Wedding Tips and Tricks: Ceremony Start Time
- cintiaally
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
When planning your wedding, there are a million tiny details to think about (signs, font sizes, ribbon material…) but one that makes a huge difference (and is often overlooked) is your ceremony start time. If you and your future spouse have decided not to do a first look, the magic number you’ll want to circle, highlight, and star on your timeline is this: 1 hour and 15 minutes before sunset.
Why so specific? Let’s break it down:
The Light is Flawless
Photographers everywhere will tell you: golden hour is the MVP of lighting. This is the soft, dreamy sunlight that happens just before sunset. It's nature’s beauty filter. When you start your ceremony 75 minutes before sunset, you’re perfectly timed to catch that gorgeous glow during the most emotional and photogenic part of your day. Imagine saying “I do” as the sun begins to dip, casting a warm, romantic light over your entire ceremony. It's the stuff Pinterest dreams are made of.
You’ll Have Time for Stunning Photos After
Since you’re not doing a first look, all your couple portraits, and most of your bridal party photos and family shots will happen after the ceremony. If you start too late, you’ll be racing against the fading light. Hello, stress! But by starting 75 minutes before sunset, you give yourself just enough time to enjoy the ceremony and still catch those picture-perfect moments afterward, without sacrificing that golden glow.
It Keeps the Day Flowing Smoothly
This timing keeps your whole day balanced. You won’t have to start hair and makeup at the crack of dawn, and your guests won’t feel like the ceremony dragged into darkness. Plus, your reception will begin right as the sky shifts into twilight, creating a cozy, celebratory vibe as everyone heads to dinner and dancing. It’s the perfect transition.
It’s Naturally Romantic
There’s just something romantic about enjoying the sunset with your new spouse. The temperature is much better, the light is softer, and knowing you’re about to introduced as the newest married couple just puts couples into the most romantic mood. By this point of the day, most of the big stressful and anxious parts of the wedding are over and you can begin to relax together finally having a moment away to breathe before partying the night away!
Wedding Tips and Tricks: Ceremony Start Time | Cintia Ally Photography
Pro Tip: Check the Sunset Time!
Sunset time changes with the seasons, so be sure to check what it will be on your actual wedding date (and location!). Once you have that, count back 1 hour and 15 minutes and that’s your ideal ceremony start time. Your photographer (and your future self looking back at the photos) will thank you.
In the end, it’s your love story and you can write it however you want. But if you want the photos to glow, the vibes to flow, and your memories to shine, starting your ceremony before sunset is one sweet, simple secret to a picture-perfect day.
Vendor team for Malia and Rocky-
Venue, Florist & Coordinator: Tuscan Rose Vinyards
Videographer: JCP Films
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