All across the world brides and grooms are looking forward to having perfect weather on their wedding day. However, sometimes Mother Nature has other plans.
It could be very disappointing when the sun hides behind the storm clouds on a bride’s special day. However, if you’ve planned properly and have a great attitude then rain doesn’t have to ruin your wedding or your pictures.
Engagment photo shoot at the Morikami Gardens, Delray Beach FL – I shot this photo during an engagement shoot at the Morikami. The weather forecast for Boca Raton said possible rain. It was sunny with very few clouds at 2:30PM. We met at the Morikami at 3:30PM and clouds were starting to form. Then at 4:00PM it down poured. I got some shots inside and shot some photos through an opened double door with the couple indoors looking outside. Then we grabbed an umbrella and took our chances outside. Between the indoor shots snd the umbrella shots we got some awesome photos. The couple was very happy with the results. We actually had a blast. We had to stop when the area got a tornado warning which was close to the Morikami closing time anyway.
Last weekend was a very rainy weekend here in South Florida. I had a baby announcement shoot, a wedding and an engagement shoot scheduled. Since they couldn’t be rescheduled I had to figure it out and make awesome pictures anyway.
Bride and Groom Photo taken after rain at the Harbor Beach Marriott. Once the rain stops there is a great opportunity to get some great double reflection photos. The warm glow of the Harbor Beach Marriott’s incandescent lighting combined with the wet ground made this South Florida wedding photo unique.
South Florida is a wonderful place for a wedding. There is no question that we have the best beaches, with warm water and waves that are just the right height for you and your wedding guests to enjoy. In addition, there are hundreds of fantastic hotels and wedding venues to choose from. Locations such as Miami Beach, the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach are all perfect places to tie the knot. With some extra planning and some common sense you should be able to have a beautiful South Florida wedding rain or shine.
Engagement photo taken at the beach after a rain storm – This photo from a South Florida Beach Engagement shoot was taken after the rain has stopped. Often when there is a puddle left from the rain, I try to find a unique way to incorporate the puddle into the photo. This puddle gave me the opportunity to shoot a reflection of the engaged couple against the ocean background.
Here are some tips and ways that you can help insure you have beautiful pictures on you wedding day even if your day gets wet.
Bride and Groom photo taken at Trump National Jupiter, Florida. – I shot this photo after a serious rain storm. My iPhone app said rain rain rain as I drove to Trump Jupiter for this wedding. When I got to the wedding venue the sun was shining and it was beautiful. In between the time I started, and the first look, storm clouds appeared. Then, the second after the first look lighting struck and it down poured!!! We darted inside and shot all the family photos inside. Trump National Jupiter is beautiful indoors and outdoors, so shooting inside was no big deal. Then after the ceremony the sun and blue sky showed. On a moments notice we grabbed a golf cart and headed out to make some photos. This just goes to show, don’t get too alarmed if you cell phone app says rain rain rain. You may still get awesome out door photos. Besides, you can’t control the wedding and being upset on your wedding day won’t help make the sun shine.
First, you should select a venue with an indoor location in case of rain. However, rain on your wedding day doesn’t always mean that your entire day will be spent inside. Often when it rains in a tropical climate such as here in South Florida, it only rains for a few minutes, or maybe an hour and then it stops. When this is the case, you would still he able to dash outdoors for some photos. As a South Florida photographer, I have noticed that after the rain stops there is often a strange and awesome calmness to the weather in which there is absolutely no wind and very soft lighting created by a blanket of a single cumulus cloud. This is a great opportunity to take fantastic wedding pictures. In addition, if the blue sky opens up chances are you could be treated to an awesome rainbow.
Orthodox Wedding Photo taken in South Florida in the Rain. I shot this at the very end of a Jewish Orthodox wedding. Actually in the rain!! The guests were leaving and the reception was over. So the bride and groom said, why not? We headed outdoors for some wet bridal photos.
In the days leading up to your wedding you many be tempted to keep an eye on your weather app, or continually check the weather, this is a sure way to leave you feeling that your wedding could be a wash out. Don’t fully trust your phone’s app to give you the complete story. Your phone’s app may show rain all day long when the reality is the rain only lasts for a few minutes.
Bride and Groom with their Rolls Royce Limo after their wedding ceremony. Sunny skies turned into rain after the wedding ceremony. You never know when it’s going to rain. It was a sunny day until the ceremony ended. Then it’s poured. Since the bride and groom decided to do a first look all the posed pictures were finished by the time the ceremony ended.
