You’ve planned the venue. Chosen the dress. Sorted the flowers.
Then you check the forecast for your wedding day and there it is.
Rain.
And one of your first thoughts is probably:
“But what happens to our photographs?”
If you’re getting married in Scotland, this is a fairly reasonable question.
The good news is that rain does not mean ruined wedding photographs. I’ve photographed weddings where we’ve had glorious sunshine, weddings where it has rained virtually all day, and weddings where we’ve experienced what felt like four seasons before the evening guests arrived.
What matters isn’t whether it rains.
It’s what your photographer does when it does.
First things first: your wedding doesn't stop because it's raining
This is probably the biggest thing I want couples to know.
We don’t stand staring forlornly out of a window thinking:
“Well, that’s the photographs buggered then.”
We adapt.
That might mean moving something indoors, finding a covered doorway, doing the family photographs inside or changing the order of the photographs and waiting to see what the weather does later.
At Audrey and Jinj’s wedding, for example, we’d planned a bubble walk outside.
Just as everyone was getting ready for it, the heavens opened.
So we brought it inside.
Same people. Same bubbles. Same excitement.
Just considerably fewer soggy wedding guests.
And actually? I love the result.
Rain changed the plan.
It didn’t spoil it.
We can use the venue differently
One of the things I’m always doing at a wedding is looking.
Where’s the good light?
Where could we photograph a group?
Is there a doorway, covered entrance, porch or interesting indoor space we can use?
That matters even more when the weather isn’t playing nicely.
At Emily and Stewart’s wedding it was absolutely pouring, but the doorway gave us enough shelter to photograph the groomsmen without them getting soaked.
I, admittedly, was not necessarily quite so dry.
But that’s okay.
The photographer is waterproof.*
*Not an actual manufacturer guarantee.
😂
The important thing is that I can change how and where we photograph without making the weather your problem.
And sometimes rain gives us photographs we wouldn't otherwise have
Now, I’m not going to try to convince you that every couple secretly dreams of horizontal Scottish rain on their wedding day.
But it can give us some rather lovely opportunities.
Give a small flower girl a clear umbrella and suddenly the rain becomes part of the story rather than something we’re trying desperately to hide.
That’s the thing about documentary wedding photography.
I’m not only looking for the perfectly planned photograph.
I’m looking at what’s actually happening.
If the umbrellas come out, they’re part of the day.
If your bridesmaids are lifting your dress over puddles, that’s part of the day too.
If everyone makes a dash for the door because the heavens have suddenly opened…
You guessed it.
Part of the story.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is wait
This is where a bit of flexibility in your wedding timeline becomes incredibly useful.
Rain at 2pm doesn’t mean rain at 3pm.
And rain during your ceremony certainly doesn’t mean we’ve lost our chance to get outside for the rest of the day.
Emily and Stewart are a perfect example.
It poured earlier in the day.
Then, just before their evening guests arrived…
Hello, golden hour.
We headed outside and did their couple portraits then.
Nobody spent the afternoon repeatedly running outside every time the rain eased for 37 seconds.
Nobody needed to panic.
We simply kept an eye on the weather and used our opportunity when it appeared.
And that’s something I do throughout a wedding day.
I’m watching what’s happening outside so you don’t have to.
Those dramatic skies aren't necessarily bad news either
You know those enormous, moody Scottish skies that make you think something biblical might be about to happen?
Photographically…
I rather like them.
Bright blue skies aren’t the only conditions that make beautiful wedding photographs.
Clouds can create gorgeous soft light. Dark skies can add drama. Wet surfaces can create reflections.
And occasionally the combination of rain and sunshine produces something none of us could have ordered.
A rainbow.
I’ll happily take credit for many things.
I cannot, unfortunately, include one of those in your wedding photography package.
What about the family and wedding party photographs?
This is often the practical bit couples worry about.
You’ve got 12 people who need to be in a photograph.
It’s chucking it down.
What now?
We take them inside.
Your family photographs don’t somehow become less important because they weren’t taken outside.
At Kayleigh and Lewis’s wedding, the weather meant photographing their wedding party indoors.
And when it rained throughout Pamela and Paul’s wedding day, we did exactly the same thing.
