There is an old saying that rain on your wedding day brings good luck. Whether that’s true or not, I’m never quite sure.
“One drop of rain on the windowpane doesn’t necessarily mean a thunderstorm is coming.”-The fortunes.
It’s a line I’ve used many times during ceremonies when the first few drops begin to fall. As celebrants, we quickly learn that nature doesn’t always follow our carefully laid plans.
In the early days of my festival work I had no gazebo, no shelter and no permanent ceremony space. Instead, I carried a basket of clear umbrellas, many of which I’d found in charity shops after they’d faithfully served another rainy wedding somewhere else. Some are still with me today.
One clear umbrella has the words “I Love the Rain” printed across it, and I often hand it to the couple to share. Sometimes that’s all we need. Sometimes…We need a great deal more.
From My Ceremony Journal
The wettest festival I have ever worked at was Glastonbury in 2016. The heavens opened. Rain fell relentlessly. Thunderstorms rolled across Worthy Farm and the mud became legendary, making headlines across the country.
Ironically, while newspapers were filled with photographs of festival-goers dragging themselves through deep mud, I received a message from a friend. “Glenda, have you seen today’s Eye newspaper?” There, across half a page, was a photograph of me standing proudly in full ceremonial regalia. Yes, my cloaks were blowing wildly in the wind. But I was dry. I was smiling. And ceremonies were still taking place.
That year taught me an important lesson. If you’re at a festival for several days, you cannot simply pack everything away and go home to dry out. Your ceremony space has to survive whatever the weather throws at it. It was after that festival that I invested in my gazebo, creating a sheltered ceremonial space that has travelled with me ever since.
One memory still makes me smile. A bride arrived carrying a pair of white wellington boots. Outside my ceremony space was nothing but thick Glastonbury mud. Inside, I had protected every inch of grass with great determination. Everyone removed their muddy boots before stepping inside.
Even a Reuters photographer was politely told he couldn’t walk through the ceremony area in muddy footwear. Instead, he knelt on a plastic sheet at the edge of the space to capture the photographs.
One of my favourite images from that weekend shows a couple lying together inside the ceremony tent, enjoying a quiet cuddle before their ceremony, while their muddy boots waited patiently outside. It’s still one of my favourite festival photographs.
Why Weather Rarely Spoils a Festival Handfasting Ceremony
Festival people arrive prepared.
- Wellington boots.
- Waterproofs.
- Blankets.
- Layers.
- Umbrellas.
And above all…
- A wonderful sense of adventure.
Rain rarely stops a festival. It simply becomes another part of the story. As celebrants, our role is to help couples feel calm, comfortable and reassured, whatever the weather decides to do.
Festival Insight
Rain Doesn’t Ruin a Ceremony – Attitude Does
The weather is rarely what couples remember. They remember how everyone made them feel. If the celebrant stays calm… Everyone else usually follows.
- Smile.
- Adapt.
- Keep the ceremony flowing.
Sometimes the sound of rain falling on an umbrella becomes the most beautiful soundtrack of all.
What Rain Has Taught Me
Over many years of outdoor ceremonies, I’ve learnt that no amount of planning can control the weather. What we can control is our attitude. Sometimes ceremonies take place beneath a gazebo. Sometimes everyone squeezes into a marquee. Sometimes the clouds part at exactly the right moment. Sometimes they don’t. Love carries on regardless.
Glenda’s Reflection
One of the greatest lessons festival celebrancy has taught me is that perfection is rarely what people remember.
- They remember the laughter.
- They remember the kindness.
- They remember everyone pulling together.
- They remember standing in the rain, smiling at one another and realising that none of it really mattered because they were exactly where they wanted to be.
That’s one of the reasons I continue to love festival celebrancy.
Final Thoughts
Every outdoor ceremony carries a little uncertainty. That uncertainty isn’t something to fear. It’s part of the adventure. Festival ceremonies aren’t performances. They are real moments shared between real people. Whether the skies are bright blue or filled with rain clouds, love has an extraordinary way of keeping everyone warm. Sometimes the wettest ceremonies become the happiest memories. And that, perhaps, is the real magic of festival celebrancy.
Continue the Journey
If you’d like to build the confidence to conduct outdoor and festival ceremonies in every kind of weather, my Cloud9 Festival Masterclasses share the practical experience I’ve gained from many years of festival celebrancy throughout the UK. I’d love to welcome you on that journey.
Meet Glenda
Glenda Procter is an award-winning independent celebrant and founder of Cloud9 Ceremonies and Cloud9 Masterclasses. Affectionately known by many as the Queen of Handfasting, she has spent many years creating meaningful ceremonies at festivals the UK and loves helping celebrants develop confidence through practical, experience-led learning.
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