What time of day should the wedding ceremony be scheduled for?
I’m so glad you asked!
Should I have my wedding ceremony at noon? Should I wait for sunset for my wedding ceremony? Should I have the ceremony in the morning and have the rest of the day to party?
The fact that you’re asking this question is amazing. Because it’s IMPORTANT.
As a wedding photographer, I can tell you, the time of day you plan your wedding ceremony (and WHERE), will transform your wedding photos. The amount of brides who plan their outdoor wedding for noon astounds me, and I want you to promise me right now, that you will not be one of them. Unless of course, you are thinking of the light and making sure it will be even and diffused and shaded. (Your photographer loves you.)
Indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies will have VERY different lighting and require VERY different times for the best lighting.
First, consider where your wedding is going to happen.
Will it be in a building? In an open space on grass? Will your ceremony be on the top of the mountains? In a barn? In a greenhouse?
If your wedding is indoors, how many windows are in the building that can let light in? Have you seen the area your ceremony will be in different times of day? Will your location require your photographer to use flash? Do you like the look of flash photography indoors?
If your wedding is outdoors, will you have open seating? Is it covered? Is there even shade? Or is the shade spotty?
In Utah, when the sun is strong, it is STROOOOOOONGGGGGG. And it lingers. And when it’s gone, it is buried 10 feet underground (for four hours until it decides to randomly come back up for 2, bury itself again, come back with clouds and rain and snow, and then hide again) and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. It’s also incredibly hard to plan a wedding not knowing the weather. BUT, what you can do, is educate yourself on lighting, positions of lights, what will be the most flattering light, and have a plan B in place.
First, I should say this. You will likely love your photos no matter what because it’s of your wedding, and your wedding is special. But also, you NEED to know what you’re getting into and how your venue will photograph, because you might see the venue in person and think it looks lovely, but then see photos that look a lot more “blah” then it felt in person. Let me explain the reason for this, and then we’ll move on to the next reason it’s important.
First, us photographers like control. We like to control light, we like to have our vision come to life. And some indoor venues make it hard for us. Which venues are hard to photograph in? Venues with low-light, venues with bland walls and design elements, venues with room designs you wouldn’t put in your own house (bright orange flooring?), venues with lots of warm fluorescent lights mixed with other lights that aren’t even and create weird shadows on people’s faces.
What’s better to photograph in?
All natural light, where you don’t need to turn on extra lights in the daytime (we usually don’t want them on if there’s enough natural light- natural light is much better quality, especially if it’s coming through the windows!)
Buildings that have true white or true black or colors that are not brown or orange or neon. Lots of white walls on the inside means you will be more evenly lit, because the light will bounce from that color onto your skin. If you like moodier photos, and the venue has darker walls, those walls will not reflect any light onto your face, so the photographer can either expose for the highlights and let the rest fall to shadow, or can expose for the darkest spot of your skin, but then overexpose the dark walls. And in order to get the bride and groom and wedding party evenly lit, as well as the interior building, the photographer may need to use flash, depending on how nice the light is. If you want great photos, make sure your indoor space has beautiful colors, lots of window light, and cool architecture.
And if you know you want lots of natural light, you will want your indoor ceremony to be between 9am and 1pm for the best lighting, especially in the spring and summer. The fall and winter seasons won’t have as much light, so your photographer may need to use flash to add extra light in.
Outdoor weddings are my ABSOLUTE ABSOLUTE favorite. I think everyone should have their ceremony outdoors. BUT at the right time of day. And in the right space. Look at wedding photos that are taken outdoors where you see the sky. What does it look like? Is it blue with tons of sun? Can you see it in the photos? Is the sky overcast or cloudy? While most photographers can work with any lighting, you will be the happiest with your photos when the light is diffused (overcast or cloudy skies), when it is golden hour (30-45 minutes before sunset), in shaded areas, or covered areas (like with a canopy).
So you can’t predict if it will be cloudy or overcast on your wedding day, but you CAN at least have a plan B for a diffusion panel that could go above the ceremony and guests or a tent to hold your ceremony in. My best piece of advice, though, is to plan your ceremony for later in the day and have your ceremony facing west, meaning the couple walks West down the aisle and I’m facing West when looking at the couple. Having plenty of shade around the ceremony area is helpful, but if you plan the time of day right, it isn’t always necessary. My couples tend to love a little “artsiness” and not always the light, bright, saturated look a lot of weddings have. If you have your ceremony at 12 noon, your photos will likely be bright and saturated and not as ethereal as they could be. You may also get wedding guests with raccoon eyes and harsh shadows in the photos, due to the sun being obnoxiously high in the sky, right above your ceremony, with no diffusion. If there are clouds, those act as diffusion panels. We love clouds. But again, can you plan on cloud placement in the sky? (I wish).
Ask your photographer for their personal recommendations, as every photographer shoots differently, but I guarantee they will all agree that these are the BEST tips for the perfect wedding ceremony lighting.
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions! I go over this in my wedding timeline and planning guide for all of my couples along with lots of other great tips for your wedding timeline.
If you’re looking for a wedding photographer anywhere in the world, I would love to photograph your wedding! Head to the contact form on my website and let’s chat <3
Jules Wagstaff | Datura Photo
Pleasant Grove, Utah