Every year, thousands of couples travel to the Lake District from all over the country and beyond to get married here. If you're one of them, or you're thinking about having a fabulous Lake District wedding amidst the spectacular scenery that inspired so many poets, you may be worried about the possibility of rain on your wedding day! If so, don't panic - with a little planning and flexibility, you can enjoy an amazing Lake District wedding at any time of year, whatever the weather. And despite the Lake District's reputation for rain, you'll see below that there's a good chance you'll have a dry day for your wedding anyway, especially during the spring!
According to the Met Office, on average, it rains on 181 days a year in the Lake District - or about half the days in a year - giving you a 50:50 chance of rain on your wedding day overall. However, in early spring that drops to a 40% chance of rain, with April being the driest month, so you're more likely to have a dry day for your spring wedding than a rainy one - see Average Rainfall graph from World Weather Online for January 2009 to January 2021.
That said, if it does rain on your wedding day, just follow the tips below and you'll have an awesome time here in the Lake District with its jaw dropping landscape and colours more vivid than ever!
Lake District Monthly Climate Averages from World Weather Online (2009 - 2021)
1. Choose your venue
Start by choosing a venue where you're just as happy with the indoor ceremony setting as you are with any outdoor options. That way, you'll be equally happy whichever way things go on the day. Then check that there's enough room indoors at the venue for you and your guests if you can't get outside due to the weather - especially if you want some large group photos. Finally, check out options for indoor portraits in case the weather isn't kind on the day and you don't want to go out in it!
2. Be flexible
Even when it does rain, it doesn't usually rain all day, so if you, your venue and your photographer are flexible, it's normally possible to work around any rain showers and still get the photos you might want outdoors on your wedding day. During a wedding day there are multiple times for you to get family photos and your own portraits - for example, after your ceremony, after your wedding breakfast and even after your first dance. If you get ready a little earlier than you might otherwise, it's also possible to take family photos before your ceremony - as is the custom in other parts of the world! So check the forecast, look out the window and speak to your venue and photographer to see how you can dodge any rain showers!
3. Come prepared
As a photographer, I'm happy to go out in any weather - my gear is weather sealed and I have a coat - so I always remind couples to come prepared for any weather if they'd like some outdoor photos. If you've chosen heels for the formal parts of the day, a change of shoes for something more comfortable and practical is a good idea for outdoor portraits (maybe even trainers, wellies or walking boots!) with the added bonus that you'll be more comfortable too! I always have some white umbrellas, but you may prefer to bring your own to match the style and colours of your wedding, And don't forget, even in the height of summer, it can be quite a bit cooler when it rains - especially if it's windy too - so bring a wrap or coat to keep you warm and dry between photos if necessary.
4. Enjoy your day!
Finally, it does occasionally rain all day in the Lake District - even during the summer - so try to be relaxed about the weather and literally go with the flow! You can always have your photos indoors if it really is too wet to go out - or you can just embrace the weather and have a change of clothes for later in the day!
If you do decide to embrace the weather - like Emma and Rob did during Storm Dennis in February 2020 (see below) - you'll be assured of a great adventure you'll never forget; so bring some wellies and an umbrella (and maybe even a change of outfit if you really want to go for it!) and we can get some great wedding pictures indoors and outdoors whatever the weather!
And one final thing to remember - there are no rainbows without rain!