This is also one of the reasons I like knowing your important group photographs in advance.
I’m not trying to invent a plan while 15 relatives disappear towards the bar.
I know who I need.
I find the best place available.
We get the photographs.
Family. Photos. Done.
And everyone can get back to enjoying the wedding.
Do we have to go outside in the rain?
No.
Absolutely not.
Your wedding photography isn’t an endurance test.
I’m not going to shove you out into a downpour because I’ve decided I need an epic rain photograph for Instagram.
But if there’s a little rain and you’re happy to head outside with an umbrella?
We absolutely can.
A white or clear umbrella can keep you reasonably dry while still letting us make the most of the landscape around your venue. And don’t worry I always bring at least one with me, even in a heatwave!
And if it’s properly tipping it down, we can look for somewhere you’re sheltered while I photograph you from somewhere rather less sheltered.
Which brings me neatly to K and S…
Sometimes your photographer gets wetter than you do
At K and S’s wedding, it was properly raining.
Not a little Scottish mist.
Rain rain.
But there was a beautiful covered structure in the gardens.
So I put them underneath it and photographed them from outside.
You can actually see the rain bouncing off the roof.
They stayed relatively dry.
Me?
Not so much. 😂
But that’s my problem, not yours.
And this is a really important distinction.
Making the most of a rainy wedding day doesn’t mean you have to spend it soaking wet.
Protecting the dress is allowed too!
There’s also a slightly bizarre idea that once you’ve put your wedding dress on, you must suddenly become completely relaxed about dragging it through wet grass and puddles.
You don’t.
If you want to pick it up, we’ll pick it up.
If you need help carrying it, somebody can help.
If we decide that a particular patch of ground isn’t worth attempting, we don’t attempt it.
I want beautiful photographs.
I don’t want them badly enough to wreck your dress before dinner.
There is a difference.
What if it rains ALL day?
Then we work with the rain all day.
Pamela and Paul’s wedding is a great example.
It wasn’t a case of one inconvenient little shower.
It rained.
So their wedding party photographs were taken indoors.
But they were also happy to venture outside together for some photographs under an umbrella.
Those photographs aren’t the consolation prize because the sun didn’t come out.
They’re part of what their wedding day actually looked like.
And that’s important to me.
Your photographs should tell the story of your wedding.
Not the imaginary version where I Photoshop every cloud out of Scotland.
And then there's the very Scottish possibility of getting everything
Rain.
Cloud.
More rain.
A suspicious patch of brightness.
Suddenly sunshine.
Possibly a rainbow.
All before dinner.
At K and S’s wedding, we’d already dealt with the rain earlier in the day.
Then later…
Completely different conditions.
Same wedding.
Which is exactly why I don’t want couples writing off their photographs because the forecast says rain.
A forecast gives us information.
It doesn’t tell us what your entire wedding gallery is going to look like.
So, should you worry about rain on your wedding day?
Prepare for it?
Yes.
Have some umbrellas available? Sensible.
Choose a venue you’d still be happy to spend time in if everything can’t happen outdoors? Definitely.
But spend the week before your wedding refreshing three different weather apps and allowing a little rain cloud icon to ruin your excitement?
Please don’t.
You can’t control the weather.
Neither can I.
What I can control is how I respond to it.
I can find the light.
I can find the shelter.
I can move photographs indoors.
I can change the timings.
I can watch for the break in the clouds.
I can stand in the rain while you stay dry.
And if you decide, “Sod it, let’s get the umbrella and go outside,” I’ll be right there with you.
Probably wetter than you.
Planning a wedding in Scotland?
If the possibility of rain is one of the things you’ve been quietly worrying about, hopefully this has reassured you.
Your wedding photographs don’t depend on Scotland giving us a perfect sunny day.
They depend much more on having a plan, being willing to adapt and having a photographer who doesn’t panic when the weather app turns blue.
Looking for more general rainy wedding-day advice? I wrote about that too, including some practical things worth thinking about if the forecast isn’t playing ball. Read here.
If you’re planning a relaxed Scottish wedding and want photographs that tell the story however the weather behaves, I’d love to hear what you’ve got planned.
