Rain on your wedding day?

You guys. First of all, I get it. Seriously. It POURED on my wedding day and on my reception day (they were split between two days, I know, it’s weird).

One of my dearest friends and photo buddies, Alanna, booked a magical wedding venue, Highland Brewing in Asheville, NC, and hired me to capture her and Will’s big day. I was completely stoked to fly all the way from Idaho to not only celebrate a friend, but also to experience this gorgeous venue.

And then of course the weather report came in. Storms were forecasted for the ENTIRE DAY. I mean from before the sun came up to late that night.

Alanna said, and I quote, “you mean a freaking monsoon,” when I told her what I was writing.

So, what do you do when Mother Nature plans to crash your big day?

As your photographer, I’ll aim to be prepared for most anything. When rain came into the picture, I immediately searched for a flash that would work for an entirely indoor ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. Communication lines between me and Alanna were open and we both communicated our expectations and ideas.

Alanna was fantastic because as a fellow photographer, she knew that sometimes we run into unforeseen obstacles but will always try to do the best work we can for our clients. I truly couldn’t have been happier than when she received her images and told me how much she loved them.

I’ll be honest, I was a nervous wreck. I’d never shot a full-flash necessary event, and definitely not a wedding. Day of, I knew to set those feelings aside and simply do my best.

Alanna was a trooper and took the day on with some major grace and patience. From the getting ready images until she and Will drove away from the venue, setbacks were handled with a deep breath and an attitude of “Yep. This happened. Moving right along.”

From a bride’s perspective, I told myself that while it things weren’t ideal, the most important part of the wedding day was that I was going to be marrying my best friend. I was fully reminded of that, as it was so easy to see how in love Will and Alanna are and how excited they were to start this chapter of their lives together.

When a client and a photographer trust each other, magic can happen.

Alanna and Will’s wedding turned out to be one of the most fun events I’ve ever been to. The team at Highland Brewing showed up to move all the events inside and make sure we had access to some great photo locations.

The bridal party, guests, event staff, and even my husband (aka assistant), brought the energy and although a generous amount of umbrellas were needed, even Mother Nature couldn’t rain on the Alanna and Will parade.