InterContinental Sydney Double Bay wedding photos: Sumaira and James share a tender kiss beneath a spreading tree on a sunny harbourside lawn in Sydney
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InterContinental Sydney Double Bay Wedding Photos: Sumaira & James

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay · 33 Cross St, Double Bay NSW · Sydney

Ballroom Wedding · Cultural & Traditional Wedding · Waterside Wedding · City: Sydney · Venues: InterContinental Double Bay · Mrs Macquarie's Chair · The Connection Rhodes

A carved melon heart bearing their names, an arch of embroidered umbrellas and a drummer setting the pace: Sumaira and James’ evening at The Connection in Rhodes, on the water in Sydney’s inner west, was pure colour. The next afternoon they were back in red and gold for harbour portraits and a reception at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, where loved ones took turns sitting beside them under a blush floral arch. We loved every minute of both days.

The gallery
Sumaira and James walk hand in hand along the timber boardwalk on the Rhodes foreshore, the waterfront glinting beyond the rail.
James and Sumaira lean in close, her orange sleeve embroidered with pink roses, the riverside towers soft behind them.
A pastel stage of pink, mint and orange drapes, gold lanterns and white carved chairs at The Connection, Rhodes, by the water.
A long fruit table on a red cloth piled with carved melons, silver tiered stands and candles at the waterside venue.
A carved melon heart bearing Sumaira and James's names, ringed with grapes, figs, oranges and fanned mango.
James stands with two friends in matching bright scarves under an arch of embroidered umbrellas at the waterfront venue's glass doors.
Sumaira and James pose under the embroidered umbrella arch at the entrance of The Connection in Rhodes.
The couple stand under the umbrella arch with three loved ones in lilac, black and beige at the riverside venue.
Women in green, navy, coral and gold dance across the terrace under a shade sail, low sun flaring over the waterfront.
Arms raised, a line of dancers swirls across the terrace above the Rhodes foreshore, the river glowing behind them.
Sumaira poses under the umbrella arch with five friends in white, gold, blue, red and black lace inside the riverside hall.
James walks in under a length of orange, green and white fabric held high by friends, guests lining the waterside hall.
Two friends in olive tunics and bright scarves laugh as they hold a red and orange canopy high for the entrance.
Sumaira smiles beneath a pastel chevron canopy held up by laughing loved ones, a toddler watching from a man's arms in the waterfront hall.
Women gather at the door with trays draped in orange and green cloth, carved gold lanterns glowing beside them.
A procession of women carries trays of candles, petals and sweets under orange and pink cloths into the waterfront hall.
Smiling women carry a pink draped tray of candles, rose petals and sweets through the waterside hall.
Sumaira walks in under a raised patterned canopy as guests clap around her at The Connection, Rhodes, beside the river.
James and three friends in matching scarves wait on the pastel stage while a drummer beats a big barrel drum.
A loved one in black brings Sumaira, veiled in red, to James on the stage, their hands meeting.
James turns to Sumaira under her sheer red veil as a loved one in black beams beside them at the riverside celebration.
Sumaira and James stand on the stage with a loved one in black and teal at their waterside evening.
Sumaira and James sit on the stage at The Connection in Rhodes as guests gather near trays laid out on the floor.
A loved one in black and teal offers Sumaira a sweet bite as James sits beside her on the carved bench.
Family gather around the seated couple on stage, a woman kneeling with a silver tray at the waterside venue.
A grey haired guest presses a green leaf into James's palm while Sumaira smiles beside him.
Guests share a silver tray of petals and sweets with James, who holds a green leaf, at the waterfront celebration.
A grey haired guest lifts a small spoon toward Sumaira as a loved one in teal pours from a little jug.
A loved one in a copper scarf cups Sumaira's face and leans in close, James watching from the riverside stage.
Sumaira bursts out laughing as a guest in blue leans in close, James grinning beside her.
An older guest in beige hands Sumaira a green leaf beside a silver tray, James seated on her right, on the water.
Two women in orange and navy laugh with the couple over a tray of sweets beside a carved gold lantern.
Women in yellow, pink, red and cream dance with arms raised on the dance floor at The Connection, Rhodes, on the waterfront.
Sumaira and James sit together on the carved bench between empty white chairs at their riverside party.
Children in orange and yellow and an older loved one in beige join the couple at the striped table on the waterfront stage.
A woman in teal, a boy in orange and a man in a yellow tunic gather around the couple at the riverside celebration.
Sumaira and James sit at the striped table with a woman in cream lace and another in green.
A big family group crowds the pastel stage around Sumaira and James at The Connection in Rhodes.
A man holding a toddler, women in orange and black and a boy in sage share the stage with the couple by the river.
James's two friends in olive tunics and bright scarves sit beside the couple on the waterside stage.
Older loved ones in black florals and an orange shawl sit with the couple as friends stand behind.
A wider group of family and friends lines up behind the seated couple on stage at the waterfront venue.
