Manly Pavilion wedding photos: Melanie and Damian share a long embrace on the rocks above the bright blue harbour, Northern Beaches, Sydney
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Manly Pavilion Wedding Photos: Melanie & Damian

Manly Pavilion · West Esplanade, Manly NSW · Sydney

Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · Waterside Wedding · Region: NSW - Northern Beaches · City: Sydney · Venue: Manly Pavilion

A ring box tucked into lilac roses, a first look on the sandstone with a ferry gliding past, then vows on a terrace that seemed to float above Manly Cove. Melanie and Damian kept their wedding at Manly Pavilion small, sunny and close to the water on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We were with them from the window light of the morning to a long, happy lunch under white arches, where the laughter during the speeches and the cake cutting carried right across the room.

The gallery
Melanie's lace wedding gown with a blush lining hangs from a clear hanger against pale blue cabinet doors.
An open timber ring box holds two wedding bands among lilac roses, white anemones and tiny purple sprigs.
A jewelled leaf hair comb rests on a glass perfume bottle in a single patch of morning sun.
Melanie laughs in a white robe as her long dark hair is styled in the lounge room.
In a lace-trimmed white robe, Melanie looks towards the window while her dark hair is blow-dried with a round brush.
A loved one in a sparkly sequinned dress smiles across the kitchen as Melanie's hair is brushed out.
Damian in a grey suit adjusts his dark tie beside a frosted glass window, smiling to himself.
Damian leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets for a smiling portrait in black and white.
Damian sits on a timber stool by a frosted glass door, reading a card while flowers wait in the foreground.
Over Damian's shoulder, the handwritten card in his hands catches soft light from the frosted window.
Melanie fastens an earring in her lace gown beside a frosted glass door, with posies of lilac roses below.
Melanie looks down over her shoulder and smiles, dark curls spilling over her lace gown, in black and white.
A loved one in a dark sequinned dress gathers the tulle skirt as she and Melanie share a smile.
In black and white, a loved one fastens the back of Melanie's lace gown in bright window light.
Melanie smiles holding her bouquet of white anemones, lilac roses and soft greenery in a white-walled room.
A black and white profile of Melanie glancing down at her bouquet, long curls falling across the lace.
Melanie smiles over her shoulder beside a frosted window, her bouquet of anemones and lilac roses in hand.
On the foreshore by Manly Pavilion on the Northern Beaches, Damian wipes a tear with his back turned as Melanie walks up.
Melanie walks up the harbourside reserve towards Damian, who grins with his back to her beneath twisting gum trees.
Damian beams at Melanie on a sandstone ledge during their first look, the harbour shining blue behind them.
Melanie lights up at Damian during their first look, holding her lilac and white bouquet beneath the trees.
Melanie hugs Damian tight after the first look, eyes closed and smiling, beside a sandstone outcrop on the Northern Beaches.
Melanie and Damian hold each other close by the water, her jewelled comb glinting in the morning sun.
Arm in arm on a sandstone ledge, the couple gaze across Manly Cove on the Northern Beaches as a ferry pulls in.
Melanie and Damian smile at each other on the waterfront rocks, moored boats and apartments across the cove.
Foreheads touching, Damian smiles at Melanie against nothing but blue harbour water.
Hand in hand, Melanie and Damian stroll a sandstone path past white flowering coastal shrubs on the Northern Beaches.
The couple walk hand in hand between coastal shrubs, with Manly Cove and the headland opening up behind them.
Arms around each other, Melanie and Damian share a look above the calm water of the harbourside foreshore.
Melanie rests her head on Damian's chest at the grassy waterside edge of the rocks, her tulle train spread across the stone.
Holding hands, Melanie and Damian face each other against the wide blue water of Manly Cove and a hazy far shore.
Damian wraps his arms around Melanie from behind as she smiles with her bouquet beside the harbour.
Melanie and Damian with two loved ones on the waterfront rocks, all smiling in the morning sun on the Northern Beaches.
From the hillside path, guests gather on the heritage terrace at Manly Pavilion for a waterside ceremony above the cove.
Damian grins at the end of the aisle, hands behind his back, with the glass balustrade and harbour behind him.
Melanie walks down the aisle alone towards Damian on the historic terrace of Manly Cove Pavilion, guests turning in white chairs.
Melanie smiles as she walks the aisle with her anemone bouquet, guests raising phones at the Northern Beaches ceremony.
Damian beams at Melanie as she reaches him, her jewelled comb catching the sun at their waterfront ceremony.
Seen over guests' heads, Melanie and Damian face each other for their vows at heritage Manly Pavilion, the cove behind.
Holding hands at the glass balustrade, Melanie looks down shyly as the harbourside vows begin on the historic terrace.
At Manly Pavilion, Manly, Melanie and Damian laugh together mid-vow with blue water beyond the glass balustrade.
A guest in sunglasses gives a reading into the microphone, with harbourside apartments softly blurred behind her.
