What is the best time to hold the wedding ceremony?

For the civil service at Selden Barns, 2 pm is the ideal time for the ceremony with pre-reception starting after at 2:45 pm.

For a church service, which is about 1 hour in length, we advise going straight to the church, and scheduling a ceremony time that will enable you to arrive at Selden Barns at 2:45 which is ideal for pre-reception.

Experience shows that 2 pm is the best civil ceremony time as this will give enough time in the morning for you to get ready with your Bridesmaids and Mum (and a glass or two of Prosecco!). Getting ready always takes longer than you think as the photographer will want to photograph every item before you put it on!

If you are having a traditional wedding with wedding breakfast and evening party with entertainment, with pre-reception drinks and canapes at 2:45 pm, there will be adequate time for the larger group photographs to get done before sitting for the Wedding Breakfast.

We have found with ceremonies held earlier in the day that it can be a very long day for guests to be kept entertained.

If, however, all your guests are attending day and evening, a later ceremony time is acceptable being 3 pm to 4 pm. Please bear in mind that during winter months, with the days getting darker earlier, a later ceremony time will compromise the time for external photography in our wonderful grounds.