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.
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.
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.
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