Sumaira dances with a friend in black lace on the riverside dance floor as James looks on under a red canopy.
Sumaira holds hands and dances with a little boy in sage as James claps and children circle them.
Sumaira and James dance among clapping guests, his rust scarf swinging, by the water.
Sumaira and James sit cheek to cheek on stage at The Connection, Rhodes, behind a pink and orange drum in a gift box.
Sumaira giggles shoulder to shoulder with a friend in green at the waterside party, a red canopy glowing behind.
A guest in teal dances under red, violet and green light streaks on the dance floor.
James laughs as he chats on the dance floor, Sumaira smiling beside him in her red veil, on the water at night.
James kisses Sumaira's temple beside a glowing timber slat screen at The Connection in Rhodes at night.
Stripes of light fall across Sumaira and James as he kisses her forehead before the timber screen on the waterfront.
Sumaira in red and gold embroidery and James in a navy suit hold hands on a shaded harbourside path.
Foreheads touching by the harbour rail, Sumaira's red veil lifts in the breeze before the Opera House sails and the bridge arch.
Sumaira and James stroll hand in hand along the sandstone shore, the harbour sparkling toward the bridge and city skyline.
A wide harbourside view from Mrs Macquarie's Point, the couple tiny on the rocks below the Harbour Bridge and city skyline.
James kisses Sumaira's forehead on a grassy slope under a spreading tree, her orange veil trailing by the harbour fence.
Sumaira and James share a smile on the leafy waterside path near Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
Sumaira in red and gold stands with an older loved one in mint embroidery in the hotel's hedged courtyard.
Sumaira and a loved one in mint smile at each other in the courtyard at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
A loved one in mint smiles warmly, the beaded edge of Sumaira's red veil in the foreground.
A loved one in mint touches Sumaira's hair as they laugh together at InterContinental Double Bay.
Sumaira kisses the forehead of a loved one in mint before the ballroom reception.
Sumaira stands with an older man in a grey blazer before the white balconied facade of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
An older man in a grey blazer kisses Sumaira's hand beside the clipped hedges, her smile wide.
Sumaira and James stand together on the courtyard paving, white balconies and clipped hedges behind them, ahead of the ballroom reception.
Sumaira and James face each other across the hedged parterre courtyard of InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
Sumaira and James hold each other's gaze between clipped hedges and round topiary trees.
The couple with a woman in blush pink and a man in a navy suit on the courtyard paving.
A small boy in a navy tunic and a toddler join the family group in the courtyard at InterContinental Double Bay.
Seven family members including a loved one in mint gather with Sumaira and James between the clipped hedges.
The family group laughs together, the toddler looking away, in the courtyard before the ballroom celebration.
An older man in a grey blazer joins the couple and family beneath the balconies of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
Sumaira and James with an older man in grey, a woman in a white shirt and a man in a dark blazer.
A loved one in mint, a woman in white and a man in a dark blazer flank the couple at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
Smiles all round as the couple stand with loved ones in mint, white and a dark blazer beside the hedges.
A grey haired woman in a white jacket and a man in a dark blazer stand either side of the couple.
A man in a blue suit and orange tie and a boy in a grey tunic join the courtyard group at InterContinental Double Bay.
Sumaira and James with a man in a blue suit and orange tie, a boy in a grey tunic standing in front.
James stands close between a man in a floral tie and a woman in a white jacket at the InterContinental in Double Bay.
James laughs with his eyes closed as a man in a floral tie smiles beside him under a round topiary.
James laughs and looks up beside a man in a floral tie and a woman with a coral necklace at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
Sumaira's hands painted in fine rust-brown patterns rest on her red and gold gown, gold bangles at her wrist.
Sumaira's open palms show fine painted patterns and her ring against the beaded red and gold gown.
Sumaira glances down with a soft smile, her coral veil heavy with gold floral embroidery, before the ballroom reception begins.
A close profile of Sumaira, eyes lowered, her beaded coral veil and pearl forehead ornament catching the light.
Sumaira sits in the courtyard as James stands behind her holding her hand at InterContinental Double Bay.
James kisses Sumaira's hand as she looks up from her seat, the courtyard's glass doors behind them.
On a curved balcony at the InterContinental in Double Bay, James kisses Sumaira's temple above leafy hillside homes.
Sumaira and James lean on the balcony rail looking out over leafy hillsides and towers in the late light.
Sumaira and James sit hand in hand on a white sofa, her red and gold gown spread across the patterned rug.
In black and white, James holds Sumaira's hands as she sits with her embroidered gown fanned across the floor.
James looks down at Sumaira's hands in his as they sit by the bright window of the hotel room.
Family and friends gather behind Sumaira and James on the white bench under a blush floral arch in the Grand Ballroom.
