If you’ve booked a wedding with me here in New Zealand, there’s a decent chance the weather won’t play along on the day. I say this with love, not dread. Some of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken happened because the forecast didn’t cooperate.

I get why rain feels like the worst case scenario when you’re planning a wedding or a family shoot. You’ve thought about the dress, the flowers, the light, the whole picture in your head, and then the sky has other plans. But I’ve shot enough rainy days now to promise you this, rain doesn’t ruin a day. It just changes it, and sometimes it changes it for the better.

There’s something about a couple huddled together under one umbrella, laughing because there’s genuinely nothing else to do but laugh or kiss ! The soft, moody light rain brings, none of that harsh midday sun squinting, just this gentle, even glow that’s honestly gorgeous to shoot in. Then there’s guests wrapped in ponchos still celebrating, rain or not. I’ve photographed the bridal party walking down the aisle with rain running down their cheeks, completely unbothered, because nothing about that day was going to stop them.

And the puddles. I could shoot puddle jumping all day. Kids in gumboots, bridesmaids hitching up their dresses for one wild dash between the ceremony and the reception. Some of the most joyful, most alive photos in my whole portfolio happened because it was pouring down and everyone just decided to have fun with it instead of fighting it.

So here’s my honest take. If the forecast looks grim on your day, don’t panic, and please don’t spend your morning stressed about it. I’ll be there regardless, ready to work with whatever the sky gives us. We might duck under cover for some shots, we might just go for it and get a bit wet, either way, I promise you’ll still walk away with photos that feel like you, rain included. Sometimes those end up being the ones you love telling the story behind the most.