Wedding on a Rainy Day | Jen & John

I’ve always preferred rain, ever since I was a kid, watching slow trickles of rain sliding down the school bus window.

All couples worry about rain on their wedding day. What will we do? Will my hair and makeup stay in place? Where will our ceremony be?

But, I think weddings on rainy days are absolute magic. The unpredictability, and embracing of alternatives, is such a wonderful metaphor for the journey of marriage itself.

I love photographing weddings in people’s homes. Backyards. Living rooms. Decks & docks & childhood bedrooms. “Backyard wedding” is one of the best combinations of words in the English language, I think. And a backyard wedding on a rainy day? Sign. me. up.

Weddings are family events, whether the only people in attendance are the couple getting married, or it’s 300 of your closest friends. Either way, the wedding is a milestone in your family history. So what better venue than a family home, which has already seen so many pieces of your own and your family’s history, and can now play host to this new, exciting chapter.

So, when John & Jen inquired for their wedding and noted that they’d be getting married at Jen’s grandma’s lake house outside of Farmington, Maine, I knew instantly that I wanted to photograph their wedding.

Jen & John enjoyed a sweet and kind gathering of about 40 people - a mix of family and friends. Many of their friends had known them since childhood, when Jen & friends would spend summers at this same lake house. Photographing this event in a location so imbued with their family’s story made every image even more special.

Although it rained pretty much non-stop through the day, we still had a wonderful time. After the ceremony and formal group photos were over, I asked the couple “Hey? What do you say we go out on the dock and get soaking wet and you guys can make out in the rain and I’ll photograph it?”

Hell yeah. While I think very few people would choose a rain-soaked wedding, having your wedding on a rainy day can be a blessing in disguise.

To all my couples like Jen & John who go with the flow and view every twist and turn of the day as part of the adventure, I salute you.