The Peak District is actually great all year round, it really depends on the type of wedding you’re wanting when it comes to deciding which season to get married in. There are some things to consider when it comes to choosing when to get married in The Peak District:

The Weather:

The Peak District can sometimes have some pretty extreme weather for the UK ranging from mini heatwaves through to deep snow that can sometimes last for weeks. Have a think about the venue you’re choosing, is it accessible at all times of year? Will there be enough shaded area for children and the elderly if it’s too warm?

Daylight Hours:

During Winter, daylight hours are pretty short, it’s often dark by 4pm. Are you wanting a late ceremony? Will there be enough time for you to have photos during a Winter wedding? Equally June has the longest day of the year, sunset can be as late as 9:40pm with it not really getting dark until gone 11pm if you’re wanting fireworks or sparklers, a Summer wedding might not be practical.

Foliage:

Try to visit your venue in the same month that you plan on getting married, visiting on a beautiful Spring day with the lush green leaves will look vastly different to a cold November with no leaves on the trees at all.

Sunset:

Are you wanting those beautiful golden hour portraits? The sun sets at a different time and location throughout the year. If you’ve got a specific location in mind for your golden hour photos, check that the sun sets in the right place and that you’ve allocated enough time to have them taken. No-one wants to be rushing out mid starter to capture the light!

spring:

During Spring, the weather can be a mix of sunshine and showers. The temperate can be cool at the start of Spring but it’s been known for there to be heatwaves during the end of April and throughout May.

Daylight hours can vary quite a bit during Spring, with there being just short of 11 hours of daylight at the start of March through to 16 hours towards the end of May. The natural lighting can be quite harsh during the day if the sun is out, which makes couples photos during mid day a bit more difficult.

The foliage during early Spring can sometimes be a bit lacking, however, mid to late Spring the foliage is bright and colourful. The trees come to life and the May Flower, blossom and bluebells can make a beautiful addition to your photos.

Sunset ranges from 5:45pm at the start of March through to 9:20pm towards the end of May. The direction of the sunset ranges from almost directly West during March, moving to North West at the end of May.

Summer:

Summer is a popular time of year to get married due to the weather being ‘more reliable’. However, summer can quite often present some pretty wet days in The Peak District, particularly early June and the end of August. Temperatures usually stay in the twenties during Summer with the occasional cooler and warmer days dotted in.

The days are long in Summer, with June having the longest day of the year. The lighting throughout all of summer can be really harsh if the sun is out, with golden hour actually being a little less than an hour and the dreamy light being quite late on.

Summer comes with it’s own set of foliage, the fern leaves are bright green, the cotton grass comes out early summer with the beautiful purple heather following. Both can make great additions to your photos.

Sunset during summer is fairly similar throughout the season, with the start of June being 9:20pm and the end of August being 8pm. The direction of sunset moves further North during the Summer months with June being at the most Northerly point. As mentioned above, the golden hour during Summer can still produce quite harsh light at the start, with the softer light coming just before sunset.

Autumn:

Autumn is a great time of year in The Peak District, the landscape completely transforms. The weather can be mixed, with some warmer days still lingering, with the cooler, wetter days starting to creep in. Occasionally towards the end of Autumn, The Peak District can see some snow but it’s not usually too disruptive.

The daylight hours during Autumn start to get much shorter, with October having the shortest day of the year. The start of September has around 14 hours of daylight and the end of November has a mere 8 hours of daylight.

The foliage during Autumn is what really brings The Peak District to life! The leaves turn a gorgeous bright orange, the ferns turn golden brown and the whole of the National Park just looks beautiful, especially on a sunny day. However, be aware of early storms as sometimes by the end of October the leaves can be completely blown off of the trees.

Sunset during Autumn can produce some lovely light, especially alongside the autumnal colours. Early Autumn the sun sets at around 8pm, whereas the end of November, the sun sets at 4pm. The sunset location starts at the West and moves back further South throughout Autumn, finishing at a South-Westerly position at the end of Autumn. It’s worth keeping these times in mind when planning the timings of your day if you’re choosing a late Autumn wedding.

Winter:

Winter in The Peak District is usually pretty cold. It’s not always guaranteed that there will be snow but it’s usually pretty wet most of the time. That being said, it has been known for the temperatures to rise to 9 degrees at times or the sun to be shining all day. Sunny winter days in The Peak District can produce some of the best light I’ve ever seen!

The days start of fairly short in Winter, however, towards the end of February it can be light until almost 6pm. Keep this in mind, especially if you’re wanting a later ceremony. Choosing a photographer who is confident in shooting Winter weddings is important if you’re wanting a later Winter ceremony.

The foliage in winter is pretty non-existent. The trees have no leaves on, the ground can be quite muddy and the landscape can just turn into one bug brown space. However, if you’re lucky enough to get some snow, the landscape turns into the most magical Winter Wonderland!

Sunsets can be pretty rare during the Winter months but when the sun does shine, the light is pretty nice throughout the whole day! This makes couple portraits possible at any time. Winter sunsets also produce some of the nicest light I have ever shot in, with the golden and sometimes red light being super rich and lasting much longer than in the Summer months. Sunset at the start of December is at around 4pm, roughly settings in the South-West and at the end of February, it sets at around 6pm moving back more towards the West again.