In short: Build the day backwards from sunset. Look up the sunset time for your date and place, keep 20 to 30 minutes free for portraits in the last hour before it, and set a summer ceremony 2.5 to 3 hours before sunset. In southern Europe in July that means a ceremony around 17:30, not 14:00. Below are four schedules with clock times that you can copy and adjust.
Why light decides the schedule
We document rather than stage, so we work with the light that is there. It is the one thing nobody can move. At 13:30 in July the sun is overhead: dark shadows under the eyes, guests squinting, everyone hot. At 19:30 in the same spot the light comes from the side, soft and warm. The flowers, the dinner and the band can all shift by an hour. The sun cannot, so the schedule decides which of those two sets of photos you get.
Lewis & Fiona · Sorrento · see the full wedding →Find your sunset and count backwards
- Look up sunset for your exact date and place. A weather app works, or the US Naval Observatory’s sunrise and sunset table for a whole year. Make sure the time includes summer time.
- Mark golden hour. Roughly the last hour before sunset. The light is low, warm and kind to faces.
- Mark blue hour. About 20 to 30 minutes after sunset, when the sky turns deep blue and the venue lights glow.
- Check the horizon. If a hill, a cliff or tall buildings stand to the west, the sun leaves 30 to 60 minutes before the official time. Ask the venue when the terrace loses the sun in your month.
- Place the portraits. 20 to 30 minutes inside golden hour.
- Place the ceremony. 2.5 to 3 hours before sunset. Then work backwards to getting ready and forwards to dinner.
Typical sunset times for 2027, local time, rounded to five minutes:
| Place | Mid-June | Mid-July | Mid-October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amalfi Coast | 20:35 | 20:35 | 18:20 |
| Mallorca | 21:20 | 21:15 | 19:10 |
| Lake Como | 21:15 | 21:10 | 18:35 |
| Copenhagen | 21:55 | 21:45 | 18:10 |
| Oslo | 22:40 | 22:25 | 18:05 |
| Lofoten | no sunset | no sunset | 17:30 |
Clocks go back one hour on Sunday 31 October 2027. At Lake Como, sunset moves from about 18:15 on the Saturday to about 17:10 on the Sunday. For other places we keep month-by-month tables, such as golden hour in Santorini and golden hour in Paris.
The midday problem in southern Europe
From June to August the hard light lasts from about 11:30 to 16:00. Because of summer time, the sun is highest around 13:10 in Italy and around 14:00 in Spain, later than most couples expect. Four ways to work with it:
- Open shade. The shadow side of a building, a loggia, a dense tree. Stand near the edge of the shade and face the open sky. Avoid thin trees that throw spots of sun on faces.
- A late ceremony. 17:00 to 18:00 in July. Guests are cooler and nobody squints.
- A siesta gap. If the church or town hall only offers 12:00, keep it. Follow with a long lunch in the shade, a rest, and portraits at 19:30.
- The right direction. Put the sun behind you or to the side, with both faces in the same light. Never one of you in sun and one in shade.
ask “when is sunset?” before you ask “what time is the ceremony?”. Put the ceremony 2.5 to 3 hours before sunset and most light problems solve themselves.
Four sample timelines with clock times
Each one is built backwards from the sunset or sunrise on that date. Shift every row by the same amount if your sunset is earlier or later.
Sample 1: July on the Amalfi Coast or Mallorca, 17:30 ceremony
Mid-July on the Amalfi Coast, sunset about 20:35. In Mallorca sunset is about 21:15, so move everything from the ceremony onwards 30 to 45 minutes later. For a feel of the island, see a wedding we photographed in Mallorca.
