Outdoor Weddings

What time to start outdoor ceremony?

Hello!

My wedding ceremony & reception is May 21, 2011 in Las Vegas in my dad's backyard. My two main concerns are (1) heat and (2) sunlight

Average weather for May is 88 H/ 60 L, so it could be pretty hot. I was considering a morning wedding, but to avoid the heat, I think I would have to start it at 10:30 AM, which is pretty early for guests to arrive. I am not sure, but I think quite a few of them will be driving 6 hrs to get here. 

According to this website, sunset will be around 7:45 PM. So, I am thinking I could have the wedding ceremony from 5:30-5:50, with the dinner & cake from roughly 6:00-8:00 pm.

 Is there any way of guessing how the lighting would be during the ceremony? As in, can you know if the light would be blinding? Or is it a bad time for photography?

What do you think is the best time? When did you have your outdoor ceremony? 

Thank you so much for any thoughts, comments, or suggestions :)

My apologies if these questions have already been addressed.


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Dan + Amanda

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Re: What time to start outdoor ceremony?

  • Ask the photographers and other vendors you interview. They will be able to tell you alot about what time of day works best at what time of year. They have been doing it for years, working inside and out. Go to those that will know after years of experience. Happy planning!
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  • I got married in my backyard.  I could show you some pics if you're interested. 

    We had our outdoor wedding at 7pm.  The timing was perfect.  It was really warm, but not hot.  About 1.5 hours into the reception, it was dark and with everything aglow, it was so fun!

    I couldn't imagine a wedding at 10:30 in the morning and with all the hoopla that goes into preparing for the wedding, etc. I just picture the whole thing being a logistical nightmare.  But then again, I'm not a morning person, so I could be biased. 
  • I am getting married in Vegas in May.  After talking to the wedding coordinator, we have decided on 11am.  She said it's still not TOO hot that time of day, and there is still enough time to get everything done in the morning. 
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  • Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate it! :D
    Planning Bio

    Dan + Amanda

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    To be loved, be lovable
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_outdoor-weddings_time-start-outdoor-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:666Discussion:3ed8ffb4-6755-42bf-9f60-f35090b95f56Post:7096c0d5-777e-45e2-a96c-e3e61abb0ebd">Re: What time to start outdoor ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I got married in my backyard.  I could show you some pics if you're interested.  We had our outdoor wedding at 7pm.  The timing was perfect.  It was really warm, but not hot.  About 1.5 hours into the reception, it was dark and with everything aglow, it was so fun! I couldn't imagine a wedding at 10:30 in the morning and with all the hoopla that goes into preparing for the wedding, etc. I just picture the whole thing being a logistical nightmare.  But then again, I'm not a morning person, so I could be biased. 
    Posted by bbyckes[/QUOTE]

    Sure! I would like to see some pictures. That is another concern with a morning wedding-- the preparation. I am a morning person, but my fiance is not. If I do it in the morning, I would probably do as much preparation as possible the day before. But, even then, I can see how it might be even more stressful that way. 

    I don't have any vendors booked yet, and they seem to be getting booked quickly. So, another reason to have it in the morning is because vendors are less likely to be booked in the morning, perhaps?
    Planning Bio

    Dan + Amanda

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    To be loved, be lovable
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_outdoor-weddings_time-start-outdoor-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:666Discussion:3ed8ffb4-6755-42bf-9f60-f35090b95f56Post:88d23fae-59a3-4f1f-911b-4fe6dace9beb">Re: What time to start outdoor ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am getting married in Vegas in May.  After talking to the wedding coordinator, we have decided on 11am.  She said it's still not TOO hot that time of day, and there is still enough time to get everything done in the morning. 
    Posted by tlbattaglia[/QUOTE] Oh, thank you for replying! So, I should still consider it.

     I suppose my guests could drive here or part of the way here on Friday night, and stay in a town a couple hours outside of Las Vegas. Only a few of them are party people, who might show up slightly hung over on Saturday morning if they arrive in Vegas on Friday night. haha. ;) A lot of my guests will be my LDS relatives, who do not drink at all.

