This is a question often asked by couples who are planning a wedding, and there is no firm answer that will apply to everyone. The main thing to bear in mind is what time will suit you best – and everyone is different in this respect.

The first thing to think about is the fact that getting married earlier in the day gives you less time to get ready for the event. If you aren’t a morning person you might struggle to get up and get dressed and ready in time to get married! You also need to think about whether you have people coming from further afield who will have to get up and going earlier in the morning to make it on time.

Having a morning wedding will also affect the rest of the celebrations that take place afterwards. For example, if you get married at 11am will you go straight to the celebrations or will there be a gap in between? Since many couples have a party in the evening there could be a period of a few hours where your guests will wonder what to do with themselves. The celebratory meal will take up some time of course, but if this happens at lunch time you still have the afternoon to think about before the evening celebrations begin.

This issue doesn’t occur if you have an afternoon wedding. By the time the service is over, the photos have been taken and the wedding breakfast or meal has been eaten, the evening will have arrived and you can enjoy dancing the night away.

However you should bear in mind the time of year you will be getting married too. A 3pm wedding might be lovely in the summer months, but if you are getting hitched in November it will be dark by the time you come out of the church or registry office. This will understandably cause problems when it comes to taking photos.

The likely weather conditions can also influence what time you get married. For example if you choose a wedding date during July or August, there is a higher chance that you will have warmer weather. In this situation you may well appreciate a ceremony earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon, rather than at the warmest time of the day. You want to look stunning on your wedding day after all, not sweltering in the heat.

A similar situation occurs in the winter months. In this case the later in the day you have your wedding the colder it is likely to be. And since you can’t pop a jumper on over your wedding dress, you need to know you will at least be getting married in daylight.

So consider the time of year you are getting married as well as the time of day. Looking at all the options should help you to choose the best time of day for your own wedding.

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