Where to marry in Mallorca:zones, light and sunset

The island is chosen by its light before the name of the house. This guide divides Mallorca into three zones and, for each, says how it faces, which stone prevails and what changes for the image.

How to choose a zone by its light

Before comparing houses, compare horizons. What decides the last light of a wedding is not the sunset time in a table but what lies between the house and the point on the horizon where the sun goes down. The rule is simple: the sun drops one degree every six minutes, so each degree a mountain rises above your horizon costs about six minutes of light.

To find out what is in front of you, stand where the ceremony will be, find the degrees for your date in the table below and look in that direction with your phone's compass.

of light lost for each degree of mountain above the horizon

6 min

of ridge between Sa Dragonera and Formentor

90 km

of the horizon taken up by the range

255–340°

the sunset point shifts between June and October

42°

When the sun sets

Mallorca shares the mainland's clock and lies further east: the sun sets there about thirty minutes earlier than in Madrid in June and about twenty-five in October. This is the sunset time in Palma on the 15th of each month of 2027, in local time, and the azimuth, the direction of the horizon measured in degrees from north.

The sunset point shifts about 42° between June and October, and between those two months there are about two hours of difference: same house, same schedule on paper, and in one case the couple's session in the last light and in the other in the dark. In August it is wise to bring the end of the cocktail hour forward to around 20:10, not 20:40, with sunset in Palma at 20:47. The table gives Palma's figure; at your house the light will depend on what lies in front of it.

Tramuntana and the west coast

Criterion: what stands between the house and the western horizon.

The range takes up the horizon from 255° to 340°, some 90 km of ridge between Sa Dragonera and Formentor. Deià, Sóller and Banyalbufar sit on the far side: the sun sets over the sea all summer, but the mountain blocks the morning. In Sóller or Fornalutx it can disappear up to half an hour earlier than in Palma, and an inland valley in the north, such as Campanet's, also loses the light sooner. Dry stone catches the last ray and warms the tone. On the west coast, the late westerly wind stirs the veil and topples tall centrepieces.

• Dry-stone possessió
• Hotel with sea views
• Agrotourism in an inland valley

Palma, 15 June 2027: sunset at 21:17, azimuth 302°. 15 August: 20:47, azimuth 289°. Each degree of mountain above the horizon costs about 6 minutes of light.

Es Pla and the inland vineyards

Criterion: where the sun sets in relation to the range, village by village.

In the centre of the island, from Binissalem to Es Pla, the horizon opens, though not equally everywhere. In the southern interior (Montuïri, Porreres, Llucmajor) the autumn sun sets clear of the range; in Santa Eugènia it does not, because Galatzó blocks it. Among the vines, a stone courtyard at midday is a box of hard light; at dusk the same stone gives the light back and warms the tone. Some historic wineries have their own chapel. Anyone choosing this zone in autumn should check the specific village, not the district.

• Inland possessió with a vineyard garden
• Winery and vineyard
• Historic winery with its own chapel
• House with a dry-stone courtyard

Palma, 15 September 2027: sunset at 20:00, azimuth 275°. 15 October: 19:11, azimuth 260°.

Bay of Palma and the south

Criterion: the marés stone and what happens in the last hour of the afternoon.

From the edge of the Bay of Palma to the south-west (Calvià), marés prevails, the pale stone of the south. At midday its courtyard is a box of hard light; at dusk it returns warm light for the last twenty minutes. In Palma, sunset on 15 June 2027 arrives at 21:17 and on 15 October at 19:11. What decides each house is what lies between it and that point on the horizon. Indoors, hard midday light is worked as side light from a window, and the central hours are spent in shade.

• Marés possessió near Palma
• Medieval castle
• Fortress above the sea

What to ask the venue

• How many guests can be seated? Ask for the seated figure, not the cocktail one, and for the licensed capacity, not the brochure's.
• Is the venue exclusive that day? Some possessions host more than one event at once.
• Is the catering fixed? Check whether the venue imposes its own or admits another: it changes who decides the menu and who sets up and clears. With an email template: outside catering and music.
• Until what time is there music, and who decides? Ask in writing for the finishing time and whether it is set by the venue or by the municipal ordinance.
• Where do guests from abroad sleep? Find out how many people can stay on the property, usually the closest circle, and how the rest is resolved.

And the fifth question is the one about light: where the sun falls at the end of the afternoon and what lies between that point and the house. If the house opens to the west, the portrait goes last and the stone works in your favour; if the courtyard is enclosed or faces east, that hour is no use and it is better to have chosen another corner before the day, not to look for one with a hundred and twenty guests inside. And by type of venue: where to hold a wedding in Mallorca. On the rain and wind plan B: what to settle in advance. And on the corner for the couple's portraits, there is a guide of its own.

Arriving on an island

• You arrive the day before: a delayed flight has no plan B.
• You see the place in its light before the date, to know where the sun comes into the courtyard before the guests do.
• The equipment is brought in duplicate: on an August Saturday on the island there is nowhere to replace anything.
• It is almost never a single day: welcome dinner on Friday, wedding on Saturday, lunch on Sunday.
• Distances deceive: from Palma to Artà is more than an hour, and over the mountains in summer, more.

Travel is set out in writing in the quote before signing, so nothing appears afterwards.

Which month to choose

August is when most weddings take place on the island and also when there is most friction: the island is full and flights are at their peak. June and September give the same light with less friction. October brings an early sunset, around 19:11 on the 15th, with the sun going down to the west-south-west.

Keep reading

• A wedding in Mallorca: when the best light falls
• Estates and country houses for weddings in Mallorca, by area
• Wedding suppliers in Mallorca: what changes on an island
• When the light goes in Mallorca, month by month
• Wedding photographer in Ibiza: when the best light falls

If you already have a date and a place in mind, contact us and we will guide you on the light of that day.

If you are planning a wedding in Mallorca, explore MAKERSWED's wedding photography and film collections, read the frequently asked questions or shape your story in three short questions.