Which ceremony time is best for great photographs?

[LeeDonald]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this seems like the dumbest question ever... but since I listened to the Disney Wedding Podcast about photography with the Roots, I have been thinking about the best time for our wedding.

We intend to get married at the Wedding Pavilion in June. We have the standard choice of times but it looks as though midday would be most practical.

Has anyone found that the 'harsh' midday sun has affected their photographs? Am I worrying about nothing? I also thought that it may be possible to do some outdoor photography before the ceremony so it would be before midday?

Thanks for any insight, experience or advice you can give!

 

[marsh0013]

I just listened to the same podcast and am now worried about the same thing! Since we're doing mini-Wishes, our only choices are 10am or noon, and since we are not morning people, noon is our first choice. I know it will still be an early morning, just not *as* early as 10am would require.

 

[elphie101]

If a noon or 2:30 ceremony time is what's best for you, do it. A good photographer (like The Roots!!) can get gorgeous photos out of less desirable light. I would agree that non-midday is prettier light, but you've got to do what you've got to do! All the ceremony locations have gorgeous spots outside of direct sun, so I wouldn't worry too much.

To give you some examples, some of our photos with when they were taken, even though our wedding was in October (sunrise is about an hour earlier in June). All photos by The Roots!

9:45am-ish


10:30am-ish (and it was HOT!!!) - I imagine this would be similar kind of light you could get doing photos around 9:30am in June (don't quote me though!)

 

[lurkyloo]

As Jenn said, a good photographer is going to be able to get good photos at any hour. That said... in addition to the best light being earlier or later in the day, you are going to be a lot more comfortable temperature-wise earlier in the day. I know a lot of folks balk at some of the earlier start times for Disney weddings (or the Magic Kingdom Portrait Session), but it's one day of you life—surely your wedding is worth getting up early for just once!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

What do you think the rundown of your wedding day will be like? Typically, the hour before sunset is some of the most ideal light of the day. That's fairly late in June, with sunset falling around 8:20-ish. If you're having a midday ceremony with a reception immediately following, you and your new spouse could probably sneak away after the reception for some outdoor portraits during golden hour. Even if you were planning to have a dessert party that night, you might be able to steal away for a bit before you have to meet your guests for fireworks.

Here's a sunrise and sunset chart for June in Orlando for next year, for reference: http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/orlando?month=6&year=2016

 

[LadyD]

You could always ask your photographer to see some of their work taken around the time of day your ceremony will be to get an idea of how they handle it as well. Also, you never know when cloud cover may roll in. As long as you feel confident in your photographers work, I would worry more about your general comfort and what you want the timeline of your day to look like.