What time is golden hour on a wedding day?

It depends on the date and the venue. In London it starts around 20:30 in late June and before 15:00 in mid-December. The countdown shows it live for your location; for a future wedding date, use the Golden & Blue Hour Planner.

Is blue hour worth photographing at a wedding?

For five to ten minutes, yes. After sunset the deep blue sky behind the couple and the venue lights gives a frame golden hour can't, but the light falls fast, so plan it with flash and a short slot.

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Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Wedding Photography

Wedding light doesn't follow the wedding timeline. In London golden hour starts around 20:30 in late June, deep into the evening reception, but before 15:00 in mid-December, often straight after the ceremony — so where the couple portraits go depends on the date and the venue, not on a standard running order.

Open the Golden & Blue Hour Countdown

Recommended settings

Know what the countdown counts: evening golden hour runs from the moment the sun drops to 6° above the horizon until sunset, and blue hour from sunset until the end of civil twilight, when the sun is 6° below. Plan the main couple session for the golden hour window and a short second visit in blue hour.
Backlit couple portraits with the sun behind them: expose for skin, not the sky — roughly f/2-f/2.8, 1/250-1/500s and ISO 100-400 while the sun is still up, opening up as it sinks. Check the faces on the histogram rather than the bright rim of hair.
White balance: set Daylight (about 5200-5500K) instead of Auto. Auto white balance tends to neutralise the warm cast you scheduled the session for.
Blue hour: set shutter speed and ISO for the sky first, then light the couple with bounced or off-camera flash. Ambient light falls by several stops between sunset and the end of civil twilight, so re-check the exposure every few minutes.

Tips for this niche

The countdown is live — it shows the next window from today's date. For a wedding months away, take the times from the Golden & Blue Hour Planner for the wedding date, put them in the timeline you send the planner and venue coordinator, then use the countdown on the day to see how many minutes are actually left.
Ask which way the lawn or terrace faces and what sits to the west. The calculation assumes a flat horizon, so trees, hills or a neighbouring building can put the couple in shade well before the calculated sunset.
The sunset direction moves through the year: near Siena the sun sets around 304° (north-west) in late June and much further south in winter. Check the bearing with the Sun Position Calculator before choosing where the couple will stand.
Winter weddings move the portraits forward: with a mid-December London sunset just before 16:00, golden hour overlaps the drinks reception, so agree with the couple in advance that portraits happen straight after the confetti.

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Example scenario

A wedding near Siena on 20 June 2026. The window computes as golden hour from 20:15, sunset at 20:59, blue hour until 21:35 — during dinner. The couple leave the table at 20:20 for a 25-minute session among the vines, with the sun setting in the north-west behind them: 85mm, f/2.2, 1/320s, ISO 200, Daylight white balance. They're back for the speeches at 20:45. At about 21:10, ten minutes after sunset, they step onto the terrace for five minutes: shutter and ISO set for the blue sky first, then one off-camera flash on the couple, with the venue's lights on behind them.

Common mistakes

Planning sunset portraits from a summer rule of thumb. a 20:30 portrait slot works for a June wedding in England but is after dark in October. Take the window for the actual date and venue, not from last season's timeline.
Treating the calculated sunset as the end of usable light at the venue. a tree line or ridge to the west ends direct sun early. Scout the horizon on a site visit at the same time of day.
Leaving white balance on Auto. the camera corrects the warm golden-hour light back towards neutral, and the frames lose the colour the session was timed for.
Leaving no slack for a ceremony that overruns. golden hour is short — about 44 minutes near Siena in late June — so a 20-minute delay can take half of it. Keep a backup portrait spot close to the reception.

FAQ

What time is golden hour on a wedding day?: It depends on the date and the venue. In London it starts around 20:30 in late June and before 15:00 in mid-December. The countdown shows it live for your location; for a future wedding date, use the Golden & Blue Hour Planner.
Is blue hour worth photographing at a wedding?: For five to ten minutes, yes. After sunset the deep blue sky behind the couple and the venue lights gives a frame golden hour can't, but the light falls fast, so plan it with flash and a short slot.

Guides for this tool, by niche

Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Portrait Photography Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Landscape Photography Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Travel Photography Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Architecture Photography Golden & Blue Hour Countdown for Drone Photography

Related terms

What Is Golden Hour?What Is Blue Hour?

Troubleshooting

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Before the shoot

Wedding Photography shot list