The day tool · Free to use
Wedding sunset and golden hour times
Pick the town your venue is in, or enter its coordinates, and up to five dates. See sunrise, sunset, both golden hours and last light in the venue’s own time, side by side.
When is sunset on my wedding day?
It depends on the date and the place, and moves by several minutes a week in spring and fall. Pick the venue’s town and your date, and the times come back in the venue’s own clock: first light, sunrise, both golden hours, sunset and last light. They are calculated, not a weather forecast.
Sunset and the golden hours
Pick the place and a date to see sunrise, sunset and both golden hours in the venue’s own time.
The calculation, in plain sight
- The sun’s position for the date comes from NOAA’s solar equations: its declination and the equation of time.
- Sunrise and sunset are when the sun’s center is 0.833 degrees below the horizon, which allows for the air bending the light and the size of the sun.
- The evening golden hour runs from the sun at six degrees up to sunset; the morning one from sunrise to six degrees up. First and last light are the sun at six degrees below.
- Each time is turned into the venue’s own clock with its time zone, including daylight saving time on that date.
Source: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory: solar calculation details
How this is calculated, beside the other free tools
Illustrative example — not a customer result
For the labeled example, take Charleston, South Carolina on two hypothetical dates. On Saturday, September 18, 2027 the evening golden hour starts at 6:50 pm and the sun sets at 7:22 pm. On Saturday, October 16, 2027, four weeks later, it starts at 6:12 pm and the sun sets at 6:46 pm.
Where this stops
Calculated, not a weather forecast. The times say where the sun is, not whether you will see it. A hill to the west, tall buildings or a valley can bring sunset at the venue earlier than the figure, and cloud can hide it. Walk the venue at that time of day if you can, or ask your photographer whether they have worked there at that hour.
The list holds 490 towns and cities, compiled by hand, each at its center to two decimal places, about a kilometer. A venue out of town can be a minute or two different; enter its own coordinates for the exact figure. Near the poles the sun can stay up or down all day, and the result says so instead of giving a time.
Common questions
What is the golden hour?
The stretch after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low. Here the evening golden hour starts when the sun is six degrees above the horizon and ends at sunset; the morning one runs from sunrise until the sun reaches six degrees. Last light is when the sun is six degrees below.
How accurate are the times?
To a minute or two, from the solar equations NOAA publishes. A town on the list is its center; a venue out of town can be a minute or two different, so enter the venue’s own coordinates for it. Hills, buildings and cloud change what you see. It is calculated, not a weather forecast.
Why are the times in the venue’s time zone?
Because that is the clock your timeline runs on. A guest checking from another zone would see a different number on their phone, so the result says which zone it uses.
Can I compare dates for a wedding I have not booked?
Yes. Add up to five dates and they sit side by side, so you can see how much earlier the sun sets a month later, or how a spring date compares with a fall one.
Is my place sent anywhere?
No request is made to find it: the list of places is part of the page. Your entries are kept in this browser for next time. The place is sent only if you choose Add this to my free planner, which sets it as your venue when your planner has none yet.