Pros And Cons of Having a Summer Wedding in New Zealand
You’re getting married!!!
Or not. You’re eloping! Or maybe you’re thinking about getting married!
Or maybe you’re just daydreaming about a potential future (hey, no shame or judgement — who doesn’t have a wedding Pinterest board from like primary school).
Either way, you’re thinking about your wedding, and you’re wondering whether summertime would be a good time for it.
Makes sense, because summer (December - February) is hands down the most popular time for wedding season (as is venturing outdoors in general).
There are plenty of great reasons to have your wedding in summer, and plenty of not-so-great things about it that make some people steer clear of it. Despite what some articles try to claim, there isn’t a “best” time to get married for every single person out there anyways (thank goodness) — and there are lots of factors that go into making that super personal decision.
Contents
How Do You Know If a Summer Wedding is For You
Wedding planning can be overwhelming cause it feels like there are a billion decisions to make and endless options for you. So how do you start figuring out what kind of day you’d like best?
I’ve found the best way to help my couples get started is by getting them to do a quick visualising exercise — take a minute, maybe close your eyes, and picture yourself on your wedding/elopement day.
You’re face-to-face with the one you love most, the person you’re about to verbally proclaim your eternal, undying committment to.
What does it feel like where you are?
Is the sun shining? Are you warm? Is there greenery all around? Are you in a field of grass or is your weight shifting on some fine black sand? How many people are there with you both?
What kind of atmostphere would make you feel the most comfortable and so full of joy to exist alongside your favourite person in the universe?
Did you see it? Or should I say, did you feel it? Great!
Now you’re all you have to do when you’re going through the rest of this article is take that beautiful vision and compare it with the aspects of summer — and if there are lots of similarities, amazing! You’ve found the one.
If your vision looks nothing like the reality of summer, then amazing as well! You know you’re getting closer to finding the right season for you.
Summer Weather in NZ: Temperature Averages & Rainfall (December-February)
Summer usually means warmer, longer, and sunnier days.
That being said, terms like “warm” or “dry” are super subjective — I personally run hot and am a Winter girlie, but I know friends who call themselves “cold-blooded” and are miserable in Winter — so here’s a rough picture of what you could expect in terms of temperature if you’re having your wedding day in Summer.
This climate data is pulled from the historical averages recorded by the MetService (thanks team!). In terms of rainfall — less than 20mm per day is considered “low” amount of rain or showers. 20mm-40mm is moderate to high, and more than 40mm is high rainfall. What’s shown below is rainfall per month, so just take that into account, my friends.
Upper North Island (Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hamilton)
Region
Whangarei (W)
Auckland (A)
Tauranga (T)
Rotorua (R)
Hamilton (H)
Highs
W: 27.3°C-28.7°C
A: 25.5°C-27.5°C
T: 26.6°C-28.0°C
R: 25.0°C-26.9°C
H: 26.3°C-28.5°C
Lows
W: 10.0°C-12.3°C
A: 10.8°C-12.8°C
T: 9.6°C-11.4°C
R: 5.0°C-6.4°C
H: 5.8°C-6.6°C
Rainfall per month
W: 78.2mm-90.9mm
A: 57.1mm-74.5mm
T: 64.9mm-99.8mm
R: 91.3mm-121.6mm
H: 73.4mm-99.9mm
East of the North Island (New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington)
Region
New Plymouth (N)
Palmerston North (P)
Wellington (W)
Highs
N: 23.2°C-25.7°C
P: 26.0°C-27.8°C
W: 23.9°C-26.1°C
Lows
N: 6.6°C-8.4°C
P: 5.7°C-7.0°C
W: 7.7°C-9.2°C
Rainfall per month
N: 61.6mm-111.6mm
P: 58.7mm-89.9mm
W: 63.4mm-92.2mm
West of the North Island (Gisborne, Napier, Masterton)
Region
Gisborne (G)
Napier (N)
Masterton (M)
