If rain on your wedding day is good luck, what about when it hails?

So you’re having a wedding in the Pacific Northwest. It’s on the cusp of spring but the forecast has been all over the map the whole week leading up to your day.

Wednesday? Sun + rain.
Thursday? Scattered showers + wind.
Friday? You fall asleep to buckets of sideways rain.
Saturday? Are those birds chirping? You stir a little more. Behind closed eyelids hoping it’s not a trick register it’s brighter than expected. Opening your eyes slowly you realize the sky outside is bluer than the expected. Much bluer. A few clouds and some windy trees but did I mention BLUE SKY?

Isn’t it ironic.
Don’t chya think?

You plan + fret + hope + buy umbrellas + pray + freak out + stress + cross your fingers + toes. And the weather doesn’t care. It really will just do what it’s going to do no matter the day.

But what about on a Leap Day? It turns out the sky had more in store for Chelsea + Jonny this February the 29th.

These two decided to play boldly and get married in winter on Vancouver Island. On a day that doesn’t normally exist? Sounds like fun.

The skies held off during their ceremony only to begin lightly hailing as soon as they popped outside to celebrate having tied the knot.

Only a light dusting of frozen hail and it was a neat combination we had yet to see before at a wedding. Along with our good friend/photographer, Jon-Mark, we all realized it as something neat and moved on with the rest of the day as planned.

Next up? Creative portraits and good times at Arbutus Cove Beach. We had a great time playing on the beach getting some snappy images and having a time with the bridal party.

A little more time to spare before the reception? (Nice planning, Chelsea). Let’s grab a couple of shots on the dock at Elk Lake on our way to the party.

What happened next was a thing of pure chance and beauty that could have only happened on a Leap Day like this…

Amongst dark clouds and slivers of sunshine, a storm lay in wait so we wasted no time in getting onto the dock at Elk Lake. Amazingly, no one else was in sight. Chelsea strolled along the dock, and as we captured her bridal portraits what happened next, is an artist’s dream.

The sun turned golden in the sky between the clouds + a beam of light began to shimmer in the distance. It started from the other side of the lake and was approaching much faster than expected.

We could feel that something special was happening but couldn’t quite place what it was until it hit us.

The hail had returned and this time it was no gentle visitor. Starting as a light glimmer and proceeding to hammer down on this freshly married couple.

At precisely the moment Jonny re-joined her, and without hesitation, the two ran along the dock fully embracing this perfect storm. Hail swept across the lake towards us, as if the two were inside a perfectly lit snow globe, caught inside a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Our advice? Leave the umbrellas in the trunk. The best moments happen when you’re facing whatever weather life has to throw at you – together.

Who would have thought? It figures.

xo
Grady + Breanna

ps. thanks for the inspo, Alanis, you will always be turned up way too loud for road trip sing-a-longs.