Guests watch from white chairs at historic Manly Pavilion, sandstone cliffs and palm fronds rising behind the glass.
An older guest dabs her eyes with a tissue beside a smiling man in sunglasses during the vows on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Three guests laugh along in white chairs before the historic pavilion's glass doors during the waterside vows.
Melanie and Damian share their first kiss at Manly Pavilion on the Northern Beaches, the cove sparkling behind.
Melanie cups Damian's cheek as he grins with his eyes closed, the harbour stretching out beyond the heritage terrace.
Melanie signs at a small white table on the waterfront terrace, her bouquet of anemones and lilac roses beside her.
Damian leans in to sign beside Melanie on the historic terrace at Manly Cove Pavilion, his lilac rose buttonhole close to camera.
A loved one in a sequinned dress adds her name at the signing table by the water on a sunny Northern Beaches morning.
A bearded guest in a navy suit adds his name at the signing table on the historic harbour terrace.
Damian kisses Melanie's hand between clear plinths of lilac roses at Manly Pavilion, the waterfront glittering behind.
Guests applaud from white chairs on the heritage terrace, bushland and sandstone behind the glass balustrade.
Smiling guests capture the moment on their phones under the Northern Beaches sun, bushland rising behind them.
After the vows, Damian chats over drinks outside historic Manly Pavilion, Manly, beside potted succulents and glass doors.
Two older guests laugh over drinks on the waterfront terrace, the cove and wharf buildings behind them.
Melanie closes her eyes in a warm hug with a guest, a glass of pink bubbles in hand, on the Northern Beaches harbourside.
The big family line-up gathers around Melanie and Damian inside the heritage-listed Manly Pavilion, tall white windows behind.
Melanie and Damian with a bearded man in a navy suit and a woman in a black floral dress on the historic parquet floor.
The couple stand with an older pair in navy by the tall windows of the waterside pavilion on the Northern Beaches.
Melanie and Damian pose with a white-haired older guest in a dark suit on the herringbone parquet of the heritage-listed venue.
The couple with a young man in a dark blazer and a woman in a navy slip dress at Manly Cove Pavilion.
The couple with a woman in a palm print dress and an older woman in a red floral top under the historic beamed ceiling.
Melanie and Damian with a bearded man and a blonde woman in navy satin at Manly Pavilion on the Northern Beaches.
Damian stands between a bearded man in a navy suit and a blonde woman in a navy satin dress by the waterfront windows.
Four guests in navy and black florals line up on the parquet, smiling for a group photo on the Northern Beaches.
A laughing guest in gold sequins cuddles Melanie beside a tall man in a black suit at Manly Pavilion, water beyond the windows.
Melanie and Damian with a woman in a red floral top and a long-haired bearded man in black inside the heritage pavilion.
Melanie and Damian surrounded by friends in floral and polka-dot dresses in the bright harbourside room.
Six loved ones, including an older man in sunglasses, line up with the couple on the parquet of the Northern Beaches venue.
Melanie and Damian with two older guests in black at Manly Pavilion, Manly, the harbour showing through the windows.
The couple with a bearded guest in a navy jacket and tan chinos and a woman in black in the historic harbour pavilion.
The couple with a man in a lilac shirt and a woman in blush satin, the cove bright beyond the windows on the Northern Beaches.
Melanie stands between a woman in blush satin and a woman in black at Manly Cove Pavilion, the waterfront beyond the glass.
Melanie beams with an older woman in black lace and an older man in tinted glasses beneath a ceiling fan in the heritage building.
Melanie with seven friends in floral, green and black dresses and a man in a navy jacket on the Northern Beaches.
Melanie squeezes in close between a friend in black and a friend in a green polka-dot wrap dress at the historic venue.
Damian with a blonde guest in a navy satin dress, the sand and ferry wharf of the cove through the windows of Manly Pavilion.
Damian with an older man in a navy suit and a woman in a navy beaded dress, arms around him by the harbourside windows.
Melanie and Damian kiss as they cut their white drip cake with lilac sugar roses at Manly Pavilion on the Northern Beaches.
An older guest in a black jacket grins at his table as guests behind take phone photos in the historic dining room.
A bearded guest in a navy suit checks his phone by the cake beneath the heritage pavilion's white arch.
A guest in a navy beaded dress laughs during the speeches at the long Northern Beaches lunch.
An older guest speaks beside the cake as Melanie and Damian laugh hand in hand at the Manly Cove Pavilion bar.
A guest in a pale blue shirt and dotted tie reads his speech from a folded page beside the cake under the heritage arches.
A white-haired guest in a dark suit smiles at his table among the glasses during lunch on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Guests at the timber tables laugh along with the speeches beneath the tall windows of Manly Pavilion, Manly.
Melanie and Damian laugh at the speech beside their cake, the timber wine fridges of the historic venue behind them.
Framed by a broad white arch, Melanie and Damian laugh by the cake before the timber bar at heritage Manly Pavilion.
The wedding story