My best advice is to consider possible rain and plan accordingly. If your venue has no indoor space, consider making plans to rent a tent. Even if you have to go with plan B, chances are you still may have an opportunity to take some outdoor photos. I recently shot a wedding where it poured right after the first look. During the rain I shot some beautiful photos indoors using the ballroom with the flowers as a background. By using some soft window light and throwing the ballroom flowers out of focus I was able to create beautiful portraits of the bride and groom. Then as the rain became a slow drizzle, we grabbed an umbrella and shot some fun bride and groom photos while walking in the rain. Next, I shot the family portraits indoors. After another 30 minutes the sun came out and we were treated to that super calm weather, which gave me time to get beautiful and ethereal outdoor photos.
Bride and Groom photo taken at an orthodox Jewish wedding in Miami Beach. I shot this at the Bath Club in Miami Beach. I’m sorry to say that it poured just before the ceremony started. The florist did an amazing job setting up a beautiful outdoor ceremony filled with awesome flowers and a beautiful huppah. The rain really messed up the ceremony. Everything had to be moved indoors. It was still a beautiful ceremony because the Bath Club is beautiful indoors as well. During the reception the rain stopped and I took the bride and groom out for this wedding photo.Bride and Groom photo taken at the Harbor Beach Marriott after a rain storm. – I shot this at the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. It rained all day. However when the rain stopped I took the couple out for this photo. The hotels patio had some serious puddles that I decided to use a foreground.Bride looking out at the ocean against storm clouds, Taken at The Breakers, Palm Beach FL. I love this photo with the storm clouds taken at The Breakers in Palm beach.Engagement Photo taken in the rain, Shot in Boca Raton Florida. Another engagement shoot in the rain. It didn’t start raining until after we had taken many photos, so we got lot’s of beautiful outdoor photos. Then we edited to go to this fountain for this artsy photo. When shooting in the rain, usually the rain doesn’t show up clearly in the photos. If I’m shooting in the rain, then I really want the rain in the photos. In this South Florida engagement photo, I actually added additional rain using photoshop.
While having a beach wedding on a sunny day is very common here in South Florida, however, if mother nature has other plans, making a rain plan could help insure that you wedding day is filled with fun romantic and creative pictures.
In my search for creative solutions I look for windows or doorways that will allow me to shoot through to the outside while keeping the bride and groom out of the wet weather. This image was taken under an overhang so the bride and groom stayed dry while I shot this one. Also, having an umbrella on hand can also offer a very creative opportunity for beautiful pictures. That is, if you are willing to head outdoors for a few shots. Shooting outdoors with umbrellas will only result in a hand full of creative photo so that is not a complete solution. You photographer will need to do better than just a few creative images.
Photo taken under a overhang at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens This one was shot during my engagement shoot at the Morikami. The Morikami has as garden tea house which is really beautiful. The tea house has a small open courtyard. This gave me the perfect place to photograph the bride and groom under cover with the rain in the background.
I always show up to my weddings early, however a wet wedding day means I need to be extra early and I need to spend even more time finding creative solutions to the limits of not going outdoors.
Photo taken at an engagement photo shoot in the rain. The sun was shinning when we started however, soon after we started shooting the storm clouds appeared and the rain started.
Since there is nothing anyone can do to make to rain go away your best option is to have a great attitude and along with your photographer, think extra creatively. It’s very important that everyone has the right attitude. When people are under stress or upset creative thoughts become blocked.
Seriously, you can’t have a negative attitude and be a creative thinker at the same time. If you are a bride or groom you may be thinking that’s the photographers job, and you would be correct in thinking this. However, seeing a happy bride or groom may help keep your photographers mental thinking more positive.
Bride arrives at her Biltmore Hotel wedding in the rain.
One rain related issue that effects you wedding is the fact that during bad weather most of the hotel guests can’t hang on the beach, therefore they are hanging inside the hotel, which makes the inside of the hotel more crowded. This means that your wedding photographer is going to have to be on the look out for indoor places to shoot. One of the best places to start is inside the ballroom or ceremony room. One solution could be a call to your florist with a request to have to flowers and the ceremony or reception room set up early. By using your décor as a background to your wedding photos, your photographer could create some beautiful portraits in a location that is beautiful and not crowded by hotel guests.