    Both morning and night are pretty balanced as far as my pros and cons. I will talk to more vendors to see what they think, and when they are available. Thanks again all!
    Planning Bio

    Dan + Amanda

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    To be loved, be lovable
  • we are getting married in our very own backyard and the ceremony will b under the trees at 5pm on Oct. 2, 2010
  • Our outdoor ceremony began at 5:30pm. Feel free to check out my married bio!
  • I am also getting married outside, but in St. louis (don't know if there's much difference). We are getting married at 6:00. I went to the wedding site this year to see how it was at that time for next and it was magnificent! The weather was beautiful and right where we are to be married there was a gorgeous glow from the sunlight. Makings for beautiful pictures!!
  • I am getting married outside in North Carolina at 5:30 PM, at the reccomendation of both my venue and photographer.
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  • OP, I am getting the same day! We're date twins!!!

    Except I will be waaay across the country at a beach house just outside Portland, ME. I had some issues with budget and planning with the beach house rental and I had to change my dates from June/July ish (peak tourist season) to JUST before tourism rates go up. May 21 was the latest in the year i could go without getting into peak times.

    Problem is, I got so excited about finally getting my house (it has a lighted pool and its about 10 ft from the ocean), that I somehow FORGOT to check the average weather for the day. I'm actually having the opposite concern than you. It's a sunset ceremony and weatherchannel.com says the average temp for the day is 65 degrees. My dress is strapless, my girls are wearing thin dresses and i dont think the guys were planning on wearing shoes. I'm worried the ocean breeze will make everyone uncomfortably chilly once the sun goes down and the invites have already gone out....

    The only thing keeping me sane about it all is that I planned to have a bonfire at the fire pit in the back of the house and we are paying extra to have the pool heated. It's a pretty casual wedding so it all else fails, we can confess our love at the ceremony, do our dances then hop in the pool. I hope it all works out :-\

    I know that has nothing to do with the original question, but I had to share :)
  • Farmer's almanac or someplace like Nasa.gov will tell you the official sunset time. My venue recommended an hour and half before sunset so we could have time to have take pictures in the light. If your venue does  lot of weddings, just ask.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_outdoor-weddings_time-start-outdoor-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:666Discussion:3ed8ffb4-6755-42bf-9f60-f35090b95f56Post:e0f5af2a-a61b-4f4a-9665-f7db2f10cacd">Re: What time to start outdoor ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]OP, I am getting the same day! We're date twins!!! Except I will be waaay across the country at a beach house just outside Portland, ME. I had some issues with budget and planning with the beach house rental and I had to change my dates from June/July ish (peak tourist season) to JUST before tourism rates go up. May 21 was the latest in the year i could go without getting into peak times. Problem is, I got so excited about finally getting my house (it has a lighted pool and its about 10 ft from the ocean), that I somehow FORGOT to check the average weather for the day. I'm actually having the opposite concern than you. It's a sunset ceremony and weatherchannel.com says the average temp for the day is 65 degrees. My dress is strapless, my girls are wearing thin dresses and i dont think the guys were planning on wearing shoes. I'm worried the ocean breeze will make everyone uncomfortably chilly once the sun goes down and the invites have already gone out.... The only thing keeping me sane about it all is that I planned to have a bonfire at the fire pit in the back of the house and we are paying extra to have the pool heated. It's a pretty casual wedding so it all else fails, we can confess our love at the ceremony, do our dances then hop in the pool. I hope it all works out :-\ I know that has nothing to do with the original question, but I had to share :)
    Posted by bnfitz07[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Sorry, I missed this one. I just now was looking through my posts ^^;</div><div>
    </div><div>It's kinda funny how we have opposite concerns. Haha. Best of luck with everything! It sounds like it should be fine, but weather is unpredictable, so you never now.

    </div>
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    Dan + Amanda

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    To be loved, be lovable
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