Our Manly Pavilion wedding photos: a first look on the harbour rocks, vows above Manly Cove and a cake under white arches

Getting ready in window light · First look on the harbour foreshore · Portraits on the sandstone · Vows on the Manly Pavilion terrace · Family photos by the big windows · Lunch, speeches and cake

Read the full story

Lilac roses and a ring box

Our morning started with the small things, before anyone picked them up. Melanie’s lace gown hung against a pale door, and a little timber ring box sat open among lilac roses, white blooms and sprigs of lavender. A jewelled hair comb rested on top of a perfume bottle in a single patch of sun, which we framed against deep shadow so it glowed. Then we turned to Melanie in her white robe, laughing as her long dark hair was blow-dried into soft waves. Details first, people second: it means nothing gets rushed later.

A letter by the window

Damian was getting ready nearby in a grey suit, and he made our job easy. He fixed his tie beside a tall window, then stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets for a black and white portrait. The quiet moment came when he sat on a timber stool by the frosted glass and read a handwritten letter, taking his time over every line. We stayed back and let the window do the work. Soft side light from frosted glass is about the kindest light there is for a face that is trying very hard not to cry.

Into the lace gown

Back with Melanie, a loved one in a sparkly sequinned dress helped her into the gown, and the two of them shared a smile as the last fastenings went in. We photographed Melanie by the window afterwards, adjusting an earring, then holding her bouquet of white anemones with dark centres, lilac roses and soft greenery. White walls bounce light back onto a bride, so even a small room gives you a clean, bright portrait. One black and white frame of her looking down over her shoulder, curls spilling over the lace, is still a favourite of ours.

A first look on the foreshore

Before the ceremony we headed to the harbour foreshore close to the Pavilion, a grassy reserve with sandstone ledges and twisting gums. Damian waited on the path with his back turned, already wiping away a tear, while Melanie walked up behind him, grinning. When he turned around, they held each other for a long time. A first look in the morning takes the nerves out of the day and gives you portraits in fresh light, well before guests arrive. We kept a longer lens and our distance, so the moment stayed theirs.

