In Vancouver rain is always a possibility, so I’m sharing this post with rainy day wedding tips with you! Hint: it doesn’t have to spoil your fun! 😉 A bit of preparation goes a long way!

Tip 1: rain plans, don’t postpone them until the day/week before your wedding

When it comes to creating a rain plan for your ceremony/reception, develop it as soon as you book your venue. For example, you’re thinking about an outdoor wedding ceremony in a location that’s lacking suitable rain shelter. You might want to consider renting a big tent, which will require advance notice to a tent rental company. Luckily most outdoor venues offer rain contingency options, so definitely inform yourself when booking!

On the other hand, perhaps you absolutely love a good downpour. Jelger and I have photographed a few wedding ceremonies taking place under precipitation! If that’s the case for you, prepare your guests and tell them to bring umbrellas. Or instead: go all out and bring customized wedding umbrellas for everyone. 🙂

Last but not least, remember that your guests prefer sitting on a dry chair. It’s a small but often overlooked detail, so make sure to change your ceremony setup accordingly.

Tip 2: monsoon time, sometimes it’s just too much

We love adventurous outdoor wedding photos with bridal couples holding an umbrella in a rain shower. But sometimes the downpour is just too much to handle! Don’t feel like you have to stand in the rain for your wedding photos. We photographers can always, always, find an alternative covered location that looks great in photos. So if you’re concerned about that pineapple express or a class 10 storm on your wedding day, don’t fret. It’s totally fine to stay dry and give your professional photo team free reigns to unleash their creativity! After all, finding great outdoor covered locations is part of our job.

Finally, if you’d prefer to stay warm and cozy altogether, there are a lot of fun hourly rental locations in Vancouver. Pick your favorite ones and include them in your rain plan (which you’ve of course created a long time in advance) and book them closer to your wedding date if the weather forecast starts turning sour.

Tip 3: bring umbrellas for you and your bridal party

You’ve made the decision to venture forward and power through challenges of the weather gods. Perfect, now let’s make the most of your wedding photos. What could possibly be cuter than a bridal couple and party with matching umbrellas? Right! Which means: shopping time. Go out and buy sufficient umbrellas for both yourself and the bridal party. We recommend you purchase at least one umbrella per couple, and perhaps one or two spare ones, because accidents happen.

Additionally, our advice is to stick to neutrally coloured umbrellas, such as clear or white ones. Any other colours will wash a coloured light over you. For instance, a red umbrella will cast a red shadow over your face and dress (or suit).

Lastly, should you feel hesitant to invest in umbrellas, make sure to check out the local wedding Facebook groups. Often past brides and grooms sell their batch of redundant umbrellas. Alternatively, select dollar stores offer a surprisingly big assortment of umbrellas. (We recommend Oomomo, formerly named Daiso, in Richmond.)

Tip 4: think about your feet

You probably weren’t considering the weather quirks of the West Coast when you went wedding shoe shopping. And why would you! We’re talking rainy day wedding plans here :). But there’s no need to destroy your beautiful wedding pumps/kicks/sandals in puddles and mud or to freeze your feet! Instead, bring a pair of waterproof shoes or pick up some cute wedding wellies. 🙂

Tip 5: embrace the dirty dress

I’ve mentioned “the dirty dress” before in our outdoor wedding photo tips post. I want to discuss it again here, because for us it’s a frequent topic. We love playing in the outdoors during our photo shoots, even when it’s raining. And when that happens of course the ground gets muddy, making it tricky to keep your white dress spotless. But not to worry, we have some tricks up our sleeves!

First: don’t walk with your wedding gown (or train) dragging behind you. Instead, pick up as much fabric as you can, bustle it up and drape it over one arm. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Second: when you’re in position for a photo, gently bring the dress/train down, preferably onto a dry spot. Again an assistant can make a big difference here. We’ll help you!

Third: even with the previous tricks, the bottom of the dress will inevitably incur some minor stains. But don’t let that stress you. Not only won’t these show in the photos, the dry cleaners will be able to remove them in a pinch.

Tip 6: consider a makeup touchup

After adventuring outside in the rain, your makeup may looks less fresh. This does depend on how your makeup was done in the first place, so add ‘request makeup artist for rain-contingency’ to your rain plan. But just to be sure, you can ask your makeup artist for a professional touchup after the photo shoot (a lot of artists offer this service). Alternatively reserve some time on your wedding day schedule to freshen up yourself. Bonus to both options: it gives you some quiet time in an otherwise busy day.

(In case you’re wondering, yes, it’s raining in this photo! 😉 Check the groom’s jacket.)

Tip 7: most important rainy day wedding tip is to have fun!

Expectations are the enemy of fun. If you’re envisioning your wedding day to be bright and sunny, a downpour can feel disappointing. So the best remedy is to shift your focus to what matters most: you’re getting married to the love of your life! Hang on to that thought, and your happiness will shine through anything, regardless of the weather!

Enjoyed these tips? Check out our other wedding planning tips here! Or see some more rainy day wedding and other shoots with rain here.