One of the reasons Rachel and I love filming weddings is that we get to witness the collision of planning and reality, and whatever emotions come out of it.
Couples plan for months, sometimes years. Then the day arrives and the plan changes anyway, because of things nobody controls. That collision gives you a glimpse of who somebody actually is, and it produces some of the most real and raw moments we’ve ever captured.
The Forecast Turned
Emily and Mike planned an outdoor ceremony. In the days leading up to the wedding, the forecast turned to clouds and rain.
Ten minutes before the ceremony, with a fine mist falling over the perfectly aligned chairs, Emily made the call: they were going ahead outdoors. Rainy reality and all. And with a smile on her face, she walked toward her groom.
And Then The Vase
At the end of the aisle stood Mike, dealing with expectations of his own. There was banter going between him, the officiant, and his best man, including a whispered discussion about whether he was going to start crying the moment he saw Emily.
Mike’s expectation of having a tough time watching her walk down the aisle was, pun fully intended, shattered by the reality of Emily knocking over and very loudly breaking a large glass vase on her way toward him.
They both immediately started laughing. Because regardless of how any part of that day went, they were together.
Smiling, Rain Or Shine
These weren’t isolated incidents, either. Plenty of things across that day didn’t go the way anybody drew them up. Emily and Mike’s response was the same every single time: a smile and a laugh.
Plans, even ones you’ve been building for over a year, rarely land the way you think they will. It’s in those moments that who you actually are shows up. If we all met reality the way Emily and Mike met theirs, we’d be alright.
A Note On Filming In The Rain
Rain is not a disaster for a wedding film. It’s a gift you didn’t ask for.
Overcast turns the entire sky into one enormous softbox, so faces are lit evenly and nobody is squinting into hard sun. Wet stone and wet grass hold color and reflect light. Umbrellas give you something to shoot through. And every single guest is more present, because weather makes people pay attention.
What it costs you is caution. Keep a cloth on you at all times, keep a bag over the body between setups, and get your wide establishing shots in early, because you won’t be able to leave the couple later.
The Gear I Filmed This With
📷 My favorite wedding filmmaking gear, and my Sony a7S II wedding setup specifically. Color graded with my LUTs.
Getting Married?
Rain or shine, as long as you’re okay with things maybe not happening exactly as you planned, we would love to film it. 🎥 Please get in touch.
And if you’re the one holding the camera: 🎬 my wedding film editing course, ►► my free guide to booking more wedding clients, and ✌ the Learn Wedding Filmmaking Facebook Group.