Photographers: Should i change the time i marry??

Honestly? Yes, 2pm would be ideal.

It isn't the lack of light, but the type of light leading into sundown. You'll have workable sunlight through to 6pm at that date but the sun sits much lower in the sky. If you look on my facebook fanpage there is a shot up taken at 5pm last Thursday (25th October). A shot of the groom kissing the bride.

You lose 2 minutes of daylight per day, so that shot mentioned above would be your 5:20pm

I've always thought 3pm ceremonies are a little late regardless of the time of year, but that's for selfish photography reasons mainly. You don't often get very long between the end of the ceremony and the sit down etc with less leaway to over run.

Biggest issue you'll get is with the formals and larger groups, the usual trick is to have the sun behind the main group, yet, with a low sun the light goes directly into the lens and can mess with the contrast, can cause flare and all sorts of minor issues.

At least at 2pm, say you were to have the wedding breakfast at 4, you could still pop out at 6 for more photos. Be mindful too that a 3pm ceremony will mean after the wedding breakfast it'll be a lot darker and in turn colder with less bodies outside as a result. This can be good or bad depending on the venue you have.

Brilliant, Thank you Chris! It suddenly sent my mind whirring and thought it best to check with a professional for their opinion.

I've chosen 3pm for selfish reasons too tbh, but wont go into that right now. Photo's are extremely important to me, so your sound advice has been taken on board. Thanks :-)

I would say yes, have it a bit earlier. Last weeks bride had a 1pm ceremony and that seemed perfect. Enough time to mingle with guests too without the feeling of rushing into photos. x

Thanks DappodilWaves, i think its definitely something i'm going to change x

Photographically I would concur with chiris and daffy......

I got married on October 2nd and the ceremony was at 3:30. the photographer was there quite early for my getting ready photos. He went and took the photos of the venue before the ceremony.

We then had our pictures taken between 4-5pm. it had just rained and the sky was starting to clear up. We have got some fantastic images and you don't really notice the sky/light.

alternatively a friend got married at 1pm in May. There was a thunderstorm brewing and she has some great dramatic dark photos of her standing with the storm clouds above and her veil blowing in the wind.

Really LMS? Did your TOG mention anything to you about the light etc? x

I got married on the 14th October this year, at 3pm. The photos are absolutely perfect, we did photos til 5pm and they were gorgeous and we didn't lose light at all. Some of the very last photos were harder tog et but we were in a walled garden behind the hotel so I guess you'd only get good light there at midday anyway!

The way the sun was going down made the photos perfect and lots of them had a warm glow because of this. Then we got some photos of the gorgeous sunset about an hour later! xx

I would agree with Chris on this one and yes, 3pm in early October can be okay if its a bright day but if its a dull, grey day then light levels will obviously be lower.

I've always advised that 3pm is fine April-September but I'd recommend no later than 2pm October-March.

Hello

I've covered a few 3pm weddings this year. For me it's the weather on the day that determines the quality of available light. I expect most photographers should be prepared with external lights to cover any eventualities but, to answer the original question - I would advise to do all you can to prepare and fortunately, in this case, you have the luxury of changing to an earlier time.

Makes no odds to me one way or the other. However you and your guests may prefer it when it is a little earlier

The hour just as it gets dark is a fab time to take pic's - the light is often perfect, warm and the shadows range from long soft and moody to near non existant

See this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28photography%29

I would say that if your photographer is a fulltime professional and can prove they have had many years experience then they should be able to cope with whatever light they are given, yes I would want to make my job easier and say - go for an earlier wedding, but I don't mind saying that photographing weddings in challenging conditions is when I have to call fully on my 17 years experience. If you want to have a 3.pm wedding for personal reasons then that's ok too.

I don't think its so much a case of being too dark to shoot static formal shots but if your style is more contemporary and you are looking for more relaxed and unlit natural shots of guests interacting then it is unlikely they are going to be knocking back Pimms on the terrace once the light is fading.

If there is a personal reason for wanting 3pm then 3pm it should be but this bride has already suggested that an earlier start isn't an option so I'd say move it back and increase your options.

TBH when it comes to the drinks reception I'd much rather shoot at a lower ISO for as long as possible.

The images are cleaner, sharper and have better dynamic range.

My wedding this Saturday is at one of my favourite venues, Fanhams Hall in Ware. 40 acres of fantastic gardens and opportunities.......although almost all would be lost with a later wedding once the light has gone. If the venue has good grounds that you want to use for your photography, do think carefully about your timings.....

Peter