▶Headlands Hotel · Cnr Headland Ave and Yuruga Ave, Austinmer NSW 2515 · Sydney
▶A church wedding that ended as a waterside wedding reception on the Illawarra coast, with the bride getting ready in an ocean view apartment at Headlands Hotel in Austinmer. The plan ran from a midday start to a late night: vows in a church at Corrimal, family photographs outside the church, portraits at Glastonbury Gardens and Little Austinmer Beach, sunset back on the headland, then a reception for 136 guests with two rounds of speeches, a first dance and plenty of dancing.
Sage robes on the balcony · Church at Corrimal · Bridal party on the sand · Speeches from both sides · Sparklers to finish
The bride and her bridesmaids dressed in a hotel apartment with the sea filling the balcony rail, sage satin robes and her mum fixing the veil before the first look with her dad on the terrace. The groom and his groomsmen got ready separately in black tie around a courtyard pool, then a limousine took everyone south to the church at Corrimal for half past two. The service ran about forty five minutes under stained glass and red brick, and the couple came out through a shower of petals. The long list of family photographs happened straight away on the lawn beside the church, every combination done while everyone was together.
From the church the bridal party went to the beach below the headland, bouquets in the air, the groomsmen carrying the bride for a laugh and the couple alone on the wet sand with the surf behind them. A few more on the grass under the pines, then back up to Headlands for the entrance at half past five. The room above the sea glowed white and gold, the groomsmen danced in, and speeches ran in two rounds: her dad and his, then four bridesmaids sharing one microphone, the best man, and finally the couple themselves. A first dance pulled both mums onto the floor, and the night ended in a tunnel of sparklers.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
This couple married in a church at Corrimal, about fifteen minutes south of Headlands Hotel by car, with a limousine for the bridal party and guests driving themselves. Inside it was all red brick, timber pews and stained glass, the bride walking in on her dad's arm to a full house, and the vows at the altar rail under a tall window. Church light is low and warm, so we let it be warm, which suited the darker tones the couple had asked for. The petal exit on the front steps gave us the brightest, happiest frames of the ceremony. Watch at 4:21 Watch at 5:03 Watch at 5:45
Three stops, all close. Getting ready in the apartments at Headlands Hotel, the drive down the coast road to the church, then back north to the beach below the headland and up to the reception room. Nothing was more than fifteen minutes from anything else, and the beach and the park sit right at the bottom of the hotel's hill. That is what makes a church wedding work on this coast: the portraits fit between the church and the reception without a long transfer, and guests head straight to the bar while the bridal party finishes on the sand. Watch at 4:09 Watch at 6:09 Watch at 7:51
The day was overcast with a grey blue sea, and on this coast that is kind light: no squinting on the sand, soft skin tones, and the white gown and sage dresses sitting cleanly against the water. The church was dim and warm, so we worked with the glow from the windows rather than fighting it. By the time the bridal party reached the beach around four, the light was dropping fast behind the escarpment, which is why the beach stop came first and the park second. Inside, the reception room is pale and even, flattering for speeches. Watch at 6:15 Watch at 6:33 Watch at 8:27
Dressed by one, the church at half past two, family photos outside until about half past three, then the beach and the park for forty minutes before the entrance at half past five. Speeches came in two rounds between courses with fathers first, and the bridesmaids speaking together was a highlight of the night. The first dance came after the second round and widened to the mums and the whole floor, and the sparklers came at the end rather than at the entrance. It was a long day with no dead time, because the drives were short and the photo list was done early. Watch at 5:57 Watch at 8:03 Watch at 12:39
Two spots, both minutes from Headlands Hotel. The beach below the headland gave us the bridal party on the sand with the surf and the rocks behind, the couple alone at the water's edge, and the groomsmen lifting the bride. The grassy park under the pines beside it gave a second backdrop for the boys and the girls separately and a champagne toast. Forty minutes covered both. In autumn plan this for before half past four, because the sun goes behind the hills early and the sea turns flat and dark soon after. Watch at 6:15 Watch at 6:51 Watch at 7:03
What our team noticed was how much a done early photo list buys you. The couple put every family combination on paper, we shot them all outside the church in twenty minutes, and the rest of the afternoon was theirs. The second thing: let the bridesmaids share one speech. Four of them at the lectern, laughing and handing the microphone along, was warmer than four separate ones. And at Headlands Hotel, save the sparklers for the end. In the dark, with everyone on the floor, they light the couple's faces in a way an early evening send off never does. Watch at 6:03 Watch at 9:39 Watch at 12:51
Headlands Hotel sits on the corner of Headland Avenue and Yuruga Street at Austinmer, on the headland above the beach, about an hour south of Sydney and twenty minutes north of Wollongong. It is one of the few venues on the Illawarra coast that puts the reception room, the bar, the restaurant and the accommodation on one site with the ocean on three sides. The event spaces are the Ocean View Room, the Sundowner Lounge, the Sundowner Terrace and the Beer Garden, and the main reception room is a neutral interior built around panoramic sea views, with a generous balcony and two bars of its own.
Couples who marry on site use the Sundowner Terrace, with the Ocean View North room held as the wet weather alternative. Those who want a church wedding or an outdoor ceremony have good options close by: the hotel itself names Little Austinmer Beach, Tuckerman Park and Glastonbury Gardens as ceremony spots a few minutes away, and the churches of Corrimal and Wollongong are an easy drive down the coast road. Keeping the ceremony within twenty minutes of the hotel matters more here than at most venues, because the beach and headland portraits sit between the two and the afternoon light does not wait.
This coast faces east with the escarpment behind it, so mornings are bright on the sand and the afternoon sun slides behind the hills well before the sea goes dark. In autumn and winter that means golden light on the water from about four o'clock and a soft, pink dusk soon after, which is why a sunset portrait slot back at the hotel around half past four works so well. The balcony of the reception room, the headland lawn and the rocks and sand of Little Austinmer Beach are the natural picks. In summer the light stays warm until after seven, so portraits can wait until after the canapes without losing the sunset.
The hotel has more than fifty self contained serviced apartments, from studios to penthouses, most with ocean views and sun drenched balconies, so a bridal party can get ready upstairs and guests can walk to bed afterwards. Check the apartments' availability when you book, as the accommodation has been closed for renovation. Austinmer has its own railway station on the South Coast line, a useful option for Sydney guests, and the hotel also runs a courtesy bus for local pick ups. For those driving from Sydney, allow an hour and a bit more on a summer weekend, when the beaches north of Wollongong fill up early.
A waterside wedding reception here carries the view into the night, so plan the sunset slot first and build the dinner around it. Two short rounds of speeches, one between entrees and the main course and one before the cake, keep the room lively and leave the floor open by eight. If you like the idea of sparklers with family and the bridal party, do it at the entrance to the reception while there is still a little light in the sky. The bistro, the beachfront dining area and the beer garden downstairs make an easy next morning for guests who stayed over, with breakfast on site from seven.