Being prepared for wet or exceptionally windy weather is just part and parcel with having a Newfoundland wedding. We are fully aware that our weather can be unpredictable, and can change at a moments notice. The weather is the one aspect of your planning that you can’t control. Don’t allow it to discourage you! A rainy wedding day can be just as beautiful as what you have pictured throughout your planning!

Photo by Enlightened Photography NL – www.enlightenedphotographynl.com

The more you prepare for the possibility of bad weather, the happier and more confident you will be in the event that it happens, so that you can fully embrace it! Don’t wait until the week of your wedding to consider your contingency plan. Make a bad weather plan well before your wedding date shows up on that ten-day forecast to avoid any unnecessary last-minute stress. Hopefully you won’t have to implement that plan, but it’s better to have those details worked out beforehand. If you have a wedding planner, this is where they can help you!

Photo by Jennifer Dawe Photography – www.jenniferdawe.com

If you’re planning an outside element to your day, such as an outdoor ceremony, chat with your venue about their plan B options. They may have an indoor space available for you to use, and will likely be able to provide you pictures from other weddings that have been held there. If they don’t, ensure that a backup location is booked, or that a tent is either purchased or rented. Don’t forget to find out the limitations of the tent, such as wind strength/speed. Some of the ones you can find at big box stores or online aren’t good for the kind of wind we experience. The amount you spend on a deposit securing a rental or separate backup location will be worth every penny if you wake up to rain drizzle and fog!

Photo by Enlightened Photography NL – www.enlightenedphotographynl.com

Once you’ve decided what your wet weather plan entails, write it down, and include it with your final communications with your wedding professionals. This will keep all of your wedding vendors on the same page, with no last minute phone calls needing to be made to solidify the plan.

Photo by Jennifer Dawe Photography – www.jenniferdawe.com

Rainy weather isn’t all bad either. Look at it as an opportunity to do some fun things, which it is! Accessorize with some pretty lace umbrellas! Or rock some bright umbrellas in your wedding colours! Have your bridal party wear brilliant row house-coloured rubber boots! All practical items to have with wet weather, but really fun for photos too.

Photo by Jennifer Dawe Photography – www.jenniferdawe.com

For your photo locations, your photographer should be able to lead you based on their experiences and your timeline when you are making plans for where to go. Some popular places in the St John’s area include The Rooms, the Inco Building, and the Newman Wine Vaults. Each location will have their own booking policies, and some must be booked in advance – another reason you will want to do this earlier rather than later. Other options include bed and breakfasts, such as Leaside Manor and Compton House. Winterholme is another stunning location that takes bookings for wedding photos. Your favourite bar or restaurant will likely allow you to come in for photos and I’ve never heard a bridal party complain about that!

Photo by Jennifer Dawe Photography – www.jenniferdawe.com

At the same time, you shouldn’t be afraid to do a few photos outside. 🙂 Rainy day wedding photos have a distinct romantic feeling to them. Some lighting tricks will make the raindrops look like a million sparkles. It’s very likely that the rain will have a break at some point during the day, and you should take full advantage of it! For example, some photos during the break between dinner finishing and the dances beginning might be a possibility!

Photo by Enlightened Photography NL – www.enlightenedphotographynl.com

Being prepared for a weather forecast that isn’t ideal is the only way to cover all of your bases. At the end of the day, it’s only a minor detail, and your wedding will still be the memorable, fabulous experience you want it to be! Have fun with it, and don’t forget, it’s supposed to be good luck to have rain on your wedding day!

Special thanks to Enlightened Photography NL for the usage of noted photos in this article. You can find the brilliantly talented Tammy at 
www.enlightenedphotographynl.com
www.facebook.com/enlightenedphotographynl

One of the hardest and most stressful parts of planning your wedding is staying within a budget. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you come across an unexpected cost you hadn’t considered.

To help you through this part of your wedding planning, I’ve created the Newfoundland Brides Wedding Budget Worksheet! Having an itemized list of what you’ll need to pay for, and then keeping track of the purchases you’ve made is a foolproof way of keeping you on target!

First, estimate your wedding budget, and determine exactly what you wish to spend on each aspect of your wedding. As time goes on and you start booking vendors and making deposits, you can enter your actual costs to keep track of your spending with every purchase. Having everything in one place should allow you to see where you’ve spent more than anticipated, and where you might be able to cut down on costs to reconfigure your expenses when necessary.

Keep in mind that it’s completely normal to adjust your budget more than once as you make your major wedding decisions, and determine what your must-haves are!

Check out the Planning Resources page to download the Newfoundland Brides Wedding Budget Worksheet!
Stay tuned for more tools and resources to help you arrange every detail of your day!