| Time | What happens | Light |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 | We arrive. Details and getting ready, 90 minutes | Indoors, by a window |
| 16:00 | Dressed. A few frames with parents and friends | Shade |
| 16:30 | Leave for the ceremony, with a buffer for coastal traffic | |
| 17:30 | Ceremony, 30 minutes | 3 hours before sunset |
| 18:00 | Hugs, confetti, aperitivo | |
| 18:20 | Family groups, 20 minutes | Open shade near the drinks |
| 18:45 | You join your guests | |
| 19:40 | Couple portraits, 25 minutes | Golden hour |
| 20:15 | Guests sit, your entrance | Last warm light on the tables |
| 20:35 | Sunset. Dinner starts | |
| 20:55 | Five minutes outside, just the two of you | Blue hour |
| 22:30 | Speeches and cake | |
| 23:15 | First dance, party |
Sample 2: June in the Nordics, sunset near 22:00
Mid-June in Copenhagen, sunset about 21:55. In Oslo it is about 22:40 and the sky never gets fully dark. Here the problem flips: golden hour lands in the middle of dinner, so plan a break for it.
| Time | What happens | Light |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | Getting ready, 90 minutes | Window light |
| 13:30 | First look and a short walk, 20 minutes | Shady side of the street |
| 14:30 | Ceremony at the city hall or church | |
| 15:00 | Congratulations, then family groups, 20 minutes | Open shade |
| 15:45 | Drinks and the walk or boat to the venue | |
| 17:30 | Dinner, with speeches between courses | |
| 21:00 | Break before dessert: couple portraits, 25 minutes | Golden hour |
| 21:55 | Sunset. Cake and coffee | |
| 22:15 | Five minutes outside | A long blue hour |
| 23:00 | First dance, party |
North of the Arctic Circle the sun does not set at all from late May to mid-July. In Lofoten that gives hours of low, warm light around midnight, so an elopement can start at 21:00 and nobody needs to hurry. Our guide on how to elope in Norway covers the legal steps and the best regions.
Sample 3: October with an early sunset and a first look
Mid-October at Lake Como, sunset about 18:35. The day is short, so a first look moves portraits and family groups before the ceremony. October sun stays lower and softer all day, which makes early-afternoon photos work.
| Time | What happens | Light |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 | Getting ready, 90 minutes | Window light |
| 13:00 | First look, 15 minutes | Soft autumn sun |
| 13:20 | Couple portraits, 30 minutes | |
| 14:00 | Family groups and wedding party, 30 minutes | |
| 14:45 | Break. Guests arrive from 15:00 | |
| 15:30 | Ceremony, 30 minutes | 3 hours before sunset |
| 16:00 | Aperitivo. You are free, the photos are done | |
| 17:45 | Ten minutes for the two of you | Golden hour |
| 18:35 | Sunset. Guests move inside | |
| 18:55 | One frame outside with the house lit | Blue hour |
| 19:00 | Dinner, then speeches and first dance |
Sample 4: an elopement at sunrise
Mid-September on the Amalfi Coast, sunrise about 06:45. In June it is about 05:30, so everything moves 75 minutes earlier. Sunrise gives you empty streets, cool air and usually less wind. For a feel of the setting, see this elopement on a rooftop in Positano.
| Time | What happens | Light |
|---|---|---|
| 04:45 | Hair and makeup, kept simple, 60 minutes | |
| 05:45 | We arrive. Getting dressed | Lamps and first blue at the window |
| 06:10 | Walk or drive to the spot. Bring a torch for steps | |
| 06:25 | First portraits | Blue hour, soft and even |
| 06:45 | Sunrise. Vows and rings | |
| 07:00 | A toast and portraits, 30 minutes | First warm light |
| 07:45 | A walk through the empty town | |
| 08:15 | Breakfast. Coverage ends |
Under a cliff or a mountain, direct sun arrives later than the official sunrise. That is fine. The soft light before it is the reason to get up.
Andy & Leesha · Mallorca · see the full wedding →How long each part really takes
- Getting ready: 90 minutes of coverage. Ask hair and makeup to finish 45 minutes before you leave. This is the part that runs late most often.
- First look: 15 minutes.
