New York

Golden hour and ceremony times in Manhattan, New York

The table below gives the computed sunset, golden hour, and a suggested ceremony time for every month in Manhattan. Plan couple portraits inside that window, and pull them earlier through the colder months when the light closes fast.

Golden hour by month

Month	Sunset	Golden hour	Suggested ceremony
January	4:52 PM	4:11 PM – 5:12 PM	2:52 PM
February	5:30 PM	4:53 PM – 5:48 PM	3:30 PM
March	7:02 PM	6:27 PM – 7:20 PM	5:02 PM
April	7:35 PM	6:59 PM – 7:54 PM	5:35 PM
May	8:07 PM	7:28 PM – 8:26 PM	6:07 PM
June	8:29 PM	7:49 PM – 8:50 PM	6:29 PM
July	8:26 PM	7:46 PM – 8:46 PM	6:26 PM
August	7:53 PM	7:17 PM – 8:12 PM	5:53 PM
September	7:04 PM	6:29 PM – 7:21 PM	5:04 PM
October	6:14 PM	5:38 PM – 6:32 PM	4:14 PM
November	4:36 PM	3:56 PM – 4:55 PM	2:36 PM
December	4:28 PM	3:45 PM – 4:48 PM	2:28 PM

Suggested ceremony time by season

Spring: 5:35 PM
Summer: 6:26 PM
Fall: 4:14 PM
Winter: 3:30 PM

These times set the ceremony so the couple reaches golden hour with time to spare. Shift them with your date on the timeline page, which recomputes against the real sunset.

Why the light behaves this way in Manhattan

Spring: 55 min
Summer: 59 min
Fall: 55 min
Winter: 60 min

In Manhattan, the golden window stretches to about 59 minutes at midsummer and tightens to roughly 60 minutes in deep winter. Plan couple portraits inside that window, and pull them earlier in the colder months when the light closes fast.

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