What To Do When It Rains On Your Wedding Day

With so much to do when planning your wedding, checking the weather forecast can sometimes slip under the radar. Other times, worrying over your wedding weather can be enough to make you lose sleep. Either way, Mother Nature has been known to be unpredictable on occasion, and there’s no way around it. So, if you find yourself surprised by cloudy, stormy skies, don’t panic! Below, we have a five-step guide on how you can handle rain on your wedding day. 

Choose a Venue with Overhead Coverage

If the forecast is predicting rain for your outdoor ceremony, consider planning ahead and choose an alternative wedding venue nearby with overhead coverage. If you plan on reciting your vows at a location like a park or a beach, check the area surrounding your ceremony site. Chances are, you’ll find that there may be gazebos or overhangs that will help keep you and your guests out of the elements. Not only will this give you a dry haven for your ceremony, but you won’t have to worry about setting it up anything yourself (like a tent) or carrying it around. But make sure the location you choose can accommodate guests, if you’re inviting any. 

Bring your own Coverage

If the weather looks like it just won’t cooperate, and the venue you have your heart set on doesn’t have any sort of coverage to speak of, you can always bring your own. Pop-up canopies and tents come in a variety of colors that can even be tailored to your color scheme! Just make sure ahead of time that your location approves the structure, and you don’t need any additional permits for setting up. Another great option if your venue won’t permit structures? Purchase umbrellas for you and your crew!

Embrace it

This is a simple one — let loose and have fun with the elements! Bring those umbrellas, wear your rain boots, and splash to your heart’s content. Taking photos in the rain can give you some incredible photos, and the experience is guaranteed to make some incredible memories. You could even bottle up some rain to display next to your photos!

Wear Waterproof Makeup

Waterproof makeup can help protect against rainy weather – and tears! If you’ve hired a makeup artist,  be sure to check in with them prior to your big day to make sure they’re coming prepared (they almost always have waterproof makeup, no matter what the weather calls for). If you’re doing your own makeup, make sure you have waterproof mascara, eyeliner, and setting powder to blot away any raindrops.

Tell the Story!

Whether you get out in the rain and play, or whether you say your I-do’s sheltered under the soft pattering of drops, rain on your wedding day can be a beautiful atmospheric detail. So tell the story! It’s a unique and fun circumstance, and every couple handles it differently, so no two rainy day weddings are the same. 

Rain on your wedding day doesn’t always have to mean cancellations or ceremony movements. These tips can help you get creative, stay dry (or not!), and work with, instead of around, Mother Nature. 

Written by Tori Ward

Victoria Ward is a writer at Simply Eloped as well as a Keats Marginalia scholar and Storyfort finalist for her fiction and creative nonfiction. When she is not writing about elopements, she writes grants for her research and non-profit work.