Let's be honest, if you're getting married in the UK you already know the weather has a mind of its own. You can book the venue a year in advance, pick the perfect date, obsess over the forecast for weeks, and it still might chuck it down the second you step outside for photos. Here's the thing though, some of the loveliest wedding photos we've ever seen were taken in the rain. A good wedding umbrella isn't a backup plan, it's part of the kit list, right up there with the flowers and the confetti.
Rain Isn't The Villain Everyone Thinks It Is
Photographers will tell you this if you ask them, and most couples never think to ask. Rain does something dramatic weather does for lighting, it softens everything. No harsh midday sun squinting the whole bridal party, no awkward shadows across faces, just soft, even light and puddles that reflect the sky back at you. Add a wedding umbrella into the mix and you've suddenly got a proper prop, something for hands to do, something to lean into for a laugh, something that gives a photo a bit of story instead of just two people standing stiffly in a field.
Why A Clear Umbrella Wins For Photos
This is the one couples always ask us about, and for good reason. A clear umbrella does something an ordinary umbrella can't, it keeps everyone visible. Nobody vanishes under an opaque canopy mid shot, the dress stays in full view, the flowers stay in full view, and the groom isn't left squinting out from under a shadow. Our Susino Clear Dome Umbrella comes in white or black trim and gives you that deeper, curved dome shape that photographs beautifully from underneath, while the Falconetti Clear Lace Wedding Umbrella brings a softer, more romantic edge if you want something a little more "bride" and a little less "golf caddy". Wedding umbrellas in a see-through style have properly taken off on Pinterest and Instagram over the last few years, and once you've seen a shot of a couple kissing under a clear umbrella with rain running down the canopy, you'll understand exactly why.
The Classic White Umbrella Look
Some couples want the fairytale look rather than the see-through one, and that's where a white umbrella earns its keep. There's something timeless about a bride under a proper white wedding umbrella, whether that's one of our simple frilled styles or a fuller pagoda shape with all the drama a big skirt deserves. White, ivory, cream and beige are all worth considering depending on your dress tone (yes, this matters more than you'd think in photos), and a white umbrella against a grey sky genuinely looks stunning rather than like a compromise.
A Few Tips For Actually Getting The Shot
Ask your photographer to shoot from underneath the umbrella looking up, it does wonders for framing and catches the light coming through if you're using a clear umbrella. Puddles are your friend, not your enemy, a good reflection shot is worth getting your shoes a bit wet for. And don't be precious about the rain hitting the canopy itself, some of the best wedding umbrella photos have raindrops caught mid-fall, frozen in the shot forever.
Sorting Out The Whole Wedding Party
It's easy to forget until eighty guests are standing outside the church with nothing to keep them dry. This is where a wedding umbrella pack does the job in one go, thirty Jolly Brollies for family and friends plus two larger golf-sized umbrellas for the bride, groom and the rest of the wedding party. We've kept over 50,000 brides, grooms and wedding guests dry over the years, and if thirty brollies isn't quite enough for your numbers, just drop us an email and we'll sort out extra packs. Even if you've left it properly last minute, we offer express UK delivery, so a rushed order for wedding umbrellas the week before still has a fighting chance of arriving on time.
So if the forecast is looking grim, don't panic and don't move the whole thing indoors in a fluster. Grab a clear umbrella for the photos that'll actually get printed and framed, a white umbrella for the classic shots, and a stack of brollies for everyone else. Rain or shine, you'll still get the pictures you wanted, they'll just have a bit more atmosphere in them.
By Emma Barber
