A rainy wedding day is not a disaster. Let me show you why.
Rain on Your Wedding Day: A Sign of Good Luck
When Plan B turns into the best party of the year
You’ve been planning your wedding for months. You’ve chosen your venue, your dress, your flowers. And then, the morning of your big day, you look out the window and see grey skies.
Take a breath. This is what I know after years of photographing weddings in Geneva, Lausanne, and across the Lake Geneva region: rain creates magic that sunshine simply cannot. Wet cobblestones reflect light like mirrors. Clouds act as a giant natural softbox, creating the most even, flattering light of the day. And the intimacy of sheltering together under an umbrella, looking at each other while the rain falls around you? That is a photograph your grandchildren will treasure.
Before the Wedding: How to Prepare
Have a Plan B : But Don’t Obsess Over It
Your venue coordinator and wedding planner should always have a covered or indoor option ready. Talk to your photographer early about what a wet-weather plan looks like for your specific venue. I always scout locations with both scenarios in mind.
Invest in Beautiful Umbrellas
Forget the cheap plastic ones. A set of elegant white or ivory umbrellas can become one of the most beautiful props in your wedding photos. They double as stunning photo accessories and keep your dress dry between shots.
Tell Your Guests in Advance
If rain is forecast, a quick message to your guests suggesting they bring an umbrella or wear appropriate shoes goes a long way. Happy, comfortable guests make for joyful photographs.
On the Day: What I Do as Your Photographer When It Rains
When I arrive on a rainy wedding morning, my first thought is not “oh no.” My first thought is “where is the best light?”
I look for reflections. A wet terrace, a puddle on a cobblestone street, the surface of Lac Léman after a shower — all of these become mirrors that add depth and poetry to your images. I use the rain as a backdrop. I find sheltered golden spots — a covered archway, a long corridor of windows, a beautifully lit hall. And I always protect your dress between shots.
When Plan B Turns Into the Best Party of the Year
A rainy wedding day is not a disaster. Let me show you why, with Antonia and Arron’s wedding at Son Donblon, Mallorca.
Their guests had flown in from the UK, because everyone knows, it never rains in Mallorca. Except, of course, when it does.
At 3:45pm, exactly fifteen minutes before the ceremony was due to begin, the rain arrived. The entire day had been planned outdoors, the ceremony, the dinner, everything. But the Son Donblon team and their wedding planners had activated Plan B earlier that afternoon, just in case: the ceremony moved under the stone arched porch, and the dinner under a magnificent tent.
What happened next? The ceremony was filled with every emotion a couple exchanging vows could possibly feel, with or without rain. The love hadn’t changed. Not even a little.
Between showers, we managed to steal a few couple portraits. The group photos moved inside, and honestly? It turned into one of the most fun shoots I’ve ever done. We laughed. A lot.
The local vendors told us it hadn’t rained during a wedding at the venue in eight years. Antonia and Arron made history, and they did it beautifully.
Best Covered & Indoor Wedding Photo Spots in the Geneva Region
If the weather turns on your big day, here are some of my favourite locations for stunning indoor or covered portraits near Geneva and Lausanne.
In Geneva, the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH) offers extraordinary architecture, grand staircases and timeless interiors that create breathtaking backdrops for wedding portraits. The light inside is exceptional.
In Lausanne, the Palais Rumine is one of the most beautiful buildings in Switzerland, its monumental entrance hall, arched ceilings and museum rooms make for truly editorial images unlike anywhere else.
And of course, your venue itself. I always arrive early on your wedding day to discover every beautiful corner, a covered terrace, a stone archway, a warmly lit corridor, so that whatever the weather, we always have somewhere magical to work with.
A Note to Anxious Brides and Grooms
If you are reading this because tomorrow is your wedding day and rain is forecast: I understand the anxiety. But I promise you, some of the most beautiful wedding stories are told through rain-soaked images.
The weather does not define your day. Your love does. And I will be there, whatever the sky decides, to capture every moment of it.
Mathilde Ballet is a wedding photographer based in Geneva, Switzerland. To enquire about your wedding date, get in touch here.
