Rain on your wedding day
This summer was hot. As we know. Blimey, there were some super hot days this summer and it got me thinking we’ve got a very narrow idea of perfect weather. Not raining. Not too cold. But not too hot either. Not too sunny (plays havoc with the photos). Not too windy.
Some couples choose to get married abroad to avoid weather uncertainties. But hey guess what? Unless you’re getting married in the actual dessert, places abroad have rain too. I feel most sorry for those couples who spend all that time and effort to get married abroad for the sun and then it rains anyway. Yikes.
Lots of couples tell me they thought about a destination wedding but then the costs and logistics of flying people out all got too much so they start looking in England. And in looking for a venue here, they say we’re the closest feel to getting married abroad they’ve found. (I hear that from guests a lot too, ‘it’s like being abroad!’)
Soooo, you decide to get married in England. What about the weather? Well, what about it? You know you can’t predict it or guarantee it. So you need to plan for it. How do you do that? Let me share my 3 top things you need to do to prepare for rain.
Get the right venue
First, you pick a wedding venue which has you covered, literally. Here we’ve got covered space if it’s raining for arrival drinks, the wedding barn has a wet weather awning for rain. Our gorgeous glass roof terrace is your place for a wet weather drinks reception and the marquee sides roll down if it rains during your wedding breakfast. It rarely rains all day so you usually get to have at least part of your day outside. But if it does rain at any point, we’ve got covered space so your wedding can carry on.
I won’t lie, I’m often glued to the weather channel the week before every wedding. Which basically means I’m glued to it all the time. I probably check the weather more than anyone else I know. Do I do that because I worry about the weather. No. I do it so we can be prepared. If the forecast tells me it’s definitely going to be sunny then I make sure the wet weather awning on the barn is down. If it’s definitely going to be sunny then I make sure the awning goes up. And if the forecast is ‘maybe, maybe not’ then I make sure the frame is up the day before and I’ve got the Ever After team ready on the day to either take the frame down or put the canvas on. I’m not worrying, I’m making sure I’m ready for anything.
Get the right photographer
Ok I’m going to let the lovely Nick Walker’s photos of Alice & Tom’s wedding tell the story here. Look at these.
You can see it was really raining. I love the fact that through the glass roofs you can see what’s going on outside. You’re still really in touch with the outside even if you’re inside.
A good photographer can take a great photo anywhere and in any weather conditions. Most wedding photographers will tell you they hate hot weather. Sunshine plays havoc with shadows and people screw up their faces and look hot and bothered. (of course a good photographer can make that look easy too but it’s hard work). Nick took Alice & Tom into the wedding barn for the group pics with the groomsmen and bride tribe. Ok, we have a lovely oak barn with 100m of fairy lights and big steel lanterns plus a super big leather chesterfield which definitely makes taking photos a bit easier…
Nick also took these intimate couple portraits in the wedding barn. The background for these is much less important than the couple and their giddy love for each other on their wedding day, it’s all about them and their fab chemistry.
So you’ve seen a good photographer doesn’t need a fabulous outdoor back drop for great photos. But what about photos outdoors when it’s raining. Surely you have to give up outdoor photos if it’s raining? Uh, nope. I’ve saved the best til last. Alice & Tom wouldn’t have had these truly breath taking photos without that rain…
And my personal fave? This one…
And yes, we supply the umbrellas too. 30 of them. For you and your guests. So that’s another thing you don’t have to worry about.
(If you want to see more of Alice & Tom’s wedding, go straight over to Nick’s blog post about it and see his personal photo picks. Oh and by the way, you’ll see Nick describe us as ‘one of the county’s most stunning wedding venues.’ Thanks Nick!)
Get the right attitude
This is soooo important. If you’re stressing about the weather, your guests will pick up on it. The most (MOST) important thing about your wedding day is that the two of you are getting married. And that will happen whatever the weather does. So focus on that.
Read what bride Sarah said about the weather on her day last year:
“When we arrived in Devon the day before our wedding we were greeted with a lot (!) of rain and a wet weather forecast for the wedding day itself. Having been so looking forward to having the ceremony outside the barn and enjoying the gardens during the reception, we, actually, Sarah (!), was left feeling a little upset at the prospect of rain on the wedding day. However, we had absolutely no reason to worry! When we arrived at Ever After, the wonderful team had already set-up the wet weather gear and had a Plan B for absolutely everything to ensure that no amount of rain would spoil our day! On the day itself, we did not need to worry about a thing. Nicola and the team had everything covered – from perfectly placing all of the little items that we had collected over the year, even though we gave no direction as to where we wanted any of them, to ensuring that none of our guests got wet whilst walking between the marquee and the bathrooms! As it happens, the rain held off for the ceremony and long enough for a ‘confetti shot’ moment on the grass and for us to get some beautiful photos on the river walk – one of our favourite parts of Ever After.”
Sarah was a bride who accepted it might rain and she didn’t worry about it on the day. Partly that was because she could see that we had everything under control and partly it’s because she was smart enough to know all the people she loved most in the world were coming to see her and Josh get married and that’s what really mattered.
You can see more photos of Sarah and Josh’s wedding here on their real wedding page. As you can see from their photos, they had the most beautiful day, rain or no rain. You can also see a film of their wet weather wedding here on our film page.
If you want more info about our weddings here at Ever After check out our FAQ page which as a ton of handy stuff. Everything you need to know! Prices too. If you’d like a copy of our digital brochure straight to your inbox, pop over to the download page and it’ll be with you in a jiffy.