Highs
G: 28.8°C-31.4°C
N: 29.8°C-31.7°C
M: 29.2°C-30.2°C
Lows
G: 7.0°C-8.5°C
N: 6.7°C-8.4°C
M: 3.0°C-3.9°C
Rainfall per month
G: 53.6mm-64.3mm
N: 50.8mm-55.7mm
M: 51.9mm-61.8mm
Upper South Island (Nelson, Blenheim)
Region
Nelson (N)
Blenheim (B)
Highs
N: 25.3°C-26.9°C
B: 29.5°C-31.1°C
Lows
N: 7.4°C-9.4°C
B: 3.3°C-4.5°C
Rainfall per month
N: 54mm-84.3mm
B: 47.9mm-55.2mm
East of the South Island (Christchurch, Mount Cook, Timaru, Dunedin)
Region
Christchurch (C)
Mount Cook (M)
Timaru (T)
Dunedin (D)
Highs
C: 30.0°C-31.5°C
M: 25.9°C-28.2°C
T: 29.5°C-31.6°C
D: 26.8°C-29.1°C
Lows
C: 3.9°C-5.3°C
M: 0.9°C-2.2°C
T: 2.9°C-3.8°C
D: 6.0°C-7.1°C
Rainfall per month
C: 34mm-44.2mm
M: 244.6mm-379.1mm
T: 41mm-48.7mm
D: 66.1mm-67.7mm
West of the South Island (Wanaka, Queenstown, Invercargill)
Region
Wanaka (W)
Queenstown (Q)
Invercargill (I)
Highs
W: 28.3°C-30.5°C
Q: 26.5°C-28.2°C
I: 25.8°C-26.7°C
Lows
W: 3.0°C-4.0°C
Q: 2.7°C-3.9°C
I: 3.2°C-3.8°C
Rainfall per month
W: 39.9mm-56.3mm
Q: 48.4mm-58.1mm
I: 75mm-86.4mm
Why it’s important:
Knowing the temperature can help you decide on whether you hold your wedding ceremony and/or reception outdoors or indoors, and the time of day you can schedule them for. Summer weather might be perfect for you if you love the warmth, or maybe you might find that (like me) you’ll actually be wayyy too sweaty for your liking and ditch Summer altogether.
Also disclaimer that these averages are just averages! There’s always the possibility of some abnormal weather to happen (side-eyeing you, Auckland floods), so just go with your gut on this.
Sunrise and Sunset Times in Summer NZ
I LOVE a good Golden hour to take photos in (sunsets especially are kind of like crack for photographers), and many of my couples feel the same, especially when they see themselves bathed in that glorious golden glow.
Longer days mean that sunrises are earlier and sunsets are later — which also means Golden hour and (the underrated) Blue hour will adjust accordingly.
ALSO — you can check out the moonrise time of whatever date you decide if you want the moon to be in your photos as well! (Fun fact: the moon doesn’t usually rise at sunset! It can be out during the day just as much as the night, that’s why you can catch the moon hanging out in the sky during the day.)
Why it’s important:
If you want to catch Golden hour and Blue hour for photos in those delicious lighting conditions, then you might want to take the times into account. You might have to get up earlier for sunrise photos or pop out of your reception dinner for a quick photo session with your photographer for those sunset shots.
From a photography point of view, sunrise/sunset times would affect what the lighting would look like during the most important parts of your day (eg. the ceremony). Too much direct sun actually makes for less flattering images!
Sunrise and sunset times summer 2024/2025
Auckland
Sunrise
December 2024 — 5:55am-6:04am
January 2025 — 6:05am-6:35am
February 2025 — 6:36am-7:04am
Sunset
December 2024 — 8:24pm-8:43pm
January 2025 — 8:43pm-8:32pm
February 2025 — 8:31pm-8:01pm
Wellington
Sunrise
December 2024 — 5:42am-5:50am
January 2025 — 5:51am-6:25am
February 2025 — 6:26am-7:00am
Sunset
December 2024 — 8:37pm-8:57pm
January 2025 — 8:57pm-8:42pm
February 2025 — 8:41pm-8:05pm
Christchurch
Sunrise
December 2024 — 5:43am-5:51am
January 2025 — 5:52am-6:28am
February 2025 — 6:29am-7:06am
Sunset
December 2024 — 8:53pm-9:13pm
January 2025 — 9:13pm-8:56pm
February 2025 — 8:55pm-8:16pm
Queenstown
Sunrise
December 2024 — 5:54am-6:01am
January 2025 — 6:02am-6:40am
February 2025 — 6:41am-7:20am
Sunset
December 2024 — 9:14pm-9:35pm
January 2025 — 9:35pm-9:16pm
February 2025 — 9:15pm-8:34pm
*Note: sunset times get earlier as the days get shorter after summer soltice, which is why the times are in descending order
Outdoors vs. Indoors for Your Summer Wedding
Scenery options & nature
Of course, most people think of outdoor weddings when they think of summer.
