The dreams begin at the age of five – not of imaginary friends or Barbie dolls, but of a wedding! The celebration that a little girl knows she’ll one day have - when she meets her Prince Charming, of course. The day will include a beautiful fairytale-princess white wedding gown, bright vibrant flowers (all roses of course), a thousand guests (catering costs be damned), white doves fluttering overhead and the most wonderfully bright and sunny day you could imagine. Photographs will be taken depicting bright green lawns, blue skies and never-ending views. The little girl grows up and plans a wedding almost like the one she envisioned (understandably with a few less guests, now that she realises her pocket money from Mom and Dad won’t quite cover all of the above). But wait.... There’s a problem.... The bride wakes up to – please let this be a bad dream – rain! A deluge of tears ensues but still the rain outside does not abate. So what does the bride do? How will her wedding photographer capture beautiful pictures when all there is to see is mud, mist and rain drops? We advise this bride to take a deep breath, blow her nose, mop her tears and read on. In certain societies – especially the Mediterranean island of Malta – couples believe that a rainy wedding day actually brings good luck to you as you begin your journey into married life. Think of it as Nature’s way of providing you with a fresh and clean world on your special day. The first thought that comes to mind when it rains in everyday life is “I wish I could stay in bed all day cuddling up to my beau.” Rainy weather is romantic on every other day of your life, so why should this day be any different? Embrace the opportunity to have photographs depicting an air of romance and intimacy while you snuggle up to one another to keep warm and dry. Rainy weather could actually be your wedding photographer’s dream – there are so many opportunities for him or her to show off the artistic flair that they possess. Lighting on a rainy day is much more subtle and the watery weather provides so many natural props for the photographer to utilise. Water droplets on leaves, puddles of water, misty conditions and shiny surfaces can all be captured in photo form in order to make your wedding album that much more beautiful. In order to make the most of a rainy wedding day, a little preparation and foresight is needed. If you’ve planned an outdoors wedding, make sure to have enough umbrellas available for all your guests in the event of rain – a sea of umbrellas is a wonderful photo opportunity. Also, as the bride, be sure to pack an emergency makeup kit – although the wet weather will mean you won’t suffer from that delightful shiny complexion of a hot sticky day, a stray raindrop may cause your mascara to run or your foundation to crumble. You want makeup to be flawless not flawed. A container of wet-wipes may also come in handy in case of mud splashes on the bridal gown – and what a good action shot, the groom on bended knee dabbing at the bride’s hemlines! The wedding photographer will also want to ensure that he or she has an umbrella standing by in order to keep all the valuable camera equipment dry. A rainy wedding day can really lend itself to amazing photo opportunities. We’ve come up with some ideas to incorporate the rain into your photographs rather than trying to hide underneath an umbrella scowling at the precipitation! The bride and bridesmaids tiptoeing through puddles on the way to the church will lend itself to a wonderful story or two when paging through the wedding album. There is nothing more romantic than the groom looking chivalrous while laying his coat (or a towel) over a puddle for his blushing bride. As mentioned earlier, an elevated shot taken over a sea of brightly coloured umbrellas with the couple huddled together in the distance saying their vows will be more effective than a thousand words! A photo of the groom and groomsmen walking through the rain will make for a wonderfully artistic shot. Also, remember that a black and white photograph is a wonderfully dramatic tool. The effect of the slightly more dull lighting and water droplets in a black and white picture will be a beautiful addition. A bit of rain doesn’t have to ruin your wedding day or your wedding album for that matter. There are so many advantages to having your nuptial celebrations in the drizzle that, come rain or shine, on the big day no tears should be shed on the weather. Now take a deep breath, touch up your makeup, grab your umbrella and enjoy your wet-weather-wedding!