Your planning a spring/summer/fall time adventure elopement and the thought of it raining on your elopement day enters your mind. You’re planning a hike up your favorite mountain, or to a beautiful outlook you have not yet been to, and you want to make sure you are fully prepared for any scenario. This blog post will give you all the what if’s and how to plan out just what to do if you experience rain on your wedding day. Whether it happens, or not, it is definitely something to consider and think about especially with how unpredictable the weather here in New England can be. A little rain on your wedding day is “good luck” after all!
What to do if it rains on your Elopement day - Best ways to prepare
Embrace it
There are a couple of ways you can plan around rain on your special day. This might just be my favorite way, embrace the rain! Plan to move forward with your original wedding plans, rain or shine. Hiking up a mountain!? Do it in the rain! Or if you’re afraid there will be no chance of a view at the top, come up with a backup hike to a lake, remote pond, or waterfall! Some views will be there rain or shine, and hell you could even jump in at the end! Personally, I think it makes your day even more memorable / unique, and sometimes adds a bit of excitement, especially if the forecast didn't originally call for it. Who knows, you might even end up a rainbow!
Being a photographer in New England, I typically travel with a couple clear umbrellas in my trunk, just in case I have a handful I can bring to your day if the forecast is showing definite rain. This is a fun way to keep you dry on your adventure, and still be really cute in photos. It is also a fun way to make your photos different, not too many people can say “and remember when it just started pouring down on us.” Aside from the umbrellas, the rain can make for a moody fun feel in your photos. The rain pouring down around you / dripping off you can make for dramatic, fun, and memorable imagery. So I say, embrace that rainy moody day and make it your own!
Come up with a back up plan
You don’t mind the rain, but you want to come up with a plan that involves you staying out of it for the most part? This might be the option for you, come up with a back up plan. This may be dependent on if you have guests attending your elopement or not, but is still an option. Have a back up plan in place for an activity that keeps you inside, maybe that’s wine tasting, grabbing a drink at your favorite dive bar, visiting your favorite bookstore / library, going bowling, staying in and cooking a meal together, there are so many options!
My favorite thing about elopements is that they are flexible. So if the forecast is showing rain for when you were originally supposed to have your ceremony, but it is clear before or later on, simply change the time of your ceremony. Your important people won’t care!
Come up with plan C
Like I mentioned above, the best thing about elopements is that they are flexible! If you’re really not a fan of the rain and it is now showing rain all day with no let up on your elopement day, this may be an option for you. This might not always be the case, but if whatever vendors you have booked for your day are also flexible, try switching it to another day that week. This is also where weekday elopements are key, most wedding vendors are going to be booked up on the weekends, but if you are planning for a weekday elopement even if you’re last minute changing the day, it is more likely that your vendors will still be available on a week day. This option is also more ideal for couples that do not have guests attending your elopement, but even if you do, this could potentially still be an option for you. It does not always fall this way, but I personally try to keep the day before and the day after a scheduled elopement available just in case!
How to prepare for rain on your adventure elopement
Have proper clothing
Okay, now that we have gone through all the options of what to do if it rains on your day, let’s talk about being prepared for it if you still plan on moving forward with your original plans. One of my personal hiking rules is to always have a raincoat in my hiking bag, because well…New Hampshire. There have been plenty of times where it has not shown any rain or chance of rain on the forecast and I have gotten poured on. The mountains can be unpredictable, and I like to always be prepared. Aside from having a raincoat, it is also a good idea to plan to wear quick drying hiking pants and or rain pants. I also recommend planning to have an extra set up dry clothes, either in your pack or down at your vehicle. At the very least, always bring an extra pair of dry socks! One of my favorite things that awaits me at the end of a hike is a new pair of socks and crocs to change into in my trunk! There is no better feeling than changing out of your hiking boots at the end of a hike, even if you do have very comfortable hiking boots.
Click here for my all time favorite hiking socks, Med and Women! Darn Tough socks are always my go to when hitting the trails, and you know there is a pair that is waiting for me in the back of my cross trek to welcome tired feet. Not to mention they are all made right here in New England, out of VT. It is always a good feeling to support locally.
Wear non slip hiking boots
Some of my couples choose to hike up in their hiking boots and bring dress shoes or heals to change into when they change into their wedding attire. If we are planning for a rainy day adventure, I would honestly say safety first, and scratch the dress shoes / heels. Both heels and dress shoes can be very slick and slippery even on dry rock, this would make walking around on wet rock very dangerous. In my opinion it would be best to avoid a potentially dangerous situation in the rain all together.
Click here for my favorite pair of women's hiking boots. Columbia hiking boots are my tried and true! I have gone through so many pairs of these boots, there is just something about them that my feet love. I never have to break these bad boys in, I can take them for a long hike right out of the box and I never get sore feet or blisters. Here is a link over to the men's version of these same boots. Aside from their comfort, they never fail to keep my feet dry and warm, and they have great tread.
Keep your pack dry
Most of my couples choose to change into their wedding attire once we get to the summit / viewpoint of our hike. That being said, plan to keep your pack dry so you’re changing into dry clothing. I recommend using a pack rain cover. They are lightweight and fairly inexpensive. You pull it on over your pack and it keeps everything nice and dry. I also recommend using a dry bag for cell phones or anything valuable. No shame in keeping important items extra safe.
Plan a way to dry off
Okay so we just finished our rainy hike and everything is soaked, this is where your extra set of clothes comes in handy. You’ll thank yourself later, I promise. Your backup outfit might vary depending on what your plans after your rainy adventure are. It could simply be another hiking outfit, or even backup “wedding attire”. If you’re looking for a backup wedding dress, here is a link over to lulus, they have cute cheap wedding dresses. This might be an option for you if you plan on going out to a fancy dinner after your rainy day adventure. I also recommend grabbing a quick drying hiking towel. They are lightweight and dry quickly, and are a good way to dry off after getting rained on.
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