One of the benefits of planning a Florida elopement is that you can take advantage of both the sunrise and sunset hours for your ceremony and reception. A lot of our elopement couples have never thought about having a sunrise ceremony, but there are quite a few pros to considering this time of day for your elopement. Check out our breakdown below to help decide if a sunrise or sunset wedding is best for you.

Eloping at Sunrise

A More Secluded Experience

Most tourists (and even locals for that matter) aren’t out and about right at sunrise. If you’re planning a beach elopement, you can almost guarantee it will be much quieter during this timeframe than the sunset hour.

Cooler Temperatures

During most seasons in Florida, the temperatures in the morning right around sunrise are cooler than the evenings. This can be especially helpful during the summer months to beat the heat, because nobody wants to be super sweaty during their ceremony.

Beautiful Lighting

Sunrise is still considered golden hour light, so your wedding photos will be beautiful too! Be sure to keep this in mind when positioning where your ceremony will be with the sunrise so that you aren’t staring directly into the sun — no squinty photos, please!

Lower Costs

When planning for a sunrise ceremony, you might be able to save a little bit of money as this isn’t a super popular time for weddings at certain venues. After your ceremony you can head to a fabulous brunch to celebrate!

No Need to Rush

Evening weddings mean couples are usually rushed to finish everything before the light slips away. With a morning wedding, you have all day! Bonus: If you’re leaving for your honeymoon the next day, you still have an evening together where you aren’t rushing back to the hotel room for a short sleep and waking up exhausted.

Continue Your Celebration All Day Long

Having a sunrise ceremony might be one of the best ways to start the day, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end then! Spend the day along the beach or out and about with your friends or family until the sun sets!

Eloping at Sunset

You Can Sleep In

Since you’re planning to have your ceremony later in the day, you can enjoy sleeping in and a slow start to the morning as opposed to a sunrise ceremony. Take your sweet time! 

Warmer Temperatures

If you’re not a fan of cooler temperatures, then a sunset wedding is for you. This will be just after the warmest part of the day so no need to worry about goosebumps in wedding photos or added layers!

Golden Hour Light

Just like at sunrise, the lighting will be stunning during this time of day — and potentially colorful depending on where you’re planning to have the ceremony. Keep in mind which way the sun will be facing for your wedding layout!

Vendor Availability

Since most elopements and weddings are planned for evenings, you’ll more than likely have more vendor options to choose from for your big day. Not all suppliers offer morning services as they primarily work in the later hours of the day.

Guests Will Be More Available

Especially if you’re considering a weekday elopement, the sunset timeframe will allow more guests to be present as they can plan for work schedules and traveling in from other places. But, this could be a good thing too – because then you can invite some guests without worrying about an overloaded venue.

A Great Way to End the Day

Dance the night away or dine at a delicious restaurant with your loved ones before retiring to your hotel room to sleep. It will be the perfect ending to the best day of your life (so far!).