Ceremony time and light in southern Spain.

Light decides

In the south of Spain, midday light is hard. It falls from above, puts shadows under the eyes and makes people squint. An hour before sunset the same light is low, warm and soft.

By season

In late June the sun sets after half past nine in the evening. In mid October, around half past seven. In December, around six. The ceremony time should move with the calendar.

An outdoor ceremony

An outdoor ceremony works well when it starts about two hours before sunset. There is light enough, the heat has eased, and portraits fall afterwards, in the last hour.

If it has to be at midday, look for open shade: trees, a porch, a courtyard.

A church ceremony

Inside a church the hour matters less. The exit matters. Walking out into the August sun at two is walking into very hard light. By mid afternoon the square is in shade.

The heat

From June to September the heat decides as much as the light. Late weddings run better: guests last longer, dinner is served after dark and the party begins in cool air.

Talk about it early

When a timetable reaches us, the first thing we check is when the sun sets that day in that place. Half an hour in the right spot changes the photographs. We talk it through with you and your planner before anything is fixed. Each place has its own light: Granada, Almería, Cádiz and Jerez.