Embrace The Rain
Updated: Sep 17
09-17-26 By Braiden Letsinger
If you follow any of my personal socials, you'll know I love shooting photos in dramatic settings. Whether deep into a hiking trail, from the top of a mountain summit, chasing photos of storms, or even shooting in the pitch black of night. Unique, or say, "dramatic" shooting situations are a creative playground for me. With this in mind, ever since I began shooting weddings I hoped for one day a bride that would be down to have her wedding in the pouring rain.
But come on. Picture yourself; You've spent all of this money, done a year's worth of planning, had the dress tailored 3 separate times, and been dreaming of this day since you were a kid. There is no way you are letting those expectations get ruined because God decided today was the day He ends the summer drought.
And that is the mentality of most brides.
Then comes the day. November 29th 2025. Two days after Thanksgiving. A beautiful outdoor wedding in Montgomery TX is planned. I'd been looking forward to working with this specific couple all year. Their enthusiasm for each other and laid back nature was the ideal combination of who you want to work with as a wedding photographer.
On Thanksgiving day my phone rings out of the blue. It's the bride. Uh-oh. A bride calling me without warning on a holiday? Not good. My heart sank the moment her name came across the screen. We'd already had our client check-in call earlier in the week. Something popping up now could only be a disaster. I'm a laid back personality, but I'm admittedly nervous. Spontaneous communication like this just isn't normal on a holiday this close to the wedding. I reached for the phone...
"Hey (bride)! What's up?" I cheerfully asked, all while internally bracing myself.
"Hey Braiden!" She replied. I couldn't read her tone of voice just yet. "So I'm calling to let you know......."
Here we go. My brow furrowed and my face full of tension. "....that it is going to rain during the ceremony. Like, there is no way it won't be raining...." "Great..." I thought sarcastically to myself. The couple I was looking forward to the most this year, at a gorgeous outdoor venue, and I'm going to be playing damage control all day. Well this is just great... She continued, "So I just wanted to check and make sure your camera gear would be okay in the rain?"
Wait what. "Um yeah...It's good..." I responded taken aback. I could tell my confusion wasn't hidden over the phone. There was an awkward pause before I got my bearings and piped up. "I'm sorry but you sound excited about this???" I asked.
She enthusiastically replied, "Dude, we are having this wedding short of a tornado touching down. I don't care what is going on. I'm walking out of that ceremony with a ring on my finger and a man on my arm. Soaking wet, wind blown hair, I don't care. We're going to have fun. I just wanted to make sure YOU would be good."
Girl, your wedding just became a dream come true for me.
Their ceremony started off dry, but the sky grew dark as the processional drew on. Light raindrops coming down by the time she and her dad walk the isle. By mid ceremony, we were in a full blown downpour. The coordinator trying (failing) to keep an umbrella over my head as we snapped away at the smiles, laughter, and downright absurdity of how hard it was raining. Grandma and grandpa were less than thrilled about getting soaked,, but the bride and wedding party? They were all there for it. Oh the memories it made for the couple, but honestly, us too.
Every wedding, something inevitably goes wrong. The ones that don't are a small minority. This wedding however, was an incredible example of how embracing the unplanned, can turn into some of your fondest memories. Ones that just might end up hanging on the wall for the rest of your lives.
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