Updated November 2026 · Free one-page run sheet, no email

Plan a sunset proposal.Set your own times.

A sunset proposal is a timing problem. Drag the evening into the right order below, then print the run sheet.

Download on the App StoreAsterfold · Free on iPhone

Put the evening in order

Seven moments from one example evening, shuffled. Drag them or use the arrows to put them in order. The offsets are rehearsal choices; use your own times on the printable sheet.

  1. The askSunset minus 30
  2. Quiet photos, calls and the return walkSunset to plus 25
  3. Walk to the viewpoint and take the warm-up photosSunset minus 60
  4. Look up sunset for the date and the direction it sets from your spotTwo weeks out
  5. Arrive, let the nerves settle, confirm the photographer is in positionSunset minus 90
  6. Walk the spot at the same hour and decide where each of you standsThe day before
  7. Check the local forecast and choose the backup if neededBefore leaving
  1. Two weeks out Look up sunset for the date and the direction it sets from your spot

    Sunset time and bearing change through the year. Check the date, location and time zone for the viewpoint you plan to use.

  2. The day before Walk the spot at the same hour and decide where each of you stands

    Walk the route and test the framing where the couple and photographer will stand.

  3. Before leaving Check the local forecast and choose the backup if needed

    Look toward the local horizon for obstacles or cloud. Agree on when to switch to the backup spot.

  4. Sunset minus 90 Arrive, let the nerves settle, confirm the photographer is in position

    This example allows ninety minutes for arrival and setup. Change that buffer to fit your route.

  5. Sunset minus 60 Walk to the viewpoint and take the warm-up photos

    Check how the light falls on faces at this spot. The warm-up time is a scheduling choice.

  6. Sunset minus 30 The ask

    In this example the couple chose thirty minutes before sunset. Use the time that worked at rehearsal.

  7. Sunset to plus 25 Quiet photos, calls and the return walk

    Use whatever light remains for final photos, then follow your return plan.

Three kinds of light, one choice

Low sunlight

Look for the moment when the low Sun lights the couple from the side. Observe the view at the same time on a scouting visit.

A rehearsal time

Try thirty minutes before local sunset as one possible appointment. Check how much light actually reaches the spot.

After sunset

As twilight deepens, check exposure again before taking the last portraits. Set a finish time that suits the return route.

Sunset calculations are estimates. The date, latitude, local horizon and atmosphere all matter when planning the photograph. See NOAA’s calculation notes and use the sunset departure planner to work backward from your own chosen time.

The run sheet

Preview of the one-page Sunset Proposal Run Sheet PDF with fields for sunset time, bearing, run order checklist, standing positions and pockets

One letter-size page: date, spot, backup spot, sunset time and bearing, planned arrival and finish, the seven-step run order as checkboxes, a compass to sketch where the Sun, the couple and the photographer go, who knows the plan, and the pockets list.

Download the one-page PDF

No email, no account. Print, fold once, keep in the pocket without the ring.

Thursday, 4:12 pm, a headland in October

A composite scenario, not a customer story.

Sam has the ring, a photographer friend called Nia, and a cliff path they walked on their second date. Sunset is 6:27. He picked the spot for the memory, not the light, and only this week thought to ask which way the Sun actually goes down from there. Asterfold's horizon view, turned toward the bench, shows the Sun setting 20° left of the frame, behind the headland, and the dates this year when it sets inside the frame are all in June. In October the bench is in shadow by 5:50.

So the ask moves forty metres up the path to the open rock, where the horizon view shows the Sun landing in the middle of a 60° frame tonight. Nia stands up-slope with the Sun to her right, so the couple glows and nobody squints. At 2 pm the forecast 60 km out toward the Sun is clear, 180 km is cloudy; the forecast alone does not tell them when the cloud will reach the viewpoint. They keep the backup available. They arrive at 4:57, ninety minutes early, because the bus is the bus.

At 5:58, sunset minus 29, Sam stops at the rock. Nia has twenty-six minutes of gold afterwards and uses all of them. At 6:51 the sky is cobalt, the ring is on, and the first phone call is to Sam's mother, who already knew, because her name was on the sheet.

What the app shows you

Asterfold Light Path Studio sky dome showing the Sun's path for London on a chosen date, coloured by golden hour and twilight
The Sun's real path for your spot and date.
Asterfold Aim your view screen showing a first-person horizon at 258 degrees with the sunset inside a 60 degree frame
Turn toward the view; see if the Sun lands in it.
Asterfold Tonight screen with sunset, stars and sunrise ratings and plain-English reasons
Tonight's rating, with reasons, from MET Norway cloud data.
Download free on the App Store

Who this is not for

Questions people ask

How long before sunset should I propose?

Choose the moment after scouting the viewpoint at a similar time. Thirty minutes before sunset is one example for a rehearsal; allow time for photos and a comfortable return.

What is golden hour, exactly?

Golden hour describes low-angle sunlight. Its timing depends on the date and latitude, and a ridge or building can block the Sun earlier. Enter your own arrival and finish times on the sheet.

Where should the photographer stand for a sunset proposal?

With the Sun low and behind or to the side of you both, so the sky is the backdrop and your faces catch the glow. If the Sun is straight behind the camera, you are squinting into it. If it is straight behind you, you are silhouettes, which is lovely for one frame and useless for the one where you can see the ring. Walk it the day before at the same hour.

What if it is cloudy?

Check the local forecast before leaving, then look toward the actual horizon. If cloud or shade changes the light, move the moment earlier or choose a backup spot.

Does Asterfold plan the proposal?

No. It tells you when and where the Sun sets from the exact spot you save, lets you turn toward the view and pick a lens so you can see whether the Sun lands in your frame, and rates tonight's sunset with plain-English reasons. The run sheet on this page is ours; the Sun data is the app's. The plan is yours.

Is the run sheet free?

Yes. One PDF, no email, no account. Print it and fold it.

Know where the Sun goes down.

Free on iPhone. Calculated on your phone, works offline, no account.

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