What If It Rains or Snows? Rethinking Winter Weddings in Vancouver

“What if it rains?”

It is one of the questions I have heard most often from couples planning winter elopements in Vancouver. As the colder months approach, the question becomes broader: what if it rains, snows, or turns bitterly cold? The forecast can be difficult to ignore when an intimate ceremony is planned outdoors.

An intimate wedding may involve only a couple, their witnesses, and a few people close to them. On paper, the plan is simple. Yet a ceremony with very few moving parts can still leave couples managing an uncomfortable amount of uncertainty.

I have never believed that rain or snow automatically makes an outdoor winter wedding less meaningful. We have officiated ceremonies in wet and cold weather, and many couples have been happy to carry on. What interests me is what happens before anyone opens an umbrella—or checks whether a favourite outdoor location will still be practical.

The uncertainty begins before the ceremony

In the days leading up to a winter wedding, questions can multiply. Couples have asked us whether they should move the ceremony to a restaurant or return home instead. Others have wanted to know how far in advance they would need to tell us about a change of location. In winter, cold temperatures, possible snow and shorter daylight hours can add another layer to those decisions.

“Do we need a backup location?”

It is a fair question. But answering it can lead to several more: Is the alternative space available? Will the guests know where to go? Will the timing still work? And what if the forecast changes again?

These are representative questions from recurring conversations, not quotations from one particular couple. They reflect something I have seen repeatedly: the practical work of preparing for weather can grow larger than the ceremony the couple originally imagined.

What winter weather changes, and what it doesn’t

On a Vancouver winter wedding day, the challenge is not always rain alone. Wind, cold, wet or icy ground, and unsuitable footwear can affect everyone’s comfort. Snow can transform a setting beautifully, but may also affect access and travel. With daylight fading earlier, photographers and couples have less room to adjust the schedule if plans change.

As officiants, we are used to adapting. We reassure couples, guide the ceremony, and keep things moving as calmly as possible. In many cases, the ceremony goes ahead smoothly and the couple is able to enjoy it.

That does not mean winter weather has to spoil the experience. I have seen couples shorten their plans for photographs afterwards because they were cold, wet, or simply ready to get somewhere warm. A wedding can go well and still involve compromises nobody particularly wanted.

Does every intimate winter wedding need a backup plan?

For couples who love the outdoors, the answer may be yes. A favourite park, a meaningful view, falling snow, or even the atmosphere of a rainy December day can be worth the extra planning. Preparing for the weather is part of choosing that winter experience.

But I began to wonder about couples whose priority was not the outdoor setting itself. They wanted a private, uncomplicated moment with just a handful of people. Was preparing for changing winter conditions really an essential part of that experience?

A wedding that is simple to organize is not necessarily simple to experience. Sometimes simplicity comes less from removing ceremonial elements and more from reducing the number of decisions a couple has to keep revisiting.

The Thinking Behind The Ensora

When we began developing The Ensora, the uncertainty of Vancouver’s winter weather was one consideration, but it was never the only one.

Through years of officiating intimate weddings, I had noticed how even the smallest ceremonies could involve surprisingly complicated arrangements. Couples who simply wanted to get married with two witnesses or a handful of loved ones could still find themselves navigating venue availability, inquiries, scheduling, and decisions that seemed disproportionate to the size of their wedding.

These challenges were not entirely separate. Weather uncertainty could lead to questions about alternative locations. Finding an indoor space could introduce another layer of planning. Even booking a simple legal signing ceremony could involve unnecessary back-and-forth communication.

I began thinking about these issues as parts of the same experience rather than individual problems to solve.

That thinking influenced how we designed The Ensora in Richmond, BC. We wanted a dedicated space for intimate ceremonies, including the smallest legal signings, with a straightforward online booking process available around the clock. The goal was to make the experience feel considered and complete without requiring couples to navigate the arrangements typically associated with a larger wedding.

An indoor setting makes a winter ceremony less dependent on rain, snow, temperature or fading daylight. But removing the need for a weather contingency plan is only one part of the idea.

For me, The Ensora represents a broader question: what would a wedding experience look like if simplicity were considered from the very beginning, rather than something couples had to work towards through additional planning?

What simplicity really means

After years of officiating weddings, I have come to think that simplicity is not only a question of guest numbers, ceremony length, or how little decoration is involved. It is also about how much attention a couple has left for the moment itself.

Some couples will gladly accept the uncertainty of a winter ceremony outdoors as part of their story. Others would rather not spend the days before their wedding wondering whether rain, snow or cold will force a change of plans. Neither choice is less meaningful. The important thing is recognizing which experience they actually want.

A New Space for Wedding Perspectives

This article also marks the beginning of Wedding Perspectives by Kit Chan, a personal space where I hope to share some of the observations, questions, and ideas that have developed throughout my years in the wedding industry.

My journey has taken me through different roles, from wedding photography and planning to officiating ceremonies and founding wedding-related businesses. Each experience has shaped how I see weddings, not simply as events to organize, but as experiences influenced by culture, expectations, traditions, and the choices we make.

From time to time, I hope to revisit ideas from the past, question how weddings are approached today, and explore how they might evolve in the future.

Not every observation needs to lead to a solution. Sometimes, asking a different question is where a new perspective begins.

Further Reading

For a real wedding experience on the other side of this question, read Caspar & Vincent’s Rainy Winter Elopement in Stanley Park, a December ceremony where the couple chose to embrace the rain rather than change their plans.

About Kit Chan

Kit Chan is the co-founder of Vancity Officiant and The Ensora in Metro Vancouver. Her experience spans wedding photography, planning, officiating, and developing wedding-related businesses. Through Wedding Perspectives, she explores the ideas, traditions, and changing expectations surrounding weddings.