As a wedding and elopement photographer I have photographed weddings and elopements at every season of the year. There is no one ultimately best time to get married in Finland. The best time depends on what you want. Here's few aspects for you to help making the decision of the best time for you.
1. Snow
If you love snow the best time to elope in Finland is February. Snow situation varies year by year but usually in February the whole country has snow cover. This year seems an exception in southern Finland. Here we haven't had real snow cover yet. But when you go just a little bit north there is snow and in Lappland it's guarenteed.
2. Wildflowers and Blooming Trees
Would you like have blooming trees and wild flowers in your wedding photos? If so your ultimate choice should be May or June. Wild flower season starts around the beginning of May with beautifull white wood anemones and continuess lush usually untill the end of June. In July you can still enjoy willowherbs and some other late blooming flowers. Some flowers bloom even in August so if you are lucky may found wild flower fields even then.
Trees and shrubs start blooming in mid May. Times vary year by year depending the wheather. Season starts with cherrytrees followed by bird cherry and apple. Lilacs bloom usually at the end of June. Rhododendrons bloom in May and June and the excact time depends of the breed.
3. The Best Summer Wheather
Finnish summer is very uncertain allthough July and August are usually the best bet for warm and sunny wheather. That makes them the most popular wedding months in Finland. If you want to play safe you set your date towards the end of July or beginning of the August.
4. Epic Sunset
For sunset lovers I recommend eloping some time from mid August till the end of September. At the end of the summer and beginning of the autumn sun sets around 8 and 9 pm in southern Finland so you don't have to wait untill late night for portraits at sunset. Around this time sunsets are also the most gorgeous on a sunny evening.
5. Autumn Colours
Is autumn your favorite time of the year? If you love the colours of red and golden leaves you should choose September or October as your wedding month. In Lapland colours are at their best usually in the middle of September. Leaves start to turn red and golden in the end of September or begining of the October in southern Finland and the colours are at their best usually during the second half of the month.
+ Best Time for Moody Photos
Dark and moody photos have been quite fashionable lately. If you would like to have dark and moody photos with simple earthy colour palette I recommend you go for November in southern Finland and October in Lapland. If you are lucky you may get even some mist to your photos.