Choosing the Time of the Ceremony
It all starts here: choosing the time for your ceremony is the keystone of the entire wedding.
But how do you pick the perfect time for both your wedding and capturing amazing wedding photos?
If you want to capture the full ambiance of the day, sunset and evening alike, the best solution is to find out the exact time of sunset, then set the flow of the day from that point.
Do you already have your wedding date set?
Great! Just Google “sunset + your wedding date” and the first result will give you the exact time the sun will set on your wedding day.
Planning Your Wedding Day
Keep this moment in mind and think about how long each part of the day should last. In my experience, an ideal schedule might look like this:
- Wedding Preparation – Early afternoon with bright daylight (1–2 hours)
- Ceremony – Mid-afternoon with good natural light, leading into sunset (1 hour)
- Cocktail Hour – Late afternoon, sunset (2 hours)
- Dinner – After sunset (1.5 hours)
- Cake Cutting and Party/Dance – Evening (as long as your legs can take!)
The times indicated are purely suggestions and consider some time for any transitions—try to minimize these where possible.
The key, then, is that intense, romantic sunset, which transforms the ambiance and creates a magical setting for absolutely spectacular photos.