Besides the obvious “have a back-up plan for your outdoor wedding” tips, I think there are a couple of things you can do to make rainy wedding pictures awesome.

#1:  Have a cute umbrella ready

Adorable, elegant, or just plain hilarious umbrellas can make rain on your wedding day kind of fun and exciting!  There are tons of cute umbrellas just waiting to make your wedding pictures pop, so having one that you love waiting in the wings could make rain not seem so bad!

Here are a couple of fabulous umbrella resources:

The Umbrella Stand

Pare Umbrella

Bella Umbrella has the most stunning vintage and modern umbrellas and parasols for purchase or rent.  (I can totally see parasols being adorable props for sunny weddings!)

#2:  Ditch the heels for rainboots

Is it just me, or can you totally see a bride holding a yellow umbrella with yellow rain boots peeking out from under her poofy white dress being the cutest thing ever in the whole world?!

Target has a ton of rain boots online from pink to polka dots to strawberries to these most awesome boots ever.

What a Pair has a giant selection of cutie patootie rain boots.

And if it were me, and I wasn’t doing the yellow boots/yellow umbrella thing, I’d be rocking these frog boots.  (Or maybe the ladybug or bee ones.)

#3: Have fun with it!

I think the key to any wedding day mishap (weather or otherwise) is to just have fun with it or around it.  (I can totally see a bride holding hands with a flower girl jumping in puddles.  With the dry cleaner passing out nearby.)  :P  As long as you look like you’re having fun, the pictures will reflect that!

They drove down from northwest Colorado for their engagement shoot this weekend. It was great to finally meet them!

They braved the damp grass for the laying down shots I was loving this weekend:

Some mandatory cuddling:

We took them to a playground.

And since Jenny was also rocking the purple, a trip to the orange wall I’d just found was a must!

I have a thing for photographing on stairs.

I’m always inspired when our couples share food. It’s generally not a good idea to have me share food with Nic. I’m always tempted to kick him in the balls and run away with the food.

We dashed over to Garden of the Gods for a few shots in fields. Stairs and fields. I love them.

Nic thinks Jenny is a dead ringer for my baby sister. It wasn’t until I got home and started proofing that I realized she totally is! Right down to the glasses!

Jenny and Johnny, we had a blast getting to know you–thanks for being up for anything! We look forward to seeing you again in April!

***

Behind the scenes: I swear that Nic and I do have other clothes–Jenny and Johnny and Laura and Jack’s shoots were on the same day, so our outfits lack originality…

And me with my precious stairs, intruding on yet another cozy couple moment:

And risking my life and camera for the most awesome playground shot ever. (I swear it felt scarier up there with my camera than it looks.)

I wasn’t allowed to photograph the actual ceremony, so we faked it:

After the Bat Mitzvah, there was an incredible reception.  The food alone was gorgeous!

I kept hearing Leena’s guests say how cool it was that the butter was on a leaf, so of course I had to get a shot of it.  (I should have included a gawking 13 year old, though!)

The DJ (who I knew from Andrea and Jason’s wedding just last month) had the teens charging up and down the dance floor:

They had two parties set up–the indoor one for the adults, and the pool party downstairs for the Leena and her friends (it had an ice cream bar–that totally beats air conditioning any day).

The woman of the hour was tossed into the pool by her brother:

And then the pool party began!

Laura and Jack brought their sweet dogs for some family pictures:

We only had a couple of minutes of sunlight, but they totally nailed it. Laura and Jack are so cute!!

Have I mentioned that I *loved* their outfits? They were rocking the super hip purple and lime green combo…and when I saw this orange wall I knew it would be a winner!

We often tell couples “look like you like each other.” I don’t think Laura was faking.

And last but not least, my favorite of the day:

Jack and Laura’s wedding is next year (one of our lucky June couples–those June Saturdays are popular!). They are so sweet and fun and we can’t wait to work with them again on their wedding day!

***

Behind the scenes: Proof that I really must love Nic. I share the 70-200 with him on occasion. (But I have a thing for guys with their shirtsleeves rolled up, so it might just be the sleeves.)

Nic must have been feelin’ the behind the scenes shots this weekend, because I have two of me to share.

Nothing says “quiet romantic moment” quite like having a photographer right over your shoulder.

We had to put our little carpet shark to sleep today.  Our sweet Fifi was a fighter.  She was diagnosed with cancer a year ago and they gave her three months.  We actually made - and canceled - appointments to put her to sleep twice.  It would seem like it was over, and then she would rally.

We will all miss her–especially Will.  He loved that she was so slow and easy to catch these last few months!

Sonya’s updos were gorgeous each night!

Sonya’s makeup artist, Danica, was totally fantastic and sweet and adorable to boot!  I highly recommend her (check out her blog for makeup tips).

Sonya’s sister, Farah, is just as gorgeous as Sonya!

It was a stressful afternoon for Sonya, so it was great to see her smile!

Getting ready to put on her bracelets:

The hall looked incredible, all ready for the 450 guests.

Nic and I both adored the cake.  It was decorated to reflect Sonya’s mehndi, and was just as gorgeous as her hands!

They were running late, so we had to scratch the bride and groom pictures, but I had Faisal pose for some quick groom portraits:

I love this shot of Sonya’s dad giving a toast:

After the toasts, we were treated to more choreographed dances Bollywood style!

And when the dance floor opened up…WOWZA!  Even the little ones had more dancing skills than me!

