What If It Rains On My Wedding Day?
because a little rain never stopped a beautiful wedding
If you have been stressing about the possibility of rain on your wedding day, you are not alone. It is one of the most common questions we get asked — and honestly, one of the easiest to put your mind at ease about.
If rain on your wedding day is keeping you up at night, you are in very good company. It is probably the number one worry we hear from couples planning an outdoor ceremony. So let us talk through it honestly — the practical stuff, the mindset stuff, and why it genuinely might not be as bad as you think.
We Have Got Shelter Sorted
Almost all of our locations have shelter nearby that we use when the weather turns. Whether it is a beautiful tree canopy for a light sprinkle, a picnic shelter or rotunda, we know our locations inside out and always have a plan B ready to go.
The one exception is our Hobart location — but couples there have the option of booking a stunning rotunda that is perfect for an intimate ceremony whatever the weather. It is actually one of our most romantic setups.
Keep in touch with your celebrant and photographer and refer to your ceremony day instructions in advance so you know where to meet your celebrant.
Check the Forecast — But Not Too Early
Weather forecasts more than about two days out are not reliable enough to cause serious stress. A seven-day forecast showing rain is not a reason to panic — it changes constantly (we know, we have been watching these things for years!). Start checking in the two to three days before your wedding, and keep an eye on the Bureau of Meteorology rather than app forecasts, which can be less accurate. Even then, keep in mind that a shower in the morning does not necessarily mean a wet afternoon, and a cloudy day can produce absolutely beautiful soft light for photos. You only need a very narrow window of time for a JMW ceremony — and in most parts of Australia it rarely rains heavily for long.
Our Team Has Seen It All
Our celebrants and photography partners are experienced at working in all conditions — rain, wind, blazing heat (which brings its own challenges!), you name it. They know how to adapt, keep the mood light, and create beautiful moments regardless of what the sky is doing.
Rainy Day Photos Are Something Else
Some of the most breathtaking wedding photos we have ever seen have been taken on rainy days. There is something about soft light, moody skies, and a couple who are laughing and completely in the moment that makes for truly stunning images. Do not underestimate what a little rain can do for a photo.
Pack Some See-Through Umbrellas
One of our top practical tips: grab a few clear umbrellas before your big day. They are inexpensive, widely available, and look gorgeous in photos. Have one for yourself, your partner, and anyone else you want in your shots. They add a lovely touch without blocking your face or your outfit — and they make for seriously good photos.
This is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do. Clear or see-through umbrellas are inexpensive (usually a few dollars each at discount stores), widely available, and they photograph beautifully because they do not hide your face or your outfit. Grab a few — one for each of you and any family or friends you want in your photos. They also give you something to do with your hands, which a lot of people find helpful when the camera is on them.
Avoid dark or patterned umbrellas if you can — they tend to cast colour and shadow on faces and can look heavy in photos. Clear is almost always the better choice.
Think About Your Guests
If rain is likely, a quick heads-up to your guests goes a long way. A brief note a day or two before — letting them know to bring a jacket and an umbrella, or appropriate shoes — means no one is caught off guard and everyone can dress and prepare accordingly. It is a small thing that makes people feel looked after.
The Most Important Thing? Your Attitude
The couples who have the best time on rainy wedding days are the ones who decided in advance that they were going to have a good time regardless. That sounds simple, but it takes a conscious choice. When you find yourself laughing at the rain rather than fighting it, something shifts — for you and for everyone around you. Your guests take their cues from you. If you are relaxed and having fun, they will be too.
At the end of the day, the weather is the one thing you truly cannot control — but how you respond to it is entirely yours. The couples who look back on their wedding day with the biggest smiles are the ones who leaned into whatever the day gave them. They laughed, they danced in the drizzle, they got the shot, and they had the time of their lives.
When you look back on your photos in ten years, you will not be wishing it had been sunny. You will be remembering how fun loving, carefree, and completely in love you were — and that is everything.
So if it rains? Embrace it. We will be right there with you, making sure it is one of the best days of your life.
Plan for it, prepare for it, and then let it go. Whatever the day brings, it is yours.
Your wedding. Your way. Just married.
