Rain on Your Parade

If you are planning for or really want an outdoor wedding, but are worried about what it might mean for your big day, maybe you shouldn’t be worried at all, according to some cultures. There are a few out there that believe that rain is cleansing, washing away negativity on your special day and others that tie rain to fertility, which is important for having children (something a lot of cultures place a lot of importance on)! If you have not heard of these beliefs, and maybe all you’ve heard are mentions of how unfortunate it is for it to “rain on your wedding day” (thanks, Alanis Morrisette!), we found a few positives to tell you about.

According to Hindu tradition, rain is a really good sign on your wedding day. To them, when and if it rains on your wedding, it’s considered good luck because a wet knot is harder to untie (you know, because you’re “tying the knot”)! They believe that a marriage formed during rain is strong and much harder to break, which is something we would all like to wish for, for our marriages!

The Italians also believe it’s a stroke of good luck to have it rain on your wedding day, as well, because they believe there are strong connections between rain, fertility, and growth! (You know because when it rains, it helps plants and other things grow in nature) So if it rains a little or a lot on the day you are to be wed, maybe you should count yourself lucky and take it as a sign of good things to come, rather than bad.

Of course, folklore and superstition do not take into account all of the reasons you should consider rain a good thing on your special day. There are a few other great reasons why the puddles and clouds could work to your advantage, even if you weren’t quite planning for that type of wedding. Let’s take a look at them, and then a look at the ways you can be prepared for a shower or two during your wedding, so you don’t get “washed out” unexpectedly.

Advantages to Rain on Your Wedding Day

So aside from the good luck that might be bestowed upon you and your significant other when the sky decides to open up and pour down on you during your well-planned ceremony, there are other reasons you may want to hope for those rain showers rather than wish them away. Here are 5 of the best reasons we can think of for wanting a little rain on your wedding day:

It can create a whimsical backdrop to the day.

While being caught in the rain may not be your first choice during your vows, it may very well cast a lovely, dreamy glow on the day and create a real otherworldly scene for you and your guests. While the water comes down, covering everything, casting a dreamy quality on the world, you and your loved ones can enjoy the scene or the sounds, or play in it! After all, unannounced rain showers can make for a really fun, unanticipated child-like scamper through puddles that all ages can enjoy and share stories about later. And we all know stories that get told for years and years typically happen because of something unplanned and unscripted.

Photo opportunities abound!

We are photographers, after all, so believe us when we tell you that rain can make for some pretty amazing shots on your wedding day! Think about it! The bride and groom playing in the rain together, laughing and having fun. Get everyone in the wedding party matching umbrellas and rain boots for photos together outside. Rainbows can come after quick rain showers that can make for cute couples shots and puddles can make some amazing reflecting pools. So if it starts raining on you, just ask your photographer if they can help you arrange fun photos, or better yet, plan ahead and make sure the photographer knows you might be expecting the rain, and are completely open to some shots in it! Plan for those props ahead of time and that way, if it does happen, you’ll be ready and if not, no worries!

Gentle rain on the rooftops.

What’s more calming, relaxing, and pleasant than hearing raindrops bouncing off of the rooftops? If you are outdoors, it can even feel magical with the raindrops falling all around an outdoor tent, keeping everyone dry, while still being in the middle of the outdoors where the songbirds are probably having a drink and dancing in puddles and the flowers are pretty bright under an overcast sky.

Snuggles. Really, though.

Who doesn’t like snuggling up to your loved one when it’s raining outside? Your wedding day is perfect for this already, but the rain will definitely encourage it, so get together and cuddle for a little while, while taking in the sights. You could even catch a few of your family and friends taking advantage, too! (Get your photographer to snap some of those shots as a fun little gift for later, too!)

Cools off hot weather.

Sometimes you do everything you can plan a wedding day with good weather, but hot, humid weather decides to show up anyway on your big day. But if it decides to rain that day, you might get lucky with lower temperatures and cool breezes, which helps everyone have a little more fun, right? If the rain can come and cool off your guests and you, it can’t be all bad, right?