***

Behind the scenes:  Three days in a row of shooting after midnight and driving back to the Springs had me pretty tired!  I’m pretty lucky I didn’t look like this! 

Nic asked me how me and my Red Bull were coming along.  I felt better just knowing it was in my trusty Shootsac.

And this is my all time favorite best EVAH behind the scenes shot.  Bored flower girls are the best!

A huge huge huge giant thank you to Sonya and Faisal and their families for making us feel so welcome.   It was an honor to get to see a wedding so different from our usual ceremonies!

The venue was the same, but the decor completely different:

Sonya’s mom got her outfit from Pakistan, and it was breathtaking. Pictures don’t do it sparkly justice!

One of the things that really struck me about the ceremonies was how visible the support from Sonya and Faisal’s family and friends was.  From being escorted into the ceremonies, to being fed fruit and sweets at the Mehndi, to getting ready backstage, their family and friends were very present.  Here are a few shots I love of Sonya’s getting ready crew:

Look at all these hands ready to help!

Exchanging the rings:

As the evening came to an end, Sonya’s family stole Faisal’s shoes.  I had everyone fill me in as negotiations began for his shoes.  It’s an Indian wedding tradition for the bride’s family to steal the groom’s shoes…in order to leave with her, he has to buy them back.  As figures from $25 to $1000 were tossed around, I asked a few people nearby what a usual sum was.  One woman said her family held out for $500, and the man keeping Faisal’s shoes hidden said he’d had to pay $750!  (At this point I asked what was to keep Faisal from just walking out barefoot [or bringing along an extra pair of shoes] and people looked at me like I was nuts: tradition keeps him from leaving!)

Here is Sonya’s brother as he grabbed Faisal’s shoes (I love that he tossed a triumphant look back to the crowd):

In an unexpected turn of events, Faisal’s mother promptly stole them back!

Sonya’s family got their hands on them again somehow (it was crowded and loud and crazy and AWESOME and tough to see exactly how that happened), and then the bidding began.  Some of my faves (I told Faisal about these at the reception the next day–I know he’ll get a kick out of them)!

Is it just me, or is Faisal totally channeling Zoolander with a little Blue Steel in this shot?!

Remember how I said it was chaotic?  I wasn’t lying!

Jubilation when they reached a settlement:

After that, Sonya got marriage advice from the other married women and then it was time to leave.  Sonya’s departure from the ceremony was especially touching, because it marked her move from her parent’s house to her new life with Faisal.  This part of the ceremony has a name at Muslim weddings: the rukhsati.  There were plenty of tears and it reminded me of when Nic and I left for our wedding/move to Virginia.  As Sonya cried with her sister, it reminded me of how I cried with mine, and how lucky she is to have a word for that transition!

Sonya saying goodbye to her best friend: 

But don’t be sad, because everyone got back together the next day for the reception.  (In other words: get ready for some AMAZING dancing pictures in the next sneak peek from Nicolas!)

For all of their sneak peek posts, I am going to do my best to name and describe things, but forgive me if I make a few mistakes! For my pre-wedding research, I spent a lot of time at this blog about Indian wedding photography.

In terms of the back end work, it’s a lot like proofing three separate weddings that just happened to be back-to-back, so my proofing isn’t going as quickly as I’d anticipated. So instead of one giant sneak-peek, I’m going to do a couple. Here are a few pictures from the first night.

Sonya’s family and friends completely transformed the hall. There were so many amazing textures and colors.

If you’re thinking that I must have thought I was in color and fabric heaven, you’re totally right!

Sonya was carried in by her family:

Faisal’s arrival was marked by cheers and shouts as he entered the hall with his family:

They were fed sweets and fruit by family and friends:

And then the entertainment was turned over to their family and friends. There were choreographed dances that blew me away and the coolest video skit EVER.

Next installment coming soon!

Now with the admin announcement out of the way, I can share pictures of the gorgeous Hilary, who chose to have her senior portraits around Manitou Springs.  Hilary and her mother and brother were completely fantastic, and I loved spending the evening with them!

Hilary has the cutest smile!

She was totally rocking the bright pink!

This was actually our second purple and green wedding in a row! I keep telling Nic that purple has made a huge come-back this year, but he doesn’t seem to find that as interesting as I do:

The girls got ready at one of the cabins:

Andrea’s aunt brought pictures of her from when she was little:

The bridesmaids all had their hair done and it looked awesome!

I like that one in color, too:

The groom had a gift sent over to his bride:

And then it was show-time:

There were a bunch of cute little ones at the wedding. I love the warning look Andrea’s mother is giving the ring bearer in this one!

Just married!

Stealing a kiss at the end of the aisle:

A few quick portraits of the bride and groom:

My favorite from the day thanks to some dramatic evening light:

The father-daughter dances always get me:

Jason’s dad kept us laughing with his fantastic dance moves at the reception:

Jason and Andrea had a beautiful wedding with lots of great touches. Jason even sang Andrea a song during the reception and totally blew me away. No back-up instrumentals or anything–he can SING. We wish them tons of happiness!

***

Behind the scenes: Nic and I spend a lot of time crouching at weddings so as to be slightly less obnoxious. Here’s a shot of a typical maneuver: walking a few steps up the aisle, crouching and grabbing the shot, and then moving back. It’s a good thing we both have military experience. It really comes in handy for these types of stealth operations.

And instead of one of me, I bring you this cute bunny. I told Nic I’d give him 10 points if he got an awesome wildlife shot while he was waiting for the men to arrive, and he totally gets them: