What Time to Have Your Ceremony?
If you’re not going down the alternative ceremony route, then your ceremony is likely to be one of the very first things you book. What time you get married will dictate how the rest of the day goes, so it’s worth spending a bit of time considering your options.
When deciding your ceremony time, one thing that often gets overlooked is hair & make-up (if relevant). It can take a lot longer to get ready than you might think. How long will depend on how many there are in your bridal party, and how many there are in your hair & make-up team.
So even if you haven’t decided on who you’d like to help get you ready in the morning, I’d suggest making a few phone calls and see how long they recommend. If you’ve got a few bridesmaids and a 12pm ceremony, be prepared to get up early!
As a general rule of thumb, I’d suggest a ceremony time of between 1pm – 2pm, but it really depends on your plans, time of year and travel time.
The time of year you’ll be getting married will also affect your decision. For example, you might want to avoid a mid-day ceremony during the height of summer, and likewise, you’ll probably want to avoid a late afternoon ceremony during December, when the sun sets around 16:30.
Also, consider what you’d like to do after your ceremony, group photos outside in the dark can be challenging to say the least 😬