Rain Precautions for Your Outdoor Wedding

If you are really looking forward to an outdoor wedding and you’re really hoping that it doesn’t rain, then planning ahead will be your best friend in the end just in case things go awry. In order to make sure that your ceremony goes off without a hitch, here are a few really good ideas to help you be prepared for the possible weather.

Do you have an indoor area that everyone can go if the rain starts? If you are planning a completely out of doors vow exchange, with everyone standing and sitting in the sunshine, or beneath some beautiful evergreens, you may very well need to plan for a tent or other place indoors that everyone can run to in case the weather decides to do more than just sprinkle on you. Some venues may allow you to use their indoor locations in case of bad weather, but a good rule of thumb would be to check to see if they would have extra fees associated with it, so you aren’t surprised later.

If you can’t use a venue, because perhaps you’re getting married in a field somewhere for that rustic look, if there are no barns or other structures to get inside of, having a tent on standby is the best option to be sure everyone has a place to go to get in out of the rain. Be sure to ask friends and family if they have a few large tents if you don’t mind the eclectic look, or check prices from party rental suppliers for much larger, typically white, event tents. While they may add a little to your budget, it will be worth it for you later if it happens to start pouring and your friends and family (and you and your significant other) don’t have anywhere to hide!

Planning on a curly updo or a super straight style? If you plan to spend lots of time (and money) on getting your hair done with plans on it being curled up or straightened out, you may very well need to make sure you have a handy flat iron or curling iron at the ready. We all know how the rain and humidity can change our best-made plans for our stylish hair, so being sure there is a way to fix it when you would like to will make things much less stressful later when the rain is over and you’re ready to get back to celebrating and looking amazing.

Do you like the idea of wet shoes? No, of course you don’t! Especially when it’s the shoes you spent so much time and effort picking out for this specific grand occasion! And what if they get muddy? That’s a mess and a stain that you may not be able to handle in your perfect wedding photos (maybe you won’t mind, but in case you do!) so having an extra pair of shoes to use when the rain begins will help you out. You can either choose to have an older or more comfortable pair of shoes to wear during the rain or you may want to have a pair of nice heels or dress shoes you change back into if and when the rain stops. Whatever you choose, be sure they are handy and not locked up somewhere (like the back of your car!) in case you have to get to them quickly or without having to go through the rain, if you’d rather not do that.

We’ve seen a few muddy hems and wedding gowns because of an unexpected rainstorm, so we’d like to suggest this next item: Have an extra dress or pair of dress pants/shorts. Some brides and grooms don’t mind it, in the moment, when the rain comes down and creates the mud and then they have to drag their dresses through it or even while their dancing in it! But if you don’t want to have to worry about that, we suggest having an extra, slightly shorter dress to change into so that the mud isn’t a problem for you to walk through. For the guys, we suggest having an extra pair of dress pants to change into for later, or maybe even a nice pair of shorts. Once the rain has stopped, or you’ve moved your wedding party from the outdoors to an indoors venue, you now have clean clothes to wear and continue celebrating in! PS: You may also suggest this idea to your guests so everyone is happy!

Speaking of the mud, if you’re dead set on having an outdoor wedding and you just know it could rain on you, then you may also think about flooring or decking for your outdoor venue. There are some companies out there that offer wooden flooring that you can “build” underneath your event tent, and if you think there may be some rain and lots of mud in your area, then having that extra element between you and the dirt can help everyone stay cleaner while you all enjoy the event! If you don’t think you can handle that, and you have a few handy people in your life, you may also be able to build some floors out of pallets, which are all the rage these last few years, and easy to get!

So there you have it! A ton of ideas for dealing with rain on one of the most special days of your life. From mud to beautiful photos, this list of items should keep you covered (see what we did there) for a rainy wedding day while still allowing you to have a wonderful time regardless of what is happening with the weather. And even if you think it’s bad luck, we know you’ll be able to enjoy the day with family and friends with stories for years to come!

If you’re ready to find a photographer that will be more than happy to share your love stories, be sure to get a quote from us to get one of our award-winning, experienced, and knowledgeable photographers for your big day so you won’t have to worry.