Golden Hour Wedding Photos: How to Plan for the Best Light
What golden hour is, why it gives the most flattering wedding portraits, and how to build 10-15 minutes of it into your wedding day timeline in the UK.
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Key takeaways
- Golden hour is roughly the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset, when light is soft and warm.
- Stealing just 10-15 minutes at golden hour produces some of the most romantic portraits of the day.
- In London, sunset swings from about 21:20 in midsummer to roughly 15:55 in midwinter, so timing depends heavily on the season.
- Build golden hour into your timeline in advance, and keep a weather backup plan.
Golden hour, the period just after sunrise and before sunset, gives the softest, warmest and most flattering light of the entire day. Setting aside even ten to fifteen minutes for portraits then produces some of the most romantic images of a wedding. The catch is timing: it has to be planned into your schedule before the day, because golden hour will not wait. Here is how to make the most of it.
Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset when the sun sits low, so light travels through more atmosphere and turns warm and soft.
Civil twilight is the period when the sun's centre is 6 degrees below the horizon, which the Royal Observatory describes as roughly equivalent to lighting-up time. It is what photographers call blue hour.
Backlighting means placing the sun behind the subject, which separates them from the background and produces the rim of light around hair that golden hour is known for.
For example, a June wedding whose ceremony ends at 4pm has a five-hour wait until the best light. This is why the portrait slot is usually taken out of the reception.
What is golden hour and why does it matter?
Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset during which daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky, as defined by Wikipedia. When the sun sits low, its light travels through more of the atmosphere, which scatters the shorter blue wavelengths and leaves the warm reds, oranges and yellows we associate with the look.
| Stage | Sun position |
|---|---|
| Sunset | Upper limb on horizon |
| Golden hour | Sun low, before sunset |
| Civil twilight | 6° below horizon |
| Nautical twilight | 12° below |
For portraits it is ideal. As timeanddate.com notes, the lower contrast means shadows are less harsh and highlights are less likely to blow out, so skin is flattered and scenes gain a gentle glow that harsh midday sun cannot match. It is the light photographers plan their day around.
When is golden hour in the UK?
Because golden hour depends on sunset, it shifts dramatically with the season. London enjoys 16 hours 42 minutes of daylight at the June solstice but only 7 hours 53 minutes at the December solstice, per timeanddate.com, so sunset ranges from around 21:20 in late June to roughly 15:55 in late December. A summer wedding might step out for golden-hour portraits after 8:30pm, while a winter wedding needs them mid-afternoon.
Always check your venue's sunset time for your exact date and plan backwards from it.
How to build it into your wedding timeline
The simplest approach is to pause the reception for ten to fifteen minutes near sunset and slip away for a few couple portraits. Tell your photographer and your coordinator in advance so it is written into the timeline. Without that, the moment is easily lost in the flow of the day. It is a tiny interruption for some of your favourite photographs.
What if the weather does not cooperate?
Cloud is not the enemy it seems, an overcast sky acts like a giant softbox and still produces beautiful, even light. For rain, a covered colonnade, a doorway or a window indoors can stand in for golden hour. A good photographer always has a backup plan, so a grey forecast is no reason to worry.
Some of our favourite images have come from couples who braved a drizzle for five minutes under an umbrella, the wet light and reflections add atmosphere you simply cannot plan for.
Beautiful light is mostly a matter of planning. Tell us your venue and date and we will work golden hour into your timeline so you come away with portraits you will treasure.
Related: Asian wedding photography, wedding day planning checklist, our gallery, get in touch.
Editorial note: the figures and guidance on this page were last checked on 24 August 2026. Sources: Royal Observatory Greenwich: twilight, defined by Wikipedia, timeanddate.com and timeanddate.com. Written by Kaushik Bathia; more about the author, or contact the studio.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Usually just 10 to 15 minutes. It is a short, relaxed break from the reception, but it yields some of the most memorable portraits of the day.
It depends on your date and location. In London it falls in the hour before sunset, which ranges from about 21:20 in midsummer to 15:55 in midwinter, so we plan it around your venue's sunset time.
Yes. Overcast light is soft and flattering, and we use covered spaces, doorways and windows for portraits when needed. Wet weather often produces atmospheric, unexpected images.
Absolutely. Building a short golden-hour slot into your schedule in advance is the single best way to guarantee those warm, romantic couple portraits.
Yes. Even within a busy multi-event day, a brief pause near sunset gives beautiful couple portraits to complement the colour and energy of the celebrations.
Based in London
Want golden hour in your wedding photos?
We plan light and timing with you at the pre-wedding planning meeting, so tell us your date and venue.