Wedding timeline for a 6 pm ceremony
Computed for Saturday, June 19, 2027 in New York (sunset 8:31 pm). Hair and makeup at 2:10 pm, photographer at 3:55 pm , cocktail hour 6:45 pm, dinner 8:05 pm, golden-hour portraits 8:05 pm.
Why this order
A 6 pm ceremony is an evening wedding. In midsummer golden hour comes during dinner; in spring and early autumn it falls straight after the ceremony, during the cocktail hour; from October the sun sets before the ceremony ends.
A first look is almost always worth it here: portraits, wedding party and family photos are finished in daylight before guests arrive, and the couple can join their own cocktail hour.
Dinner runs into the late evening, so serve food early in the cocktail hour, and make sure the venue’s finish time leaves room for dancing after the formalities — the tool flags the reception overrunning your end time.
The numbers behind it
- Hair and makeup: 5 people × 45 minutes ÷ 2 artists = 2 h 15 min, finishing 15 minutes before getting dressed.
- Travel: a 20-minute drive is planned as 25 minutes (20 % padding).
- Cocktail hour: 1 h — long enough for 8 family groupings, the wedding party and quick couple portraits.
- Dinner: plated, 1 h 45 min including three 5-minute speeches between courses.
- Photographer: about 9.5 hours from 3:55 pm to cover every key moment.
What the planner flagged
- Golden hour falls during dinner. Slip out between courses at 8:05 pm for 20 min; ask the caterer to hold your plates.
- Photography coverage (9 h from 3:55 pm) ends at 12:55 am and misses: Sparkler send-off. You need about 9.5 h, or start coverage later.
Sample order of the day
- 2:10 pm Hair & makeup (5 people, 2 artists)
- 3:50 pm Sam gets ready
- 4:25 pm Touch-ups, a snack, breathing room
- 4:40 pm Alex gets dressed
- 4:50 pm Sam travels to the ceremony
- 5:10 pm Breathing room before leaving
- 5:20 pm Alex travels to the ceremony
- 5:30 pm Guests arrive and are seated
- 5:45 pm Arrive and wait out of sight
- 6:00 pm Ceremony
- 6:30 pm Recessional, hugs and confetti
- 6:45 pm Family photos (8 groupings)
- 6:45 pm Cocktail hour
- 7:05 pm Wedding party photos
- 7:20 pm Quick couple portraits (more at golden hour)
- 7:45 pm Grand entrance
- 7:55 pm First dance
- 8:00 pm Welcome and blessing
- 8:05 pm Golden-hour portraits
- 8:05 pm Plated dinner
- 8:45 pm Speeches and toasts (3)
- 9:50 pm Parent dances
- 10:00 pm Cake cutting
- 10:10 pm Open dance floor
- 12:40 am Last dance
- 12:45 am Sparkler send-off
The same 6 pm ceremony through the year
Where 20 minutes of golden-hour portraits land with a classic, no-first-look day, mid-month Saturdays in 2027.
| Month | Place | Sunset | Golden-hour portraits | First look? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | New York | 7:38 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Recommended |
| April | London | 8:00 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Optional |
| June | New York | 8:31 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| June | London | 9:22 pm | a 20-minute slip-away during dinner | Optional |
| September | New York | 7:03 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Recommended |
| September | London | 7:12 pm | during cocktail hour, straight after family photos | Recommended |
| October | New York | 6:17 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
| October | London | 6:08 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
| December | New York | 4:32 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
| December | London | 3:53 pm | over by the end of the ceremony: needs a first look | Recommended |
Other start times: 1 pm · 2 pm · 3 pm · 4 pm · 5 pm · Guides: timeline examples, first look or not.
Frequently asked questions
What time should hair and makeup start for a 6 pm ceremony?
About 2:10 pm for five people with two artists at 45 minutes each and a 20-minute drive, so everyone is dressed and out of the door with a buffer. Each extra person per artist adds 45 minutes.
When does the photographer arrive for a 6 pm ceremony?
Around 3:55 pm for detail photos, about 2 h 5 min before the ceremony. To cover the day through the exit, book about 9.5 hours.
When is golden hour for a 6 pm wedding?
In mid-June in New York golden hour starts at 7:50 pm and the sun sets at 8:31 pm; the sample day schedules 20 minutes of portraits at 8:05 pm. It moves earlier through autumn — see the season table on this page.
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