Beach weddings are pretty ideal for the summer, and with trees and shrubs thriving, it would be perfect for a mountain wedding, or garden wedding, or even a wedding in a regional park (yes you can get married in a park!).
If you’re thinking of eloping, the lower chance of rain is great if you’re wanting to hike to a ceremony spot in the bush and include some outdoor activities like a picnic or a hot air balloon ride into your day.
Pohutukawa (aka the New Zealand Christmas Tree) are in bloom in Summer, so you might find red-dotted trees making an appearance where you’re getting married. Other flowers that are in season include: dahlias, lilies, lavender, sunflowers, baby’s breath, calla lilies, and gerberas.
For the hayfever folks — grass and weed pollen is very much in the air in Summer, so if you’re allergic you might be sneezing up a storm.
With the milder nights, you could even opt for having your reception outdoors, marquee-under-the-stars vibes, and dine and dance under the moonlight with your guests. Or perhaps a garden party long table dinner spread, family-sharing style.
Slip slop slap: UV exposure & the HEAT
That being said, the sun can be uncomfortable at best and deadly at worst! Especially for folks that are prone to getting lobster-red sunburns (ouch).
Some summer-exclusive things to thinkg about might include making sure you and your guests are comfortable in the heat — whether that’s providing parasols or some form of shade if everyone is going to be exposed to sun during your ceremony, or giving out fans for people to use to cool down, or making sure people are staying hydrated (especially yourselves!).
In this case, you could choose to have your wedding celebrations indoors (with the A/C blasting) and skip the sun rays. There are plenty of options for venues for an “indoor” vibe, like wedding venues with shaded ceremony spots, or old churches, or even a fancy restaurant overlooking the sea.
Venue Availability & Costs
As previously mentioned, Summer is peak season for weddings, which means that venue bookings fill up fast!
If you’re wanting a weekend wedding those dates can get booked out about a year or more in advance (yeah, scary) especially for more popular wedding venues.
If you’re not that far out from your wedding date, no stress — those venues would usually have Mondays-Thursdays still available if you feel like it’s your dream spot.
Peak season packages for wedding venues are also usually more expensive than off peak (usually Late Autumn-Mid Spring).
For example, packages for Markovina Vineyard Estate in Kumeu are $259-279pp in summer and $209-219pp in winter for a weekend wedding.
The price you pay for beautiful weather and high demand!
Holiday Season & Tourism
Speaking of high demand, summer is also very much holiday season in NZ.
Which is great in the sense that people are in a celebratory mood already with the year-end holiday season and new year festivities. And how romantic is it to add a celebration of your love to the overall swell of festive cheer!
Another thing to note is that school holidays usually means busier crowds overall. End-of-year holidays usually coincide with school holidays for other countries too which might mean more tourists out and about as well — at beaches, at parks, at shopping malls, driving on the streets.
If you’re a people person, this might be great! If not, you might wanna consider having your wedding during a less-busy period.
Summer school holiday dates 2024-2026
Summer 2024/2025
Friday 20 December 2024 - Monday 27 January 2025
Summer 2025/2026
Friday 19 December 2024 - Monday 26 January 2026
Summer 2024/2025 NZ Public Holidays
*Chatham Islands Anniversary — Monday 2nd December 2024
*Westland Anniversary — Monday 2nd December 2024
Christmas Day — Wednesday 25th December 2024
Boxing Day — Thursday 26th December 2024
New Year’s Day — Wednesday 1st January 2025
Day after New Year’s Day — Thursday 2nd Janurary 2025
*Wellington Anniversary — Monday 20th January 2025
*Auckland Anniversary — Monday 27th January 2025
*Nelson Anniversary — Monday 3rd February 2025
Waitangi Day — Thursday 6th February 2025
* Long weekends
Pros and Cons of Having a Summer Wedding
Okay! Here’s the tl;dr recap for all you skimmers out there like me —
Pros
(Highest chance of) Beautiful Weather
Warmer temperatures and longer days (for a clearer picture of how warm and how long, check out the previous sections on weather and sunrise/sunset times)
Months with the least amount of rain (freak floods excluded) — dry ground and skies = ideal for outdoor ceremonies and receptions with no cover or shade
Best opportunities for stunning photos with natural light
Scenic Outdoor Options
A great variety of landscapes are available for your choosing: beaches, mountains, vineyards, rolling fields — the possibilities are endless!
