Ask any couple who's got married in the UK and they'll tell you the same thing: you can plan the flowers, the seating chart and the playlist down to the last detail, and the weather will still do exactly what it wants. That's really why a proper wedding umbrella earns its place on the checklist right alongside the cake and the confetti. Not as a backup plan, but as part of the day itself.
We've been sorting brides, grooms and wedding parties out with umbrellas for a long time now, across every season the British calendar can throw at them, so here's our honest guide to picking the right one.
For the classic look, you want white or ivory
If you're after that timeless bridal photo, a white umbrella or an ivory one is still the go-to. We stock both in a proper range of styles, from a simple budget white wedding umbrella with a neat frill through to the fuller pagoda shapes with triple frills for a bit more drama. Cream and beige are in there too if ivory feels slightly too warm-toned against your dress. Genuinely, half the appeal of these is just how well they photograph, there's a reason they turn up in wedding albums decade after decade.
Summer wedding? A clear umbrella keeps the day visible
Summer showers are the cruellest kind, because they turn up uninvited to a day you'd planned entirely around being outdoors. A clear umbrella is the answer here. Ours come as clear domes in white, black, pink and blue trims, plus a Falconetti design finished with a lace edge if you still want a touch of bridal detail. The whole point is that nobody disappears under an opaque canopy mid-photo, the dress, the flowers, the guests, it all stays visible even while everyone's staying dry.
For a blustery day, go for something properly strong
Anyone who's had a cheap umbrella turn inside out on the walk from the church to the marquee knows why this matters. If your wedding's happening somewhere exposed, or you're marrying anywhere near autumn or winter, we'd steer you towards our golf-sized wedding umbrellas rather than the smaller frilled styles. A strong umbrella with a bigger golf canopy, like our white or cream plain golf wedding umbrellas, or the clear fibreglass golf umbrella, gives you far more coverage and stability than a dainty parasol-style brolly, which is exactly what you want when you're trying to keep a bride, her dress and her hairdo dry all at once.
Enough umbrellas for wedding guests, not just the two of you
This is the bit people forget until it's raining and there are eighty guests standing outside a church. Our wedding umbrella pack is built for exactly this situation: thirty Jolly Brollies for family and friends, plus two larger golf-sized umbrellas for the bride, groom and the rest of the main wedding party. If thirty isn't enough, we're happy to sort additional packs or extra individual umbrellas for wedding guests on top, just drop us an email and we'll talk you through quantities.
Don't forget the wedding party themselves
White and ivory brollies double up nicely as bridesmaid umbrellas, keeping everyone's photos looking coordinated rather than a mismatch of whatever anyone grabbed on the way out. And if the groom wants something a bit more understated, a large black golf umbrella tends to suit him rather better than a frilled one.
Left it a bit late? You're not in trouble yet
We know weddings have a habit of throwing up last-minute jobs, so if you're ordering later than you'd like, we offer an express UK delivery service to get your umbrellas to you in time. If you're not sure on size, colour or how many you actually need, just email our team and we'll help you work it out rather than leaving you guessing.
Whatever season you've picked for the big day, have a browse through the full Wedding Umbrellas collection and get everyone sorted well before the forecast starts looking iffy.
By Emma Barber
