Choosing Your Ceremony Time & Location

Ceremony lighting is often overlooked because why would you think about this, right? You’re not the photographer. But lighting is the most essential thing when it comes to capturing a gorgeous photo! We thought it was time to fill you in on the little details and decisions that go into choosing your ceremony time and location!

Now, we understand that certain venues don’t give a lot of options for ceremony locations. Our wedding venue only does ceremonies in two locations, in the field or under the tent. We definitely wanted the field/grassy area. The lighting there isn’t all that great and we didn’t really have another option, so this blog really might not help you with getting great light during the ceremony considering you may be limited by your options, BUT if you do have the option then this will certainly help!

The best thing you could do is to stand in even, soft lighting. Shade for instance is perfect, so is to backlight your ceremony, meaning the sun is behind your officiant. If there are trees and the light is coming through the trees then that is perfect! It’ll make your ceremony look incredible and make you guys glow! If you don’t have the option to backlight then find out if there is the option to stand in the shade. As long as the place your standing has even light and isn’t in directly harsh sunlight then your images will be the best they possibly can be!

The perfect time for your ceremony is 2 hours before sunset if you are having a first look or we suggest 3 hours before sunset if you don’t have a first look. This ensures your ceremony has dreamy light and then there is enough time to shoot photos in between ceremony and reception of you guys, guests, bridal party and family. Make sure to check your sunset time on your wedding date before setting the time and consider asking your photographer for help on ceremony location and times if you’re unsure!