A Playful + Rainy Upstate Wedding

Mr. Heid and I have officially been married for six months and it’s been absolutely wonderful so far (minus this coronavirus pandemic). There are not enough words and expressions to explain the level of love and gratitude we felt on our wedding weekend. The pouring rain and freezing cold meant our big day went differently than planned, but our families, wedding party, and vendors went 👏 to 👏 work 👏 to make sure that our day was as perfect as we'd always dreamed.

A QUICK NOTE:

All photography by Anna Duncan Photography and Mary Hayden Photography. Please do not use these photos in any way, shape, or form. Out of respect for my loved ones and their privacy, I’m only sharing photos that do not give many details of their faces — trust me when I say that despite the rain and cold there are so, so many smiles.

Let’s talk about how our day was supposed to go.

The weather apps had all been predicting a beautiful autumn day of 70 degrees and sunshine! We would be married on October 19th in the middle of the afternoon in an open field under a large tree with our beautiful wedding banner hanging in the backdrop. The gentle breeze brushing our cheeks as we said our vows.

We had worked with our decorator and venue coordinator to make a rain plan just in case. I had even contacted rental companies to find out the latest date I could rent a tent — they told me one week’s notice was all they needed. Well exactly one week before our wedding there were zero chances of rain. Even further, the forecast called for no rain that week right up until two days before our wedding when it changed, calling for an 90% chance of rain and 40ish degrees for the entire afternoon on our wedding day.

We went out and purchased patio heaters for our guests. Just in case of a colder October day, I had already gifted my bridesmaids with blanket scarves, and my mom lent me her fur shawl. Our rain plan originally involved a tent, but we called around and no one had one. We made a new plan and hoped for the best. And then, the day before the wedding, we got incredibly lucky. My decorator walked in to a party rental business and happened to talk about the weather (as we all have been known to do). She asked them how many people they’d had to turn away who were looking to rent a tent last minute. The lady said at least a dozen, but that she’d just had a cancellation and now had a tent available. My decorator called me immediately, and we jumped on booking that sucker!

We went into our rehearsal in high spirits because we had a plan and a tent, and we were surrounded by our wedding party and family. The weather that day was beautiful (of course), so we rehearsed for both a sunny wedding and a rainy wedding while hoping for sunny. Then we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant for food, drinks, and good company on their patio. We even got a cake for two of our friends whose birthdays fell within our wedding festivities!

The next morning, the weather seemed okay, however, the rain started around 11 a.m. — right when my photographer arrived. Luckily, MH and I had previously walked the property to scope out the best photo spots. That, coupled with my trust for her eye, enabled us to make quick changes to our choices and I could not be happier with how all of our photos turned out.

The underside of our dresses got soaked, my bridesmaids’ white shoes got muddy, and our hair frizzed a bit. One of our ushers accidentally cut his thumb with the pocket knife he was given but managed to not bleed on anything. And then, before I knew it, I was walking down the aisle. As our officiant was giving his opening remarks and praying over us, the rain poured harder and louder. The amount of rain coming down during our ceremony was insane.

We exchanged the vows we had written, we said “I do,” we kissed, and then we were married! We ate delicious food, hugged our friends and families, hit the dance floor, cut our pie and smooshed it in each other’s faces, drank our sour beers, and partied the night away. The rain and cold didn’t and couldn’t phase us (seemingly it didn’t phase our guests much either).

It meant the WORLD to us that our friends and family took on the cold and rain to come out and celebrate with us. For weeks after, we literally couldn’t stop talking about how amazing our day was! Looking back on it still brings us laughter, smiles, warmth, and tears of joy.

We had the *most* fun and couldn't imagine a more perfect day. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it; we are grateful and blessed to go through life with you! We love you and appreciate you more than you know!

Everyone always says rain on your wedding day means good luck. If that’s true, then we must be the luckiest people around.