This session was shot by GMP founder and Principal Photographer Elizabeth Millar
Michelle and Christian got married at the Orange County Courthouse on a June afternoon and it rained buckets, so we did the entire wedding indoors.
June in Central Florida means one thing: rainy season. During Michelle and Christian’s Orlando wedding at Orange County Courthouse, it poured. Not a passing shower, not a five minute inconvenience you can wait out under an awning. Buckets.
But the rain has nothing on me because I have never once been rained out of a shoot. Eighteen years in this business with the first decade of it working in England, is about as good a training ground for shooting in weather as you can ask for. Rain doesn’t scare me. But there’s a difference between shooting through a drizzle and a hurricane-season downpour in their wedding clothes. On Michelle and Christian’s day the right call was to stay inside and use the building (until the very end).
If you’re worried about the possibility of rain on your wedding day, I believe that the Orange County Courthouse is the best place to get married in Orlando if you want a real safety net. Check out Tayler & Paul’s rainy day wedding and Kelly & Alec’s portraits in a downpour for examples of how the Orange County Courthouse and other Florida locations can still be stunning in the rain.
Why the Orange County Courthouse is the Best Rainy Day Wedding Location in Orlando
If you’re planning an Orlando courthouse wedding during hurricane season, the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando is the one I’d steer you toward. Not because the ceremony room is the prettiest in Central Florida, but because the building itself is enormous and full of usable space.
Most courthouses give you one room and a set of front steps. If it rains, you’re finished. The Orange County Courthouse gives you floors and floors of corridors, glass, marble, light wells, an atrium, elevators, and a waiting room with more windows than most photo studios. We can spend an hour and a half moving around that building and never repeat a background. On a wet day that’s the whole ballgame.
Where to Take Indoor Wedding Photos at the Orange County Courthouse
The waiting room is where we usually start. It’s large and bright with tall windows down one side, which means I can back up and shoot the two of you from across the room while you handle paperwork at the window. Those are some of my favorite images from any courthouse day because nobody is posing yet.
The corridors are the other workhorse. Long lines, architectural edges, and enough distance to use a longer lens and compress everything down into something that reads as editorial rather than administrative.
And then there’s the elevator. I have talked about this elevator before and I will keep talking about it. Direct flash, tight walls, mirrored surfaces, that particular hard-light look that people spend a lot of money trying to recreate in studios. We always have fun in there and it never feels like we’re standing inside a government building.
Ceremony Room Improvements
These photos show the old ceremony room, which had bright white walls, fluorescent lighting, and a look I’ve described as “sponsored by Hobby Lobby.” It worked fine because the walls bounced light nicely and the room was small enough to control, but it wasn’t winning any awards. The courthouse has since renovated it and the difference is real. If you want to see what your ceremony will actually look like now, have a look at this gallery.
See More Orlando Courthouse Weddings
- Bright Spring Orange County Courthouse Wedding in Orlando
- Rainy Day Wedding Indoors at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando
- Orange County Courthouse and Lake Eola Micro Wedding
Running Out Into the Rain Anyway
We finished Michelle and Christian’s day by running to the parking garage in the pouring rain. We all got soaked and I nearly ruined my camera doing it, but those ended up being some of the most unique shots in the gallery.
It’s always worth it. Some of the strongest rainy wedding photos I’ve made came from the two minutes after somebody decided they didn’t care about their hair anymore.
FAQ: Rain Plan and Indoor Photos at the Orlando Orange County Courthouse
At the Orange County Courthouse, not much. The ceremony is indoors regardless of weather, and there’s enough interior space for a full portrait session without stepping outside. I’ve also never been rained out of a shoot in fifteen years, so if you’re willing to get a little wet, we can usually make something great out of it.
This is one of the few courthouses in Central Florida where indoor wedding photos are a genuine strength rather than a fallback. The waiting room, the corridors, the atrium, and the elevator all photograph well.
A valid government photo ID for each of you, either a driver’s license or a passport, plus your Social Security number if you have one. You don’t need to bring the card itself. Both of you have to appear in person together to obtain the license. If you’re visiting from outside the US and don’t have a Social Security number, that’s not a problem.
It’s the one I recommend most often for rainy month weddings. Everything that matters can happen under a roof, the building is large enough to give you variety in your gallery, and you’re not gambling your entire day on a forecast.
An Orlando Courthouse Wedding Photographer for Rain or Shine
Congratulations, Michelle and Christian, and thank you for being such good sports about the weather. If you’re planning a courthouse wedding in Orlando and want a photographer who has a plan for whatever the sky does that day, get in touch.
