This past Saturday I shot two weddings in the nasty weather brought on by Hurricane Matthew. I have shot in the rain many times, but the winds added a new problem to deal with this go around. Having survived that, I thought I would share some tips that I learned along the way. If you ever have yucky weather in the forecast and you want some tips, this is your post!

1. Rock the rain boots. I wore my rainboots for most of the day Friday. Often times we place the bridal party in a spot that is dry but we stand in the rain and mud to shoot the photos. So instead of getting my nice flats muddy, I opted for rain boots. It worked like a charm. I simply slipped my nice shoes on for the ceremony and reception but had my boots for the rest of the day!

2. Bring a change of clothes. On saturday, I knew there was a great chance I was going to get soaked shooting portaits before the wedding since the rain was harder and the wind was blowing it sideways. So we dressed in our casual clothes for the beginning of the day and then changed into our dress clothes before the ceremony. And it was a good thing because I was soaked by the time we finished!

3. Bring a hair brush! Friday I looked like a drowned rat for most of the wedding day. Because my hair got wet and I didn’t have a way to deal with it. So I learned and Saturday I brought a brush and extra hair ties. Problem solved!

4, Get a BIG umbrella. We had a giant umbrella and it truly saved the day both days. Having something big enough to cover me and my gear (and my darling hubby holding it) was crucial.

5. Watch the radar. We literally had about 3 minutes of rain free time on saturday for portraits. And we used it! Keep an eye out for breaks in weather and use those for portraits!

6. Schedule a day after session. Every couple deserves golden light sunset photos in their wedding attire, so if the weather doesn’t cooperate, schedule a session at a later date! They will still cherish those photos even if they were after the wedding day!

if you like this post you may also like Rain on your Wedding day or tips for shooting a double header Wedding weekend!