What’s your plan if it rains on the day? Guaranteed most brides-to-be will have a little bit of a freak out if you ask them this or refuse to talk about it at all. It’s not something we want to cross our minds during the planning process, yet the reality is that thousands of weddings a year experience rainy days – but, is it really such a bad thing?

As couples move further and further away from traditional ceremonies (and traditional weddings in general), many will opt for an outdoor ceremony. Imagine snagging the perfect venue; breathtaking views, gorgeous florals with tonnes of style. Everything is perfecto. Until your 137th check of the weather forecast delivers bad news and you have to resist pegging your phone at the wall! Well, I’m here to tell you NOT to panic.

One of the few things we can’t predict or change is the weather. One of the biggest tips I give to couples that book in with us is “Make sure you have a great wet weather plan that you love”. Your backup plan shouldn’t be a throw away tick of a box on your venue’s booking forms. It should be somewhere you can genuinely imagine yourself saying ‘I Do’. You don’t want to be suffering from some serious FOMO right before you walk down the aisle and you definitely don’t want to look back on your wedding day and wonder what might’ve been.

It all starts with the perfect venue. We (Maple Creek Music) recently had the pleasure of visiting Seclusions – an elegant-rustic style venue nestled in the rolling hills of Rydal (2.5 hrs from Sydney), boasting majestic Blue Mountains views, to make use of one of their wet weather alternatives.

Great wet weather options come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Maybe the venue can open up its doors so you can still have an outdoor backdrop as you say your vows (we love ourselves some misty mountain backdrops). OR maybe they have a fantastic barn (like Seclusions) that ticks all the boxes for your rustic themed wedding.

Always have a plan and discuss it with your venue and vendors ahead of the day. There’s nothing worse then extra unnecessary stress on a wedding day. Florists and stylists are ah-mazing at what they do and are very experienced at making last minute changes but, it is definitely worth going through wet weather styling ideas ahead of the day (just incase!).

If only a slight drizzle is due then discuss with your venue what sort of temporary options they have for your outdoor sections of the day. Do they have umbrellas guests can borrow? Is there some sort of cover guests can wait under until showtime? If you’re leaving your location until the last minute, portable flowers are a great option – like these extravagant towers by Annie Mc Blooms.

One major positive of rainy wedding days is the photo’s – oh yes you read correctly! Rainy photos are cause for major envy. And if you’re as lucky as we were on our rainy day Seclusions shoot, you might even get a rainbow to show it’s beautiful face.

So when it comes to your big day, pleaseeeee don’t be stressed every time you hear the words ‘wet weather option’. Instead, rejoice! As you have (hopefully after reading this) organised the backup plan to end all backup plans. ‘Hey, your day could even turn out better than you imagined!’

Ms Zebra Says: Unfortunately, rain happens! This is great advice to at least consider the possibility so you can still LOVE everything about your wedding day – rain, hail or shine!

About Maple Creek Music: About the author Cassie Colless of Maple Creek Music: Want incredible music and stress-free, seamless entertainment for your big day? Maple Creek will take care of everything from when your guests first arrive at the ceremony right through to that lone person on the dance floor at the end of the reception. A team of experienced professionals who love what they do, Maple Creek are a wedding band, acoustic duo, DJ and MC wrapped up in a slick package ready to wow your guests and provide beautiful memories that last a lifetime.