Ah yes, the dreaded what is your rain plan? conversation. We are lucky here in Colorado that we don't get as much rain as other states. But in the early summer months, especially in the mountains, a 4:00pm storm is basically inevitable. Here are some of my best tips for preparing for the possibility of rain.
Discuss the plan ahead of time
In case you decide to skim this, I'm coming out of the gate with the biggest piece of advice first. And that is please, for the love of everything, talk about the possibility of inclement weather BEFORE your wedding day. Here are the reasons why:
You need to talk about plan Bs when you are calm and not under stress or time crunch. The last thing you want to be doing on your wedding day is making big decisions and that includes what shifts need to be made for rain.
You, your partner, your venue and your coordinator can be on the same page. We want zero miscommunications on your desires when it comes to rain/weather backups. And if we talk about it ahead of time, there is no risk of someone missing the memo!
You can hear about all the options. Does your
venue have an indoor ceremony option? Can we push up cocktail hour and wait for the storm to pass? Does your venue provide umbrellas or would you have to bring them in?
Some of my favorite rain plan options for outdoor ceremonies
Check the radar and be patient and wait a few minutes. This is the best advice for Colorado couples as our storms typically roll through quickly. If the radar is looking like it'll be through in 15 minutes, just wait it out!
Move cocktail hour up to before the ceremony and wait out the storm. Give your guests drinks, appetizers, and keep them cozy inside an indoor location. You will need to make sure this is OK with your bartending team, your catering team, and your venue. Hint, hint: ask if that is an option during your planning.
Bulk order umbrellas on Amazon (one per guest) and just go for it! However, you will have to make sure that your photographer and/or videographer are still OK to shoot in the rain. And you will need to make sure your DJ is comfortable having their equipment out in the rain.
When in doubt, just move inside. It'll be ok! And you can go outside and take lots of photos when the rain stops.
Things to remember
You should NOT book a venue that you don't like the indoor options. If you're touring venues and you outright hate the backup option... keep looking. Because you may end up having to use the indoor spaces.
Be flexible with the timeline if you're seeing that raincloud emoji on your wedding day. We may have to shift things around as the day goes!
Hire professionals to help you. You can lean on us for advice and our expert opinions of what's been done before! Unfortunately, we can't change the weather, but we can at least use our best judgement.
Even if it rains and your plans have to change, I promise it will still be the best celebration of your life. I have coordinated MANY weddings that we've had to enact the rain plan and they've been fantastic.
Photos by Jennie Crate Photography (photo 1) and Marianne Brown Photography (photo 2 and 3)