What If It Rains on Your Destination Wedding Day?

You're getting married by the sea. You can already picture yourselves on the beach in your wedding outfits, with beautiful photographs you'll treasure for the rest of your lives. And then rain appears in the forecast. What now?

Nobody can order sunshine, not even on their wedding day. Choosing the right destination and time of year can improve your chances of good weather, but every place has its own seasons. Sometimes the weather varies considerably even between different parts of the same island.

What matters most is what kind of rain you're dealing with — and what you've already arranged in case it comes. A short shower might mean no more than a little delay. Persistent rain needs a different solution. And if a thunderstorm arrives, the priority isn't to save the outdoor ceremony under a pretty gazebo. It's to get everyone somewhere safe.

Why can't you simply move the wedding to tomorrow?

You look at the week's forecast: rain on Wednesday, sunshine on Thursday. Why not just get married on Thursday instead? Unfortunately, it isn't usually that simple.

A wedding isn't an excursion to waterfalls — you can't simply postpone it because the weather looks better tomorrow. You've booked a venue, an officiant and perhaps a local registrar, a photographer, other suppliers and maybe guests who have flown in for only a few days. Moving a legally binding ceremony may require a new agreement with the authorities and everyone involved. Sometimes a change is possible, but you certainly can't rely on it as an automatic rain plan.

That's why the alternative needs to be worked out while the wedding is being organised. If a brief shower passes through and conditions allow, you can wait a little. If the rain doesn't let up, your wedding coordinator can use the backup venue agreed in advance. It needs to be available and suitable — and, for a legally binding ceremony, authorised for that purpose too.

And what if a storm brings strong winds and lightning? Then the outdoor proceedings stop and everyone moves into a safe, enclosed building. A beach umbrella or a romantic open-sided gazebo won't protect you from lightning.

Wet-weather alternatives for weddings in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean has one lovely advantage: many beautiful wedding venues aren't outdoors at all. Historic palaces, castle halls and civil ceremony rooms can be every bit as romantic as a terrace overlooking the sea.

Verona is a wonderful example in Italy. You can even get married at Juliet's House, the setting associated with the story of Romeo and Juliet. And that famous balcony? It's hard not to think of the romance of it all, although the opportunities for photographs depend on the venue's arrangements and rules.

Weddings have also been held at Lake Garda in winter. Imagine a castle terrace overlooking the lake in January, with patio heaters keeping away the chill. If rain or snow arrives, the ceremony can move into a castle hall when that alternative has been agreed in advance. Instead of a terrace, you're suddenly celebrating in surroundings that feel like something from the age of knights.

In Greece, a passing shower can sometimes be waited out, or the couple can use a covered terrace or a nearby taverna if that option was arranged in advance.

In Croatia, picturesque seaside towns often have lovely civil ceremony rooms that can provide an alternative to the beach. It depends on the venue and, for a legally binding wedding, the decision of the local registrar. Finding somewhere with a roof isn't enough on its own.

If your beach ceremony is beside the restaurant where your reception will follow, its indoor space may be a practical backup — if you've agreed on that option beforehand and it's permitted for your ceremony.

What if it rains at a tropical island wedding?

One advantage of a wedding on a tropical island is that the ceremony often takes place at the resort where you're staying. As well as the beach, the resort may have a charming gazebo, a covered terrace or an attractive indoor room. But every resort is different, and what matters is what you've actually arranged.

Tropical rain can take very different forms. Sometimes a heavy shower passes, the clouds part and you can carry on. Other times the showers keep coming back, rain lasts for hours or strong winds arrive. Even in a favourable season, nobody can promise sunshine at the exact hour of your wedding.

For a legally binding ceremony, the place where the marriage may take place matters too. A resort might have a beautiful covered terrace, but that doesn't mean the official ceremony can automatically move there.

At some resorts, only one wedding was scheduled per day. That gave each couple a day of their own, but the following dates could already be booked by other couples who had reserved well in advance. That's another reason why a workable alternative on the original day can be much easier than moving the entire wedding.

Wedding photography: rain doesn't have to be the enemy

And what about the photographs? They're one of the things you're looking forward to most, after all.

Rain is exactly when you'll appreciate a photographer who really knows the wedding venue. They'll know which corners look beautiful, where you can take pictures under cover, what light is available indoors and where to go when the rain clears. When the weather allows, even a simple umbrella can become part of the pictures — giving you photographs you would never have taken under a cloudless blue sky.

If the rain lasts longer, it may be possible to arrange the photo session for another time, the following day or perhaps another part of the island. What matters is the photographer's availability and what you've actually agreed.

For some weddings, YachtWedding, a specialist travel company for destination weddings, was able to arrange a photo shoot in another part of the island or on another suitable day with photographers it worked with. Moving the photo session, though, doesn't mean moving the wedding ceremony itself.

And here's another little thought: have you ever noticed how beautiful wet paving stones or leaves can look after the rain? Film crews sometimes deliberately spray water onto a set so that the surfaces reflect the light more beautifully. Rain can give your wedding photographs something they might otherwise have missed. Just don't forget safety in the pursuit of a picture.

We hope your wedding day is full of sunshine and that you bring home photographs exactly as you've imagined them. And if it does rain, may it bring you a truly happy marriage. 🙂

Photo credit: Nat&Jude Photographer Mauritius