I Do Abroad

Written and checked by the I Do Abroad team · Last updated 10 November 2026 · Sources listed at the end of this page

Portugal is a short country with a long Atlantic coast, and the ocean decides more than the calendar does. Porto in October and Faro in October are two different weddings. For most UK couples the choice comes down to June or September. The better question is which end of the country suits which month.

When is the best time of year to get married in Portugal?

September is the month Portugal itself chooses. Voz Portucalense, reporting the national statistics institute’s Estatísticas Vitais in May 2026, says the most chosen month of 2025 was neither July nor August but September, with 4,985 of the year’s 37,714 marriages.

For a UK couple, June is the safest single answer on weather. Faro averages a daily high of 26.6°C with 5 mm of rain across the month, Lisbon 25.8°C with 15 mm and Funchal 24°C with 10 mm, according to Climates to Travel. September is as warm, at 26.3°C in both Faro and Lisbon, and the sea has had the summer to heat: 21.5°C off Faro against 19.5°C in June.

What is the weather like in Portugal month by month?

Each cell shows the average daily high in °C, then the month’s rainfall in mm.

Month Faro, Algarve Lisbon Porto Funchal, Madeira
May 23.4 / 25 22.6 / 60 20.4 / 100 22 / 20
June 26.6 / 5 25.8 / 15 22.6 / 45 24 / 10
July 29.3 / 0 27.8 / 0 24.2 / 20 26 / 5
August 29.1 / 0 28.4 / 5 24.8 / 25 27 / 5
September 26.3 / 30 26.3 / 40 23.5 / 70 26 / 35
October 23.4 / 55 22.6 / 115 20.8 / 140 25 / 75

Source: Climates to Travel, monthly averages for Faro, Lisbon, Porto and Madeira.

Is July or August too hot for a wedding in Portugal?

On the coast, less often than couples fear. Faro averages 29.3°C in July, and Climates to Travel says the temperature there passes 35°C on two or three days a year. Porto sits at 24 to 25°C all summer.

The caveat is the heatwave. The same source says Lisbon can have very hot spells on African air, typically from mid-June to early September, and gives the city’s record as 43.3°C, set in August 2018. Weddings Abroad Guide’s advice for June to August is a ceremony later in the day. For the Douro or the Alentejo, ask the venue for its own July figures.

Does it rain in Portugal in September and October?

In the north, yes, and early. Porto averages 70 mm in September and 140 mm in October. Lisbon moves from 40 mm to 115 mm. Faro stays drier for longer, at 30 mm and then 55 mm.

So an autumn wedding sits best in the Algarve, or in the first half of September further north. Madeira holds 25°C in October but takes 75 mm, and Climates to Travel says rain and thunderstorms are possible there from mid-October.

One thing the temperature hides: Funchal averages 5.5 hours of sunshine a day in June, against 11 in Faro. Madeira is warm, not cloudless.

What is the cheapest month to get married in Portugal?

No named source we could read publishes a percentage. Weddings Abroad Guide says costs are typically lower on weekdays or in the off-season, and suggests midweek dates and the shoulder season.

The catch is what counts as shoulder. Zankyou calls June to September the peak. Weddings Abroad Guide says “Peak wedding season runs from May to October”. Portugal’s own favourite month is September. A September date may be priced as peak, whatever the brochure calls it.

Demand sets the lead time too. Both guides give 12 to 18 months ahead for venues in peak season.

Does the month change the legal paperwork?

It changes the timing, not the rules. What usually applies depends on where the legal part happens. If you marry legally at home and celebrate in Portugal, GOV.UK says: “You must give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony.”

If the legal ceremony is in Portugal, the justice portal says a couple has up to six months to marry once the file is approved, and Translayte recommends allowing three months for the process. Our companion page sets out where the published sources disagree. Who confirms it for your case is the Conservatória do Registo Civil that handles your file. Your register office confirms the UK side.

So which month should we pick?

If reliable weather matters most, choose June. If a warm sea matters most, choose the first half of September and book early, because Portugal wants that month too. If it has to be the school holidays, look north: Porto’s August averages 24.8°C. If it has to be October, choose the Algarve and see the covered room. If value decides it, price a Wednesday before you price a winter month.

I Do Abroad Top Tip: choose the region by the month, not the month by the region. In October, Faro averages 55 mm of rain against 140 mm in Porto. In August, Porto averages 24.8°C against 29.1°C in Faro. Then ask each venue for the same date priced on a Saturday and a Wednesday, in writing, with IVA included.

Every couple’s answer is different, which is why we built the Dream Wedding Quiz. Two minutes, no pressure, and it tells you which Portuguese setting and which month fit the way you want to marry.

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