Over the weekend, I had the pleasure to assist shoot for a fellow photographer at Mt. Shasta Resort. If any of you have ever been to the resort, then you know what an amazing view of Mt. Shasta you can see from the area behind the clubhouse where the ceremony is set to take place at. The bride and groom were a young couple from Red Bluff who met while both working on an engine for the Forest Service. Being the outdoorsy type of people they are, they really, really wanted an outdoor wedding. They even had a beautiful, rustic custom made backdrop made just for their ceremony. Well, after having near perfect weather for the weeks prior to the ceremony, they had one of the rainiest, coldest days in May. And, guess what? The bride and groom stayed perfectly calm, rolled with the weather and ended up doing their ceremony in the rain. The venue placed a couple of tents over the front of the ceremony area, and others stood under their umbrellas to watch the shortened ceremony take place. Even though my fingers went numb after a bit, I felt like the rain added something special to their wedding photos. I'm sure it will be a day they will never forget at least.
Tips for having your wedding on a rainy day-
1. Always have a rainy day wedding plan. Ask the venue what happens if it rains, snows or is super windy the day of your wedding. Is there an option to move indoors if needed? Do they have ways to heat an outdoor reception space if needed?
2. Have clear or white umbrellas for each member of the wedding party. Clear/white umbrellas will allow more natural light to get through to faces, and make for nicer photos. Also remind the bridal party to keep their umbrellas a bit higher than normal, so that their faces can be seen and not hidden in the photos.
3. Have something warm to wear that goes with your wedding dress. A shawl, sweater, fancy jacket etc.
4. If you do have the ceremony outdoors, have tents available for people to sit/stand under. Just know that it will affect the look of the photos of the overall ceremony.
5. Have the wedding party bring rain/mud shoes/boots to wear if needed.
6. Bring towels to wipe your face, arms and glasses off.
7. When having your makeup and hair done, make sure to get waterproof mascara and consider having your hair done for the rain.
8. Overall, just try to go with it, embrace it and have fun. Sometimes a little rain actually makes for some creative and different photos.
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