When Is Golden Hour on Your Wedding Day? The Beauty of Sunset Portraits
When is the perfect time for golden hour on your wedding day? Discover why sunset is the most beautiful time for wedding photos and how to plan golden hour portraits on your wedding day.
What Is Golden Hour?
Golden hour is the short window just before sunset when the light becomes soft, warm and beautifully diffused. Instead of harsh midday sunlight, the sun sits lower in the sky, creating a warm golden glow that is incredibly flattering for photographs.The light becomes warmer, shadows soften, and everything takes on a gentle glow. Skin tones look natural, colours appear richer, and the overall feeling of the images becomes more romantic and atmospheric.
If you are lucky enough to get golden hour, it’s really worth stepping away from your guests for a few minutes. These often end up being the most beautiful portraits of the day.
When is golden hour on our wedding day?
The best time for golden hour photos is usually around 40 minutes to 1 hour before sunset. This can vary slightly depending on location and time of year, but a good rule of thumb is to check the sunset time on your wedding day and plan your portraits 40–60 minutes before this.
For example, on 1st June in the UK, sunset is around 9:15pm, which means golden hour would likely fall between roughly 8:15 and 8:45pm.
LATE SPRING & SUMMER WEDDINGS
For late spring and summer weddings, golden hour can be quite late in the evening. Around the summer solstice (21st June), sunset can be as late as 9:20 – 9:25pm in the UK, meaning golden hour may not begin until around 8:30pm or later. You might want to factor this in around your first dance. We could pop out just before, or after (if you think you’ll be able to leave the dancefloor!).
EARLY SPRING & AUTUMN WEDDINGS
For spring and autumn weddings, golden hour often falls during the wedding breakfast. The good news is that it works perfectly to nip out between courses for 10 minutes to capture a few relaxed portraits together.
One thing I always recommend is not planning speeches close to golden hour. Dinner and speeches almost always run over time, and speeches are the one moment I can’t pull you away from. I’ve seen many weddings where beautiful golden light appears during speeches, and sadly the couple miss the best of it.
WINTER WEDDINGS
For winter weddings, golden hour happens much earlier in the day and may fall towards the end of your drinks reception. In this case we would simply step out during this time before guests head in for your wedding breakfast.
How long do we need to set aside?
The good news is that golden hour (or any couples portraits during the day) really don’t need to take long. I never want to pull you away from your guests or the celebrations for too long. My priority is that you enjoy your wedding fully, without ever feeling like the photos are taking over.
Usually, we’ll step outside for just 5 – 10 minutes. I’ll keep a close eye on the sunset time and suggest the perfect moment to sneak away and make the most of the light. My approach for couples portraits, particularly during golden hour, is always very relaxed. It’s a chance to pause for a moment together and take in the beauty of your surroundings. I focus on gentle movement and encouraging genuine interactions rather than staging formal posed photos, creating imagery that feels timeless, personal and beautifully natural.
Why I love golden hour
What I love most about golden hour is that it never looks exactly the same twice. The 5 images below were all taken from exactly the same spot at the same venue, but at different times of year. Sometimes the light is soft and hazy and sometimes it’s rich and golden. The time, the season, the weather, the position of the sun and the cloud cover can all change the way the light appears and falls across the landscape.
This unpredictability is part of what makes golden hour so special. Even at a venue I know well, the light always has the potential to create something new. As a photographer, it’s exciting to watch how it develops and to see what kind of atmosphere the evening will bring. Over time, you learn how to read the light and, on a wedding day, I’m always keeping an eye on these things so I can suggest the perfect moment to step outside. Sometimes that decision happens quickly – just a 2 minute break in the clouds can lead to the most beautiful photographs.
Golden Hour Abroad - dESTINATION WEDDINGS
Golden hour can feel especially magical at destination weddings, where the landscape and climate often create beautifully different light. Whether it’s warm Mediterranean sunsets, soft coastal haze or dramatic mountain skies, the evening light can bring a completely new atmosphere to portraits. Just like at home, the exact look of golden hour always depends on the location, season and weather on the day – but that unpredictability is part of what makes it so special.
ALL IMAGES BY @LUCYDARBYPHOTOGRAPHY
If you’re planning your wedding day and love the feel of these images, I would love to hear from you!
Please get in touch via my contact form.