Ferries and blue water

The harbour then did the rest. Melanie and Damian stood on the sandstone looking out across Manly Cove while a ferry slid past towards the wharf, with the towers of Manly and the long line of North Head behind them. We moved in close for their foreheads touching against nothing but blue water, then pulled back so they walked hand in hand between coastal shrubs with the whole cove opening up behind. Shooting down onto the water from the rocks gives a clean, calm background, which is why we love this stretch of foreshore for portraits.

Vows above Manly Cove

From the hillside path we looked straight down onto the Pavilion terrace, white chairs lined up beside the glass balustrade and the cove beyond, then hurried down to join everyone. Damian waited at the end of the aisle between two clear plinths of lilac roses. Melanie walked towards him with the harbour filling the frame ahead of her, and the guests turned with phones and big smiles. A glass balustrade is a gift at a waterside ceremony: nothing breaks the line of the water behind the couple, so every frame looks out to sea.

A reading, a kiss, a signature

Our Manly Pavilion wedding photos from the ceremony are full of happy faces. A guest in sunglasses gave a reading into the microphone, the front row laughed and wiped their eyes, and Damian kissed Melanie’s hand mid-vow. Their first kiss came with the cove sparkling behind them, followed by a softer second one with her hand on his cheek. Then they signed at a small white table on the terrace, with two loved ones adding their names. Late morning sun is bright on that pale stone, so we placed ourselves to keep the harbour behind faces, not in them.

Hugs, then the family line-ups

Straight after, it was hugs and champagne on the terrace. An older guest pulled Melanie into a big embrace, glass in hand, and Damian was swept up by relatives in the sunshine. For the family photos we moved inside to a bright room lined with tall white windows and a parquet floor. With a small wedding we can work through every combination calmly, from the big family line-up to friends in floral dresses and couples in navy. Big windows behind a group give soft, even light from the front and a glimpse of the cove too.

Lunch, speeches and cake

Lunch was relaxed and full of laughter. Their cake, white and gold with lilac sugar flowers, waited on a stand in front of a timber bar lined with wine fridges under a broad white arch. An older guest stood by the cake and read his speech from a folded page, and the tables were soon in fits of laughter. Melanie and Damian laughed along beside him, then cut the cake together with a kiss. Our last pictures were taken through that arch, the two of them small and bright inside it, which says Pavilion better than any close-up.

Photographer's venue notes

Manly Pavilion, Manly: a foreshore first look, terrace vows above the cove and lunch under white arches

Read the venue notes

Terrace, window room and arches

Melanie and Damian kept everything within a short walk. The first look and couple portraits happened on the grassy foreshore beside the Pavilion, then we climbed to the hillside path for one wide view down onto the terrace as guests took their white chairs. Vows and the signing happened on that terrace beside the glass balustrade. Afterwards we moved indoors to the bright room with tall white windows and parquet for the family line-ups, and lunch, speeches and cake followed beneath the white arch by the timber bar. Nobody needed a car all day.

Working with morning sun on the water

This was a morning wedding, and that shaped every choice we made. Early light on the foreshore was fresh and clear, with calm water and ferries sliding in towards the wharf, so we did the first look and portraits well before guests arrived. By the ceremony the sun was high and the pale terrace was bouncing light everywhere. We stood so the harbour sat behind the couple rather than glaring across their faces, and saved the window room for groups, where the light came in soft and even.

The spots that worked for Melanie and Damian

The sandstone ledges just along from the Pavilion gave us the most variety in the smallest space: a twisting gum for the first look, open rock with only blue water behind for close frames, and a path between white flowering coastal shrubs for walking shots with the cove and headland opening up. Inside, the herringbone parquet and tall windows kept every family group clean and bright, with a glimpse of sand and wharf through the glass. The broad white arch over the bar made a natural frame for the cake cutting.

Tips for a similar harbour morning

If you like the idea of a late morning ceremony here, book the first look early and keep it on the foreshore, when the rocks are calm and quiet. Guests sitting near the balustrade will thank you for sunglasses, since the terrace gets bright quickly. Ask a loved one to hold the bouquet while you walk the sandstone, and choose shoes you can step up a ledge in. Plan the family list in advance; with a small group we got through every combination indoors without anyone waiting long.

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