The wedding The first drops of rain fell as we took our seats for the ceremony. A few minutes later, as proceedings got under way, the heavens opened and we adjourned to the marquee. Apparently it always rains like this at Palinski weddings. Needless to say, the downpour didn't dampen proceedings. The flow chart for the Battenkill River shows just how much the heavens opened. The river rose six feet in just a few hours.