Wedding sunset and golden hour times

How it works

The times come from the standard solar position equations published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). From the date, the tool works out where the earth is in its orbit, which gives the sun’s declination and the equation of time. From those and your latitude and longitude it works out when the sun crosses each height in the sky.

Sunrise and sunset are the moments the top of the sun touches a flat horizon, with the usual allowance for the air bending the light. Golden hour here starts when the sun drops to 6 degrees above the horizon, which is when the light turns low, warm and soft. Civil twilight ends when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon; after that you need lights to take a photograph outside.

The sums run in universal time and are then shown in UK clock time, so the switch between GMT and BST on the last Sundays of March and October is handled for you.

We checked the results against the US Naval Observatory’s tables for London, Leeds and Edinburgh on the longest and shortest days of 2027, and they agreed to within two minutes. Real light goes earlier wherever hills, trees or buildings sit to the west of the venue.

Assumptions

• Sunrise and sunset: the sun’s centre 0.833 degrees below a flat horizon.
• Golden hour starts: the sun 6 degrees above the horizon, in the evening.
• Civil twilight ends: the sun 6 degrees below the horizon.
• Each town uses one point near its centre. Choose “Enter latitude and longitude” to use the venue’s own position.

Questions

What is golden hour?

The stretch before sunset when the sun is low enough to give warm, soft, side-on light. This tool starts it when the sun is 6 degrees up, which is usually a little under an hour before sunset in summer and longer in winter.

Why show sunset for every month?

If you have not fixed a date yet, the table shows how much light each month gives at the same place. In the south of England it moves by more than four hours across the year.

Does it allow for British Summer Time?

Yes. Every time is shown in UK clock time with GMT or BST beside it, including on the days the clocks change.

What happens in the far north in winter?

In late December the sun barely clears 6 degrees in Shetland. On a day when it never gets that high, the tool says the light stays soft all day rather than giving a golden hour time.