Sunset Times in Florida by Month: Plan Your Ceremony Right

The single most common mistake in outdoor Florida weddings: scheduling the ceremony at "5pm" because that's traditional, then realizing in October the sun was setting at 6:45pm and golden hour was happening during your reception. Or scheduling at "6pm" in June when the sun doesn't set until 8:25pm and the ceremony was a sweltering 87°F under direct sun.

Florida is a state with two coasts, three time zones if you count daylight saving handoff weirdness, and a 4+ hour spread in summer-vs-winter daylight length. Generic ceremony-timing advice fails here.

This guide gives you real sunset data for the three regions most Florida weddings happen in, plus the math you actually need.

The principle

For outdoor ceremonies, the gold standard timing puts the ceremony 75-90 minutes before sunset. That gives you:

• Soft lighting on the ceremony — direct overhead sun is brutal for photos and faces
• Golden hour for portraits — the 60 minutes before sunset is the most flattering light all day
• Reception starts during the magic hour — outdoor cocktails happen in the soft transition
• Indoor reception begins after dark — full reception lighting with no sun fighting your room

For ballroom or fully-indoor ceremonies, sunset doesn't matter — schedule for guest convenience.

Sunset times by month

These are actual sunset times for the 15th of each month, in Eastern Daylight or Eastern Standard Time as Florida observes them. Round to nearest 5 minutes for planning.

Miami (East Coast)

| Month | 15th sunset | Ceremony at... | |---|---|---| | January | 5:50 PM | 4:30 PM | | February | 6:15 PM | 4:45 PM | | March | 7:30 PM (DST) | 6:00 PM | | April | 7:50 PM | 6:20 PM | | May | 8:05 PM | 6:35 PM | | June | 8:20 PM | 6:50 PM | | July | 8:15 PM | 6:45 PM | | August | 7:55 PM | 6:25 PM | | September | 7:25 PM | 5:55 PM | | October | 6:50 PM | 5:20 PM | | November | 5:30 PM (post-DST) | 4:00 PM | | December | 5:30 PM | 4:00 PM |

Naples (Gulf Coast)

| Month | 15th sunset | Ceremony at... | |---|---|---| | January | 6:00 PM | 4:30 PM | | February | 6:25 PM | 4:55 PM | | March | 7:40 PM (DST) | 6:10 PM | | April | 8:00 PM | 6:30 PM | | May | 8:15 PM | 6:45 PM | | June | 8:30 PM | 7:00 PM | | July | 8:25 PM | 6:55 PM | | August | 8:05 PM | 6:35 PM | | September | 7:35 PM | 6:05 PM | | October | 7:00 PM | 5:30 PM | | November | 5:40 PM (post-DST) | 4:10 PM | | December | 5:40 PM | 4:10 PM |

Key West

| Month | 15th sunset | Ceremony at... | |---|---|---| | January | 6:00 PM | 4:30 PM | | February | 6:25 PM | 4:55 PM | | March | 7:40 PM (DST) | 6:10 PM | | April | 7:55 PM | 6:25 PM | | May | 8:10 PM | 6:40 PM | | June | 8:25 PM | 6:55 PM | | July | 8:20 PM | 6:50 PM | | August | 8:00 PM | 6:30 PM | | September | 7:35 PM | 6:05 PM | | October | 7:00 PM | 5:30 PM | | November | 5:40 PM (post-DST) | 4:10 PM | | December | 5:35 PM | 4:05 PM |

How to read the table

The "ceremony at..." column gives you a 75-minute lead time before sunset. That's the sweet spot for a 30-minute ceremony followed by 30-minute group portraits in golden hour, then cocktail hour starting at the actual moment of sunset.

You might want to slide it earlier or later depending on:

• Religious / cultural ceremonies that run 60+ minutes — start 90-120 minutes before sunset
• Photography priority — if golden-hour bride/groom portraits matter more than ceremony lighting, shift later
• Heat avoidance — if you're getting married outdoors in May–September, every 15 minutes later you push the ceremony, the temperature drops 1-2°F
• Beach ceremony with sand-aisle setup — the lower the sun, the more dramatic the long shadow effects on the photos

Daylight saving handoff

Florida observes Daylight Saving Time. The transitions are:

• Spring forward: second Sunday in March (2026: March 8)
• Fall back: first Sunday in November (2026: November 1)

The "ceremony at" times in the tables above already account for this. If your wedding is the weekend immediately before or after a DST transition, double-check your invitations and the venue clock.

Three timing patterns for different priorities

Pattern A: "Photos drive everything"

• Ceremony 90 min before sunset
• Group portraits during sunset
• Cocktail hour at full sunset
• Reception kicks off 30-45 min after dark

Best for: photo-priority couples, smaller weddings (under 100 guests), couples without religious ceremony length

Pattern B: "Comfort drives everything"

• Ceremony 30-45 min before sunset (cooler)
• Cocktail hour during sunset (still casually outdoors)
• Reception starts after full dark

Best for: summer weddings (May–September), older guest demographics, comfort-priority couples

Pattern C: "Religion or tradition drives everything"

• Ceremony 2 hours before sunset
• Lengthy ceremony + reception transition
• Cocktail hour as guests arrive at reception location
• Reception runs into and past sunset

Best for: full liturgical ceremonies, multi-cultural ceremonies, large bridal parties

Common scheduling mistakes

1. "Let's do 5 PM" without checking the month. A 5 PM January wedding has the sun setting at 5:45. Cocktail hour after the ceremony is in pitch black if it's outdoors.

2. Ignoring the rehearsal time-of-day. Run your rehearsal at the same time of day as the wedding so you can see the lighting your photographer will see.

3. Beach ceremonies at "noon." The harshest, most direct, most unflattering light of the day. Even cloudy days don't fix it. Push to 4-5 PM minimum.

4. Indoor ceremony with outdoor cocktail at 6 PM in November. It's dark by 5:45 PM. Your "outdoor cocktail hour" is in the dark unless you've planned for it.

5. Florida winter weddings ending at 11 PM. Most outdoor venues have noise / lighting cutoffs that kick in earlier than you think (often 10 PM). Confirm the cutoff before booking the ceremony time, then back-time from there.

A practical example

You want a January wedding in Naples. Your venue (Naples Bay Resort or similar) hosts up to 250. Religious ceremony of 45 minutes.

• Sunset January 15 in Naples: 6:00 PM
• 90 min lead-time = ceremony at 4:30 PM
• Ceremony runs 4:30-5:15 PM (45 min)
• Group portraits 5:15-6:00 PM (cocktail hour starts)
• Sunset at 6:00 PM, cocktail hour outdoor, golden hour for couple shots
• Reception begins 7:00 PM, fully dark, full lighting
• Guest dinner + dancing 7:30 PM-10:30 PM
• Last call 10:00 PM, send-off 10:30 PM

This works. Now flip it — if you'd scheduled the ceremony at 6 PM thinking that was traditional, you'd be exchanging vows in pitch dark by 6:30 PM. The math matters.

Tools

You can verify exact sunset times for your specific venue + date using:

• TimeAndDate.com — free, no signup, accurate to the minute
• The Photographer's Ephemeris — free Web version, includes golden-hour and blue-hour calculations
• NOAA's Sun Position Calculator — free, U.S.-government accurate

If your photographer is good, they're already pulling these. Ask them what time they recommend for ceremony start. If their answer is more than 15 minutes off the table above, ask them why.

Browse Florida venues

Sunset-facing venues are the highest-demand category in Florida. Use our multi-quote form to see which venues have your target date open — most respond within 24-48 hours.