- Ceremony: 20 to 30 minutes for a civil or symbolic one. A church service with a full mass can take close to an hour.
- Congratulations: 15 to 20 minutes. Everyone wants a hug.
- Family groups: 20 minutes for 8 groups, about 2 to 3 minutes each.
- Couple portraits: 20 to 30 minutes, best split in two: most of it in golden hour, five minutes in blue hour.
- Moving guests: 15 minutes to get 80 people from one area to the next, even over 100 metres.
- Travel: the time on the map plus half again on coastal roads in summer. For boats and ferries, plan for the one before.
First look or not
A first look means seeing each other privately before the ceremony. Choose it when sunset is early (October to March), when the ceremony sits close to sunset, or when you want to spend the whole aperitivo with your guests. Skip it in summer if you want the aisle to be the first moment: with a late sunset there is time for everything afterwards. A middle way is to read letters or hold hands around a corner without looking, then do portraits after the ceremony.
What to tell your planner and venue
- The sunset time, and that you need 20 to 30 minutes free in the hour before it. The kitchen has to know, so the gap falls between courses.
- Ask where the sun is at ceremony time. A phone photo of the spot, taken at that hour, answers it.
- Ask for shade for family groups, close to the drinks.
- Ask for a plan B room with windows, not a cellar.
- Ask when music must stop or move indoors. It sets the hour of the first dance. Our guide to light, access and curfews at Italian venues lists what to check.
- Ask for vendor meals to be served with the guests’ main course, so we are back before the speeches.
Rain and wind plan
Rain. Pick a covered ceremony spot that is open to daylight: a loggia, a porch, an arcade, a room with big windows. Agree on the hour when you decide. Rain light is soft and flattering. Two clear umbrellas and ten dry minutes are enough for portraits.
Wind. Coasts and cliffs usually get windier in the afternoon and calmer near sunrise. Use the sheltered side of a building, pin the veil or take it off for the vows, and ask for wind covers on the microphones so the film has clean sound. We have separate guides to the mistral in Provence and to wind and light on the Athens Riviera.
Lewis & Fiona · Sorrento · see the full wedding →Common mistakes
- A 14:00 outdoor ceremony in July in the south.
- Trusting the official sunset time at a venue with a hill to the west.
- Golden hour in the middle of the main course, with no break planned.
- No buffers, so one late hairdresser moves the whole day.
- Twenty family groups. That is an hour.
- Forgetting the clock change at the end of October.
- Leaving portraits until “after dinner”, when it is dark.
FAQ: wedding timelines and light
What time should a wedding ceremony start for the best photos?
About 2.5 to 3 hours before sunset. That is 17:30 on the Amalfi Coast in July and 15:30 at Lake Como in mid-October.
What is golden hour and how long does it last?
Roughly the last hour before sunset, and the first after sunrise. In the far north in summer it lasts much longer. Blue hour follows for 20 to 30 minutes after sunset.
How much time do we need for couple portraits?
20 to 30 minutes in total. We would rather have 20 minutes in good light than an hour at midday.
Is a first look worth it?
Yes when sunset is early or the ceremony is late, because it frees the time after the ceremony. In high summer it is a matter of taste.
What if our church only offers a midday slot?
Take it. Inside, the light is even. Do family groups in the shade straight after, have a long lunch, and save couple portraits for the evening.
How do we find the sunset time for our wedding date?
Use a weather app that lets you pick a future date, or an official sunrise and sunset table. Then ask the venue when the sun really leaves their terrace.
For everything that comes before the day itself, see the 12-month planning timeline. If it is just the two of you, compare the best places to elope in Europe.
Planning yours?
Send us your date and place and we will look up the light and suggest a schedule that fits it. We reply within 24 hours. Check your date here.
A full day with no time limit costs €2,190 for photo, the same for video, with travel to the venue included. That way the schedule can follow the light and not the clock. All prices are on our investment page.