This is the conversation I repeat most with couples marrying in Cartagena, Santa Marta or Mérida.
The time is usually set by the venue for logistical reasons. It is worth discussing.
“In the Caribbean the light changes every ten minutes. Between five and half past six there are two different weddings, and only one of them can be photographed the way you want.”
At five in the afternoon in the Caribbean the sun is still high. It casts harsh shadows under the eyes, burns the whites of the dress and forces you to look for artificial shade, which is almost always ugly.
From six the light drops suddenly and turns side-lit and warm. It is the hour when the sea stops being a flat backdrop and starts to have volume.
The ceremony lasts between twenty and forty minutes. If it starts at six, it ends just as the good hour for portraits begins, and the cocktail hour overlaps with the sunset.
The cost of moving the ceremony by an hour is logistical. The benefit is the entire report.