Where to Take Wedding Pictures if it Rains | Wedding Tips

Where to take wedding pictures if it rains?  It’s Florida.  It rains a lot.  Luckily, we haven’t had too many situations where it rains during the wedding ceremony.  We always try to lay out our entire wedding experience to our engaged couples.  We always try to make the best of whatever situation comes our way on a wedding day.  Rain is one of those things that some brides dread, while others embrace.  Wedding photography on a rainy wedding day is challenging, and we rise up to that challenge.  Here are some tips to help you plan for wedding pictures if it rains.

Where to Take Wedding Pictures if it Rains

1. Have a Solid Plan B

A lot of weddings venues in Orlando have a Plan B in place in case it rains.  This is super common in Orlando, and even more in other places in Florida.  Seeing a wedding venue’s rain plan is definitely a must for any consultation that you’re having with the sales coordinator.  There are a couple of things that I think you should consider when seeing the wedding venue’s Plan B ceremony and reception location.

Above all else, do you really see your wedding happening here?  Is this a place where you can see yourself tying the knot with your significant other?

A lot of wedding venues have some nice Plan B locations, and I can’t help but compliment them for their efforts.  We always recommend talking with your wedding planner and seeing if you can really do something at that venue’s Plan B.  Again, this is just in case.

2. Consider Indoor Architecture

One of the greatest things about taking wedding pictures inside is that there are some undoubtedly beautiful wedding venues with amazing indoor architecture.  Bella Collina and Alfond Inn immediately come to mind when talking about indoor architecture.  They both have unique designs and set ups.  Not to mention the unique art that’s found all over the walls.

When considering indoor wedding photography, try to keep in mind that a lot of the images are going to be more angular by nature.  Good architecture is all about lines, balance, and symmetry.  We love symmetry!  Oh man.  When everything lines up perfectly, I get ridiculously stoked.  Ask any couple that we’ve worked with in the past.  We’re always asking couples to scoot a little this way or that way.  Just so we get the image just right.  The symmetry in indoor wedding portraits is awesome!  It’s perfect for wedding pictures if it rains.

3. Night Time Wedding Photos

Orlando has a knack for having its afternoon showers right when most people would be getting married.  There’s not much that we can do about that, but we can make the best of having a wedding photo session later in the day.  Consider night time wedding pictures if it rains.  Every photographer will have a different approach when it comes to this.  There are some photographers that are natural light photographers that will shy away from this, but the controlled light will help make the best of a situation.

Sometimes it’s something as simple as borrowing a sparkler from the grand exit stash.  They’re great for just enough light to give a romantic feel to your night time wedding pictures.  All it takes is usually ten to fifteen minutes away from the reception.  Sometimes couples just want a quick break from it all to just be together and be themselves away from everyone else.  This is a great way of doing it.  If anyone asks where you were, just say you were with the wedding photographers taking pictures and no one will say a thing.

4. Rent a Tent

Tents are the best!  Reception tents have saved our lives multiple times.  Whether it’s a rainy or chilly day.  We’ve fallen in love with the ideas of tents over and over with every single time that we run into one.  The first time that we had a wedding with a tent was actually at a private property.  There was a barn that was there that was owned by a friend.  The wedding couple wanted to go ahead and have their reception there, but they knew there was a high chance of rain.  They rented their tent and it saved and made the wedding.

Personally, I’d recommend a few month or more in advance.  You just never know what to expect with all the crazy weather we’ve been getting in Orlando.  You also don’t want to be caught looking for a tent when they’re all sold out.

“We recommend no less than 90 days out to have the best chance for availability and best rates. However, most brides and grooms book well over 6 months in advance so that they have peace of mind knowing they won’t have to scramble the weeks before the wedding. If you book after the 90 day period getting closer to your wedding, chances of availability and better pricing may be harder to find especially during peak season.”

– Brittney Bouche, Sales Manager, Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals

5. Have a Post Wedding Day Session

This wedding tip is actually one of my favorites.  Marta and I love post wedding sessions.  A lot of people might know them as trash the dress sessions, but it’s the same concept.  What’s the point of having the whole day without getting wedding photos the day of?  Epic wedding photos.  Simple as that.  When we started coming up with the Day After Wedding Session, we really wanted it to be beneficial for us and the couple.  In fact, we based the idea of our Together Sessions around the option of the Post wedding Session.  Our first Post Wedding Session was awesome and made us fall in love with the idea of it.

Sometimes, you need a completely different day in order to get the best wedding pictures if it rains.  That’s totally okay.  We’ve done it in the past at other weddings.  If your wedding venue is cool with it, then we could even go back there and have the session you wanted.  If you’re having a destination wedding, then let’s go explore the city.  Let’s see what there is to see.  Marta and I love exploring different cities and taking portraits of couples in different countries like Italy or France.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we can take the best wedding photos possible.  Marta and I thrive on our couples excitement on their wedding day.  It can be rainy or full of sunshine, but we’ll definitely make sure that we take epic wedding photos.  With a little bit of planning and proper execution, we can make the best of whatever situation is thrown our way.  The symmetry and aesthetics really come out in wedding portraits.  It doesn’t automatically mean bad wedding pictures if it rains.  In fact, it could mean the complete opposite.  You will get something that no one else has.  Marta and I will push our creativity to get the best wedding photos possible.

Bonus Tip: Hire A Wedding Planner

Wedding planners are awesome!  They definitely help de-stress your wedding day.  Marta and I have been to more than a few weddings without wedding planners.  Almost every single one of them runs behind or has some issues that pop up last minute.  Help prevent that with a wedding planner.  The majority of the time, they are more resourceful than a venue coordinator.  Your wedding planner will be able to switch from Plan A to Plan B in mere minutes.  They know when to make the call to switch over.  From what we’ve seen, they also have a canny ability in picking the best ceremony times, too.  Wedding planners also have a knack for squeezing every last minute with ease.  They can help make your wedding day an epic one.