Two men in a pale blue suit and a black tuxedo stand behind the seated couple at the ballroom guest set.
A man in a white shirt and a woman lean in behind the couple at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay's ballroom photo set.
A woman in white lace, a boy in a navy shirt and a man in a pink blazer join the couple on the white bench.
A man in a light grey suit and a woman in blue florals stand behind the couple under the ballroom arch.
A man in a black tunic and a woman in green smile behind the couple in the ballroom at InterContinental Double Bay.
A woman in orange sits beside Sumaira as a man in a grey suit stands behind, pink roses spilling from the ballroom arch.
Three young guests in orange, navy and red pose behind the couple in the ballroom of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
Five women in navy, sky blue, grey, mint and cream stand behind the couple on the ballroom bench.
Women in cream and mint sit either side of the couple as three more stand behind under the pink roses.
Four women in mint, teal, cream and pale pink gather behind the couple for a ballroom portrait at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
A woman in coral and a man in a navy suit stand behind Sumaira and James among the ballroom florals.
A man in a denim blue shirt and a woman in white lace pose behind the couple in the Grand Ballroom.
A woman in an orange dress and a man in glasses and a burgundy tie stand behind the couple at the ballroom floral arch.
Four friends in black, florals, blush sequins and champagne crowd behind Sumaira and James at the ballroom set.
Two older women in cream and mint sit either side of the couple on the ballroom bench at InterContinental Double Bay.
A smiling bald man in glasses leans in behind James as the couple sit under the ballroom's blush flowers.
An older woman in a white jacket sits beside Sumaira as two guests stand behind under the ballroom arch at the InterContinental in Double Bay.
A tall man in a pink shirt and a woman in a floral blouse stand behind the couple under the floral arch.
A woman in a floral maxi dress and a man in a check shirt sit either side of the couple in the white ballroom.
A woman in a floral dress and a man in a check shirt stand behind Sumaira and James at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay's ballroom set.
A woman in teal and red florals and a man in a navy suit stand behind the seated couple at the ballroom photo set.
A man in a grey tie and a woman in green florals pose behind the couple in the ballroom at InterContinental Double Bay.
Three loved ones in a monochrome print, a dark suit and green florals stand behind the couple at the ballroom bench.
A woman in black with white embroidery sits beside Sumaira on the white bench, James on her other side.
A woman in emerald and a man in a white jacket stand behind the couple in the Grand Ballroom.
A woman in navy florals and a man in a burgundy tie sit on gold stools either side of the couple in the ballroom.
A white bearded man and a woman in purple print sit beside the couple at the ballroom arch of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
Loved ones in black lace and a dark suit stand behind as guests in grey and purple sit beside the couple on the ballroom bench.
A woman in black sequins and a man in a navy blazer sit either side of Sumaira and James on the white bench.
Friends in orange, black and coral surround the couple at the ballroom floral arch of InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
An older woman in teal and orange sits beside Sumaira while three guests in orange tones stand behind in the ballroom.
A woman in sage satin and a man in a blue suit flank the couple for a ballroom portrait at InterContinental Double Bay.
A man in a black tuxedo and bow tie stands behind the couple, women in sage and cream seated beside them in the ballroom.
Two men in red ties and a woman in cream stand behind the seated couple under the ballroom flowers.
An older man and a woman in pale blue stand behind the couple at the ballroom set of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
A woman in a pink floral dress and a man in a pale blue shirt sit either side of the couple on the ballroom bench.
Big smiles from a woman in pink florals and a man in pale blue seated with Sumaira and James in the ballroom.
Older men in suits sit beside the couple as four young men stand behind them in the Grand Ballroom.
Eight family members surround the couple, a man in grey and a woman in pink seated beside them in the ballroom.
A family group of eight, five standing behind, smiles with Sumaira and James under the blush floral ballroom arch.
Women in red and teal and a young man in navy sit around the couple in the ballroom at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
A woman in navy sequins, a woman in black and gold and a bearded man in grey sit with the couple beneath the ballroom flowers.
Women in navy and black florals and a white bearded man in a red tie sit with the couple at the ballroom photo set.
An older man in a grey blazer sits beside the couple as two men stand behind at InterContinental Double Bay's ballroom set.
An older man in a grey blazer holds a small boy on his lap beside the couple under the blush flowers.
A woman in mint sits beside Sumaira as a man holds a toddler behind them in the ballroom of the InterContinental in Double Bay.
Loved ones in peach and navy sit either side of the couple as two more stand behind under the pink and peach roses.
Sumaira and James cut a white tiered cake with pink flowers as family look on in the ballroom at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
The wedding story

