What About Rain?
Most of the couples we work with tend to be concerned about what the weather will be like on their scheduled wedding days. Given that so many of the couples that book with us here in Manhattan plan outdoor events, such a concern is only natural. For many of these couples, though, the worry becomes a preoccupation—and, many couples we know even end up checking the weather forecast relentlessly far ahead of their big events—just to see what the weather might be like.
But the truth is: weather in NYC is totally unpredictable! And, checking and trying to predict in advance what weather might be like in a particular place on a specific date is never going to be a successful endeavor.
In fact, there were quite a lot of times in my experience as a wedding organizer and photographer when the local forecast indicated that rain was due but then the rain either occurred the day before or even on the morning of the ceremony—but never at the actual time when an event took place.
And, there were also a few times, much less frequent though, when there was no sign of rain in the local forecast but then the skies dramatically changed just moments before a ceremony was due to take place—and, the showers started.
What is important to know, however, is this—rain and overcast weather is not necessarily a bad thing for an elopement event. For this reason, we ask couples to keep in mind the following ideas. First, you don’t need to worry about overcast weather—it’s actually much better for your pictures than harsh sunlight—with overcast weather, you won’t be squinting and you won’t have deep shadows under your eyes or nose when your photos are taken. Second, drizzling rain shouldn’t be a problem either—we offer transparent umbrellas for all our couples to use during ceremonies and photo shoots just in case it does occur. (We avoid, however, using black or colored umbrellas as they can affect face color or put a strong shadow on a subject’s face, which could end up ruining your photos.) Third, a light rain can actually add a romantic atmosphere to your event and to your photos—I’ve been working as a photographer for more than five years and you can trust me on that, it’s true!
Moreover, rain can offer unique photo opportunities. For instance, puddles! Puddles can actually become reflective mirrors that can offer awesome opportunities for taking creative photos. (In fact, wet ground and surfaces look especially cool at Times Square where you can see hundreds of colorful lights reflected in them.)
And, last, in many countries, they even say it’s “good luck” when it rains on the wedding day—as that means that a couple will prosper in their marriage. So, it is our hope that this post may help you to see bad weather from a new perspective. Perhaps rain could even help make a wedding day better and not worse!