While every bride and groom hope for a nice day, in this country its far from guaranteed! So in the first of my ‘Getting Ready’ series of blog posts, I give some hints on what you can do to prepare for the worst.

1. Don’t worry!
One great thing about our ‘mild’ climate is that it rarely rains all day. Our weather tends to showery, and so its usually possible to get at least some of the photographs taken outdoors. And even if it does, some of the most moody shots I have taken are of people walking under umbrellas or standing in doorways looking out at the rain. Dramatic skys can often be great!

2. Get a professional!
Over the years, I’ve got good at taking photographs on wet days. I’m not writing this to plug my own services – but indoor photography is about 100 times more difficult than outdoor photography – so make sure you hire a full-time, professional photographer. They’ll be able to handle whatever the day throws at them! Whoever you choose, ask for a few examples of wet weddings. Many photographers will have online examples of wet weddings.

3. Get an umbrella!
I usually try to carry a few umbrellas with me, but why not buy a few wedding umbrellas. No need to spend a fortune -I wouldn’t spend any more than £20.

For ladies: I normally try to get a ‘bird cage’ umbrella – something like http://www.simplyumbrellas.co.uk/umbrellas.php/products_id/150 .
For men, a plain black umbrella will do.

I always carry a white towel, so that if it rains I can always dry off seats and protect the all important wedding dress!

4. Think Location
If you haven’t already hired your reception, you might want to take a good look inside. Fireplaces, a nice bridal suite, stairs, old windows and brick walls are all great props. Some couples spend their wedding night at a separate hotel – if that’s the case you may think about visiting that hotel too (but make sure you get permission first!). An example was a recent couple who had their reception in Shu, but booked their wedding night in the Merchant Hotel. It rained all day – but we were able to go to the Merchant for a few photographs. There are also some houses available for rent – Redhall (Carrick) & Kilymoon Castle (Cookstown) are examples.

5. Plan for time
You don’t want to spend your whole wedding day taking photographs – but I’d suggest leaving a little buffer time in the schedule. This allows you to stop if a shower comes, then go back outside again later. If you’d like 1hr of photographs at your reception – why not leave 1hr 30mins in the schedule. If you don’t need it, you can always use the spare time chatting to your guests!

And Finally…
No matter what, just enjoy your day! We’ve done lots of wet weddings (including one the day this happened – and guess what, the photos were great!).