Our InterContinental Sydney Double Bay wedding photos: an umbrella arch in Rhodes, sweets on stage and a harbour walk the next day

Golden hour on the Rhodes boardwalk · Umbrella arch at The Connection · Entrances under raised canopies · Sweets and blessings on stage · Dance floor and timber-screen portraits · Mrs Macquarie’s Point, courtyard and ballroom the next day

Read the full story

Golden light on the boardwalk

The first of Sumaira and James’ two celebrations began on the Rhodes waterfront in the late afternoon. Sumaira wore orange and gold with a long coral scarf trailing from her arm, and James was in a navy tunic with white trousers and white sneakers. We walked them along the timber boardwalk beside The Connection, apartment towers across the water, and they could not stop looking at each other. Boardwalks are great for walking frames: the long lines of the planks lead straight to the couple, and the low sun warms everything it touches.

Fruit, flowers and umbrellas

Inside, a long table piled with carved fruit stood ready, with candles, flowers and a melon carved into a heart bearing their names. At the door, guests walked in through an arch of embroidered umbrellas in every colour, and it became the photo stop of the night. James posed under it with two friends in matching bright scarves, then the couple stood there with a group of loved ones in jewel tones. Our tip: put a feature like this where guests arrive, close to window light, and everyone will gladly stop for a portrait.

Dancing on the terrace

Before the formalities, a group of women in green, gold, coral and navy danced out across the terrace under the big shade sail, the water glowing behind them. The low sun came straight through the gap, so we shot into it and let it flare softly around their dresses and flying scarves. It looked like the best warm-up in Rhodes. Late sun over water is worth chasing for movement shots like this, because the backlight outlines every swirl of fabric and turns a simple step into something cinematic.

Under the raised canopies

The entrances were loud and joyful. James came in under a length of bright fabric held high by friends, walking beneath the umbrella arch with a huge grin, and Sumaira followed under her own patterned canopy, held up by laughing loved ones while a toddler watched from someone’s arms. Behind them came a procession of women carrying trays of candles, petals and sweets under draped cloths in pink, green and orange. We walked backwards in front of each entrance with a wide lens, so the canopy, the faces and the crowd all fit in one frame.

