Wedding Photo and Film Guide
How to Build Your Wedding Day Timeline Around Golden Hour
By Vitor Lindo, wedding photographer and filmmaker (vitor-lindo.com)
Published October 31, 2026
The Short Answer
Start with the sunset, not the ceremony. Look up sunset for your date and place, count back about 35 minutes for golden hour, and give that window to portraits. Then set the ceremony so it ends at least an hour before sunset, and build everything else around those two fixed points.
Why the Sun Sets Your Schedule
Light is the one thing on your wedding day nobody can move. Hair can run late and dinner can wait, but the sun goes down on time. In the Lowcountry that means sunset can be as early as 5:21 in December and as late as 8:33 in June.
Golden hour is the short stretch when the sun sits low and the light turns warm and soft. In the numbers below it lasts about 32 to 37 minutes from the moment the sun is 6 degrees up to sunset. That is enough for portraits, not for portraits plus family photos plus a sparkler line. Protect it.
Golden Hour and Sunset by Month
These times are for Oldfield in Okatie, South Carolina, on the 15th of each month in 2027, worked out with the same NOAA solar equations the NOAA Solar Calculator uses. Your exact date can shift a few minutes, so check it on the NOAA Solar Calculator once you have a date.
The blue hour end is when the sky goes from deep blue to dark, about 25 minutes after sunset. It is the last useful light for a send-off or a wide shot of the venue lit up.
- Jan5:06 to 5:42
- Feb5:36 to 6:10
- Mar7:00 to 7:32
- Apr7:21 to 7:54
- May7:41 to 8:15
- Jun7:56 to 8:33
- Jul7:57 to 8:32
- Aug7:35 to 8:09
- Sep6:58 to 7:30
- Oct6:19 to 6:52
- Nov4:49 to 5:24
- Dec4:44 to 5:21
4:306:007:309:00
Worked out with the NOAA solar position equations. Check your date on the NOAA Solar Calculator.
Work Backward From Sunset
- Write down your sunset time for the date.
- Block the 35 minutes before it for couple portraits. Nothing else goes there.
- Put cocktail hour or dinner around that block so guests are fed while you are out.
- End the ceremony at least 60 to 90 minutes before sunset if you are not doing a first look, so family photos fit before golden hour.
- Count back from the ceremony for getting dressed, details and the first look if you want one.
- Add 10 to 15 minutes of cushion between every move from one place to another.
A Sample Fall Timeline
Here is how a mid October date at Oldfield could run, with sunset at 6:52 and golden hour starting at 6:19. It assumes a first look.
| Time | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1:30 | Photo and film arrive, details and getting ready |
| 2:45 | First look and wedding party photos |
| 3:45 | Couple tucks away, guests arrive |
| 4:15 | Ceremony |
| 4:45 | Family formals while cocktail hour starts |
| 5:30 | Grand entrance and dinner |
| 6:19 | Golden hour portraits, about 30 minutes |
| 6:52 | Sunset, back for toasts and first dance |
| 7:16 | Last blue light, good time for a wide venue shot |
Timeline Mistakes That Cost You Light
- Booking the ceremony for sunset and expecting portraits after it
- Putting family formals inside golden hour
- No cushion for the walk or drive between ceremony and portraits
- Forgetting that daylight saving time ends in early November and sunset jumps an hour earlier
- Not telling the planner and the DJ that the couple leaves dinner for 30 minutes
Send the Plan to Your Team
Once the times are set, send one shared timeline to the planner, the photographer and videographer, the venue and the band. Everyone should be working off the same sheet. If you want to see how a real day flowed hour by hour, walk the Oldfield wedding stop by stop, from the oak allee at 3:30 to the getaway at 10:00.
Questions Couples Ask
What is the golden hour in photography?
It is the short window when the sun is low, roughly from 6 degrees above the horizon down to sunset. Light turns warm and soft and shadows get long. In the Lowcountry it runs about 32 to 37 minutes before sunset depending on the month.
What is the order of a wedding day?
Most days run getting ready, first look if you do one, wedding party photos, ceremony, family photos, cocktail hour, reception entrance, dinner, toasts, first dance, cake, open dancing and the send-off. Golden hour portraits slot in wherever sunset falls.
What time should a sunset wedding start?
If you want golden hour portraits, end the ceremony 60 to 90 minutes before sunset. For a 7:30 sunset that means starting a 30 minute ceremony around 5:30. A ceremony that starts right at sunset loses the portrait light.
What is the turnaround for wedding photos?
It depends on the photographer and the contract. Ask for the delivery date in writing before you book. Our guide on how long photos and video take has the questions to ask.
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Sources and Credits
Sources
Photo Credits
All photographs on this page: Vitor Lindo, from Jordan and Blake's wedding at Oldfield, Okatie SC. Walk the full wedding.
