Wind - Eva Bradley

When God invented lip gloss, it wasn't a windy day.

All of us have been there - that moment when we've just blow-dried our hair perfectly, we've just squeezed out half a tube of gloss onto our lips and we step out of the car or the front door only to be assaulted by gale force winds and find half our hair glued to our face.

There are two things that are essential on your wedding day: great hair, and glossy lips. I suppose a gorgeous groom could probably be added to the list. 

But when the spring winds blow in Hawke's Bay, they take no prisoners and so it's something to think about before your big day (just in case you didn't have enough on your list already, right?)

Working with wind at a wedding is a little like working with a difficult mother-of-the-bride: you simply have to box clever, plan your strategy in advance and if the situation deteriorates and you find yourself facing hurricane gales, bunker down till the storm passes...which it always does.

It's a bride's worst nightmare to wake up on the morning of her wedding day, pull back the curtains and see that the heavens have opened up.

We all know the theory that it's good luck to have rain on your wedding day was invented by someone trying to cheer up a bride whose eyes were wetter and darker than the skies outside.

But after shooting literally hundreds of weddings in all sorts of weather (including a cyclone) I've come to the conclusion that wind can often be far more difficult to deal with than rain, and it has certainly forced me to change my photography plans a lot more often.

Although a light breeze can do wonderful things with veils, strong wind when you are planning an outdoor wedding and photo shoot can turn a beautiful veil that was intended to enhance your look into a weapon that can be more irritating than a sulking flower girl.

Short veils that stand out vertically from your head tend to be more 'shriek' than 'chic' and beachy loose curls that look beautiful in the salon can quickly turn on you once you step out the door.

Summer weddings in Hawke's Bay are usually hot and airless, but at this time of year until about the start of December it's not uncommon to have lots of blue skies but paired with strong, gusty Northwesterlies.

That doesn't mean you can't have your curls and veil, though. You just have to be clever with them.

We all know the groom is the most important accessory of any wedding, but have you considered how useful he could be assisting with all the other minor players?

When the wind is blowing the veil about, simply get him to carefully put his arm over it behind your back (he won't need any persuasion to get close and cuddly because nothing turns a bloke on quite like a newly-minted wife).

If your veil is longer, grab hold of it yourself and have a play. Let the wind wrap it around you and your hubby and be dramatic with your posing.

You can also consider weighting it with tiny beads or small glass crystals sewn onto the bottom - I've sewn on a few myself when the wind picked up last-minute.

While the obvious solution to wayward hair on a windy day is to wear it up, my advice is to stick with the style you love but just be prepared to spend a little bit of time and effort after your shoot to tidy it up.

Stash hairspray and bobby pins in your emergency kit and even consider packing your GHDs - if you get 100 people in a room at any wedding you can almost guarantee one of them is or has been a hairstylist. Given 10 minutes they'll be happy to give it a quick once-over just prior to the reception - only make sure you factor this into the timeline!

The most important thing is to have fun and if the wind is an uninvited guest at your wedding, open the doors wide and invite it in. The best moments are captured when you are embracing the moment and not stressing about things like the wind and weather so go with the flow, even if that is a howling Nor'wester.

-Eva Bradley is an award-winning wedding photographer and syndicated columnist for APN. You can follow her latest work at www.facebook.com/evabradleyphotography