A drummer and a pastel stage

The stage was a wall of pink, mint and orange drapes, carved gold lanterns and white carved chairs, with dried flowers in warm tones at either end. James and his friends in matching scarves waited there while a drummer beat out a rhythm on a big barrel drum, and Sumaira arrived beside a loved one, smiling under a red veil. Guests gathered at the foot of the stage, where the trays lay on the floor like a garden of colour. A raised stage helps photos enormously, because it lifts the couple clear of the crowd.

Sweets and blessings

Then loved ones came up one at a time. Some fed Sumaira and James a bite of something sweet from a silver tray, some pressed green leaves into their palms, and Sumaira burst out laughing when a guest in blue leaned in close, with James grinning beside her. We worked from the side of the stage at a slight angle, so every face showed and nobody’s back filled the frame. We also kept shooting between visitors, because the reactions afterwards are often better than the moment itself.

Groups around the little table

In between, we gathered groups on stage around the little table with its striped green and gold cloth: children perched on the carved chairs, friends in their matching scarves and older guests seated beside the couple. A stage set like this makes groups simple, because the chairs fix where people stand and the drapes give every frame the same colourful backdrop. We kept the camera at seated eye level, so the children and the couple share the picture equally and nobody looks small.

Coloured lights and a timber screen

Later the lights turned red and violet and the dance floor took over, arms in the air and scarves flying. Sumaira danced with a friend in black lace, then giggled shoulder to shoulder with another in green, and James clapped along beside her. To finish, we stepped out to a timber slat screen with a light glowing behind it and brought them in close, foreheads touching, stripes of light falling across them. One light source and a strong pattern are all a night portrait needs.

The next day by the harbour

The next afternoon we met them again for the second celebration, and this time the palette was red and gold. Our InterContinental Sydney Double Bay wedding photos from that day start on the sandstone shore at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, with the Opera House and the bridge behind them, then move to the hotel’s hedged courtyard for family groups, a balcony above Double Bay and a ballroom arch of blush flowers where the guests came up to sit with them. Seen side by side, the two days carry the same joy.

Photographer's venue notes

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay: harbour portraits, a hedged courtyard and a blush arch in the ballroom

Read the venue notes

Second day, three settings

Sumaira and James’ second celebration began away from the hotel, with portraits on the sandstone shore at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, then came back to Double Bay. Family photos happened in the hotel’s hedged courtyard in front of the white balconied facade, and we took the couple up to a curved balcony for a quiet moment above the leafy hillside. A white sofa by a bright window gave us a few calm seated portraits before the ballroom opened. Inside, the reception centred on a white bench under a blush floral arch, where guests came up in turn to sit with them.

Afternoon light by the harbour and in the courtyard

At the harbour the afternoon sun was strong and bright, so the shaded path under the trees suited closer frames, while the open rocks gave wide views with the bridge and the Opera House behind. A breeze off the water lifted Sumaira’s red veil at the rail and gave that portrait movement. Back at the hotel, the courtyard walls had already thrown soft shade across the paving, kind light for a long run of family groups between the clipped hedges. On the balcony, the late light came in low and warm over the hillside homes.

Making the ballroom guest set work

The guest set was the heart of the evening, and it worked because it stayed in one place. The white bench, the arch of pink and peach roses and the panelled white walls behind gave every pair, family and group the same clean background, so the whole set reads as one series. We kept our position fixed and the light even, and simply reframed for each group, seated or standing. When a group grew, a pair of gold stools beside the bench let extra guests sit alongside the couple.

Tips for a two day celebration

When the celebrations run across two days, a fresh palette helps the photos tell them apart: orange and gold in Rhodes, then red and gold for Double Bay. Doing the harbour first, as Sumaira and James did, means the courtyard groups and the ballroom follow with no more travel. Flat shoes make the walk over the uneven sandstone at the point much easier. And ask one organised friend to call guests to the arch table by table, so the line keeps moving and nobody misses a turn.

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