Timelines can run behind when the weather IS cooperating, so there’s definitely a greater chance of it happening when it’s raining. This is especially important if you'll be traveling to more than one location (for example, getting ready at a hotel, then driving to the venue). Give yourself a bit of a buffer to arrive at your first location early, just in case you hit any weather-related traffic along the way. Rainy day or not, always, always, ALWAYS buffer in extra time for any wedding day travel!

Don’t Assume It Will Stop Raining (But Take Advantage If It Does!)

If there’s rain in the forecast, plan to run the day as if the rain isn’t going to let up. Have a plan in place that will allow you to get the shots you NEED (couple portraits, wedding party portraits, family portraits, etc). I use the app Dark Sky, which is usually pretty accurate in telling me when it’s going to start and stop raining (or snowing!), but I never rely on it 100%. In the event it does stop raining, be sure to take advantage of that time as the sky is momentarily clear!

Bring An Extra Change of Clothes & Shoes

As you’re going down your rainy day checklist, don’t forget to plan for yourself too! You’ll most likely be in the rain much more than your couple, so be sure to pack your raincoat, as well as an extra change of clothes and shoes just in case you get soaked or step in a big muddy puddle. Trust me when I say you won’t want to be soaking wet all through the rest of the day!

Don’t Watch the Weather All Week

You don’t want to drive yourself crazy worrying about what the weather may or may not do. It’s a factor we can’t control, so why bother spending too much time thinking about it until it’s actually time to do so?

Remember to Smile!

Working in the rain or any other less-than-ideal weather can lead to frustration, but only if you let it! Yes, your clothes may get wet and your shoes might get covered in mud, but keep in mind that you want to serve your couples (and their guests!) incredibly well however you can. Your positive attitude will make the same impact as a negative one!

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I hope you find these tips helpful as you come across rainy wedding days! What are some other tips you’ve found that work for you?

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