Trees, bush, and greenery is lush and thriving — making for great natural backdrops
Travel and Honeymoon Opportunities
It’s usually a more convenient time for you and guests to travel and take time off to attend your celebration
Great season in general for adventuring outdoors and exploring New Zealand’s attractions
Cons
High Demand and Costs
Summer is peak wedding season — which means higher venue and vendor prices
There’s a limited availability of popular locations and services, you have to get in quick!
Heat & sunburn risk
The high UV index and extended exposure to the sun during a ceremony or reception isn’t a good combo — especially if you or your guests are prone to burning
Sun protection, hydration and shade is vital for making sure you and guests are comfortable in the heat
Crowds and Tourism
Outdoor locations are busier in general, popular tourist destinations can be over-crowded
Accommodation and transportation may be more expensive and harder to book during this busy season — which also contributes to the higher cost, and more advanced planning would be required to secure your spots
Other summer “specials” to consider
The heat might limit your options for traditional or formal wedding attire that has more layers (so suits or jackets might be out of the question)
Hayfever — especially for folks allergic to grass or weed pollen
More insects & bus about — you might need some bug spray/traps/candles to keep mozzies and flies at bay
Tips for Planning Your Summer Wedding
If you’ve been nodding along as you read and happily envisioning your perfect summer wedding day — so awesome, you’re that much clearer on your overall vision for your wedding experience.
Just a few tips if you are going for gold for summer —
Book venues and vendors early —
as previously mentioned, venue and vendor availability fills up super fast for the peak summer months. Once you’ve decided you want to have a summer wedding, I suggest searching for and reaching out to venues/vendors as soon as you can.
Based on my experience, the ideal sequence would be: venue, photographer, hair & make up, florist, and then other vendors like caterers or food trucks, live painters, etc. If you’re having an elopement like many of my couples do, the photographer would be your first vendor — and oftentimes the photographer (like yours truly) will help you with location scouting and figuring out the spot of your dreams to have your intimate elopement ceremony.
If you’re having an outdoor celebration…
While the sound of lounging on the beach all day might be perfect — don’t underestimate how hot it can get, especially with all the emotions and adrenaline running high under however many layers you’ll be wearing!
You might want to avoid the hottest part of your day for your ceremony and reception and opt for a sunset to evening or an early morning celebration.
For sun protection — you could offer sunblock, sunglasses, or fans for your guests. Some recent trends include printing ceremony programs that double up as fans, and bridal parties carrying parasols instead of bouquets, super cute! You could make sure that there are shaded tents or umbrellas set up to keep your guests and yourselves comfortable.
Stay hydrated! You could make sure that there are plenty of water stations available throughout your venue, and assign someone in your bridal party that will be your personal water-fetcher throughout the day (it’s easy for you to forget in the midst of everything that’s going on).
Back up plans for flowers, hair & make up
Flowers wilt much faster in the warm weather, so having a vase or jar of water ready for your bouquets at all times will be crucial in keeping them alive. Sourcing your flowers from a professional florist would also help with your flowers lasting longer, as opposed to completely DIY-ing them.
The heat would also make hair fall and make up melt with all the sweat and humidity, which makes choosing the right time for your ceremony and reception all the more important! You could also have your hair and make up artist give you a touch up halfway through the day to keep you looking fresh.
Planning for insects
Especially if you’re having an outdoor celebration: insect repellent, citronella candles or bug zappers would be a good idea. You might also want to prep to prevent insects from overrunning your food, if you’re eating outside.
Summer-proof attire
Being warm doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. Choose lighter, breathable fabrics for your wedding attire, and you can suggest summer-approprate dress code for your guests as well (linen party anybody?!).
You might also want to ditch the suits and minimise your layers. Or if you’re still suiting up, make sure you have a spare shirt ready on the day. That way you won’t get any stray sweat stains in your photos.
If a summer wedding is so you, I’m so excited for you to start planning the best one ever! Here’s some summer wedding ideas for you to tumble on your wedding planning journey.
Not a summer fan? Zero worries — you’ve got three other options! If you’d like something a little cooler, maybe try a spring wedding or autumn wedding, or if you’re wanting the TOTAL opposite, well you just might be a winter wedding fan like me.
Happy planning angels!
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