It can be nerve wrecking trying to figure out when you should set your ceremony time, but with these 4 tips for setting your ceremony time we hope you’ll have a better idea of the best time for your ceremony!

What time is sunset?

The sunset time is different for each season. Fall and winter the sun sets earlier so your ceremony will need to be pushed up earlier. The spring and summer sunset time will be significantly later in the evening.

Why does this matter? The two hours before sunset is the best time of the day! Golden Hour! After your ceremony, comes Family Formals and Husband & Wife Portraits! And you want your portraits in the best possible light!

How long will your wedding ceremony last?

Depending on if you are getting married at your venue or you are having a church ceremony, some ceremonies can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, to an hour long. This is a key piece of information to include in setting your ceremony time.

Is your reception and ceremony in the same location?

If you are not getting married at the same location, you will need to include travel time from your ceremony location to your reception in addition to family formals photo time and your Husband & Wife portrait time. The last thing you want is to run out of light during your gorgeous Husband & Wife Portraits because the sun set.

Are you getting married in the City or Rural Country?

Believe it or not, this actually makes a difference in sunset time. Even though the sun may set at 7:30 pm, it doesn’t mean there will still be sunlight up until 7:30 when there are skyscrapers all around in a busy city. You will lose light a lot quicker in the city rather than the hill country.

 

At the very least, your wedding ceremony should really be at the latest an hour and a half before sunset. However this depends on the length of the ceremony. The ceremony time can really affect the length of your portrait time if it isn’t set at the right time. Why does that matter?

This is so important because you want a good amount of time for photos of you two after the ceremony! The amount of time you have after the ceremony directly affects how many photos you will receive in your gallery.

There is another part of the day that will allow you to have more portrait time with each other, which equals more photos! A first look! If you already plan on having a first look, perfect! If you haven’t decided yet, and your wedding is in the winter, a first look would be an amazing opportunity to get more portrait time! Trust us, you’ll want to do this!

 

These are the 4 Tips For Setting Your Ceremony Time, and we hope that these four things help you in your wedding planning! Happy Planning!

 

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