Breaking the News to Your Family
how to tell the people you love that you are doing it your way
If you have decided to elope or have a very small wedding, there is a good chance this decision did not come easily. Not because you have any doubt about what you want — but because you know you are going to have to tell the people you love. And that conversation can feel enormous before it even happens.
We want to help you have it with confidence.
You are far from alone in this
At Just Married Weddings, we have helped thousands of couples elope or hold weddings far smaller than the pressure from their families would have demanded. This is one of the most common things we hear: “We know what we want — we just don’t know how to tell everyone.”
You are not being selfish. You are not doing anything wrong. You have simply decided that your wedding should reflect who you actually are as a couple, not what everyone else expects.
You don’t have to exclude everyone
It is worth remembering that an elopement does not have to mean just the two of you. For example, with JMW you can have up to 20 people.
You can have your mum there. You can have your best friend standing beside you. You don’t have to exclude everyone you love — you simply get to choose the people who will truly hold that moment with you, rather than filling a room with obligation.
For some couples that is two witnesses and nobody else. For others it is 15 people at a cliffside at sunrise. Both are perfect. The point is that the choice is yours.
Most people will understand — sooner than you think
Here is an honest truth about the people on your guest list: most of them have already been to a lot of weddings. People in their twenties and thirties are accustomed to attending ceremonies, sitting through speeches, and buying gifts. Your wedding is not the only one they will ever be invited to.
They may feel a momentary sting of disappointment — and that is natural, and you can hold space for it. But most people move on quickly. The next big wedding on the calendar comes around, and life continues.
The people who truly love you will come to understand. And the ones who make it about themselves for longer than a week or two? That is worth noticing.
Ask anyone married ten years how often they still see their wedding guests
Here is a question worth sitting with: think of someone you know who has been married for ten years or more. Ask them how many of their wedding guests they still see regularly.
The answer is almost always a small handful — the people closest to them. The rest have drifted, as lives naturally do. The 120 people who came to the reception, the distant cousins and old colleagues and family friends of family friends — most of them have moved on too.
The fear of letting people down is real. But it is worth asking whether the people you are most worried about will even remember in five years that they weren’t there.
“You only get one day” — but will you actually remember it?
One of the most common things people say to couples considering a smaller wedding is “you only get one day, you have to make it special.” It is said with love, and it is worth hearing — but it is also worth examining.
Talk to anyone who has been married for more than ten years and ask them honestly: how much of their wedding day do they actually remember? Many will tell you it passed in a blur. The day was so big, the expectations so high, the guest list so long and the logistics so consuming, that it was almost impossible to stay present in the moments that actually mattered.
A small, intimate ceremony — just the people who truly matter, in a place that means something to you — is far more likely to be a day you actually live in, rather than survive.
You can celebrate with everyone else — just not all at once
Telling your family and friends that you are eloping does not mean you are cutting them out of your joy. It just means the celebration looks different — and honestly, often better.
Take a bottle of champagne to the next family gathering and toast your marriage over a long, relaxed lunch. Bring a cake into work and let your colleagues cheer you on. Book that restaurant you and your closest friends have been talking about for years and celebrate over a dinner that is actually about you — no running between tables, no speeches you have to sit through, no seating chart drama.
You get to celebrate your marriage multiple times, in ways that feel genuinely meaningful, with the people you are actually celebrating with. That is not a consolation prize. For many couples, it turns out to be the best part.
How to have the conversation
When you tell the people you love, be kind. Acknowledge that they might feel disappointed — and mean it. But be clear.
You are not asking for permission. You are sharing a decision that has already been made, with love and with certainty. You can say something like:
“We wanted you to hear this from us directly. We have decided to get married in a small, private ceremony. We know this might not be what you imagined, and we completely understand if you need a moment with that. But this is the right decision for us, and we are so excited about it. We cannot wait to celebrate with you soon.”
Then stop. You do not need to justify, defend, or negotiate. You have made your choice, it is a good one, and you deserve to feel that.
We are here to help you every step of the way
If you are ready to move forward — or even if you are still figuring it out — get in touch with our team. We will walk you through everything, from the legal paperwork to choosing the perfect location, so that when the day comes, all you have to do is show up and get married.
Your wedding. Your way. Just married.