Sergeants Mess wedding photos: Sarah and George stand close on the Chowder Bay wharf, white crossed railings and bush covered hillside behind them, Sydney
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Real wedding · Mosman, North Shore

Sergeants Mess Wedding Photos: Sarah & George

Sergeants Mess · Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW · Sydney

Waterside Wedding · Region: NSW - Sydney North Shore · City: Sydney · Venues: Clifton Gardens · Sergeants Mess

Beige suits on a hotel balcony above Double Bay, a white vintage car at the kerb, then vows between two stands of blush roses with the harbour spread out behind. Sarah and George’s Sergeants Mess wedding at Chowder Bay in Mosman took in a white-railed wharf, a little sandy beach and a dinner full of sparklers, happy tears and a first dance through a carpet of fog. We were right there with them, and we loved every cheer.

The gallery
George adjusts his cuff in a marble bathroom mirror while getting ready at InterContinental Double Bay, white pocket square in place.
George and his three groomsmen in matching beige suits raise their drinks on the hotel balcony under a grey sky.
The groom and his groomsmen crack up laughing over drinks on the balcony, one tipping his head right back.
The groom stands with a tall groomsman at the balcony rail, leafy rooftops and a strip of water behind them.
A bearded groomsman and the groom smile side by side on the balcony, a crane rising over the rooftops.
The groom laughs and claps his hands beside a grinning groomsman in beige on the hotel balcony.
The groom laughs beside a smiling loved one in a navy suit and floral tie as the morning warms up.
Two loved ones kiss George on both cheeks at once as he grins on the balcony.
A loved one in a deep green dress smiles warmly at the groom on the balcony.
George poses with three loved ones in navy, deep red and green on the hotel balcony.
A loved one in a green dress pins a white rose buttonhole onto the groom's lapel.
The invitation with Sarah and George's names, a diamond ring, perfume, a crystal bracelet and beaded lace on soft tulle.
An oval halo diamond ring rests on the invitation between Sarah and George's names.
A fine brush traces lip colour onto the bride's lips, her lashes and soft bronze eye makeup in focus.
Sarah looks down at her bouquet of white roses, her veil falling softly in the window light.
Sarah smiles by the window blinds in a thin strapped satin gown, holding long stemmed white roses.
Sarah glances down at her long veil by the window, white roses held loosely at her side.
In black and white, Sarah stands by the bright blinds with her veil trailing to the floor.
Sarah looks back over her shoulder by the window, covered buttons running down the open back of her satin gown.
In black and white, Sarah looks over her shoulder by the window, her veil and open back lit from the side.
Sarah smiles down over her shoulder by the window, her veil flowing back towards the bedroom door.
In black and white, Sarah smiles over her shoulder with her white roses, the long veil glowing in the window light.
Sarah smiles towards the window, drop earrings catching the light and covered buttons down her open back.
Sarah holds her white roses by the window as her long veil sweeps across the bedroom floor.
Sarah pins a white rose to a loved one's navy lapel, leafy trees soft beyond the balcony.
A loved one in a teal one shoulder dress smiles as Sarah fixes a buttonhole on the balcony.
Sarah stands between a loved one in a navy suit and another in a teal one shoulder dress.
A loved one kisses Sarah's hand as she laughs beside a smiling woman in teal.
Sarah and her three bridesmaids in blush satin slip dresses hold white and blush roses on the balcony.
Four smiling faces over four bouquets of white and blush roses as the bridesmaids gather close around Sarah.
Bouquets of white and blush roses in sharp focus, with Sarah and her bridesmaids laughing softly behind.
Sarah laughs with a bridesmaid in blush satin, both holding their roses by the balcony rail.
Sarah smiles down at her bouquet beside a bridesmaid holding white and blush roses.
Sarah and a bridesmaid in a blush cowl neck slip dress pose with their roses on the balcony.
Sarah gathers her long veil as she settles into a white vintage car with red leather seats, a red carpet at the door.
Guests smile from rows of chairs on the timber deck at Sergeants Mess, bushland beyond the glass railing.
Guests fill the front row of white chairs at the harbourside amphitheatre, tiered seating rising through tall grasses behind.
An older guest in a brown lace jacket and pearls waits on a white chair in the bush garden at Sergeants Mess in Mosman.
Seated guests turn towards the aisle on Sydney's North Shore, a woman in royal blue lace among them.
Sarah arrives with two loved ones beside the white vintage car and red carpet at Sergeants' Mess.
George chats with guests in the front row before the waterfront ceremony, a white rose on his lapel.
An older couple sit together before the ceremony, tall grasses and stone steps behind them at Sergeants Mess.
George and his groomsmen grin as Sarah appears at the top of the aisle, the harbour behind two floral stands on the lower North Shore.
Her dad walks Sarah down the steps towards George at Sergeants' Mess on Sydney's North Shore, the groomsmen waiting by the water.
Sarah and George hold hands between two blush and white floral stands, the harbour flat and silver behind and a far headland beyond.
Guests watch the vows from the tiered seating among tall grasses and bush at Sergeants' Mess.
An older couple smile towards the vows from the front row of a North Shore harbourside ceremony.
Three bridesmaids in blush satin hold their roses under a big spreading tree at Sergeants Mess.
Three groomsmen in beige with blush rose buttonholes wait on the waterside ceremony lawn on Sydney's North Shore.
Loved ones in the front row watch the vows, the signing table set beneath a spreading tree at Sergeants Mess in Mosman.
Two guests hold hands as they watch the ceremony among tall grasses at a lower North Shore waterfront wedding.
Sarah and George smile at each other as they hold hands, the harbour silver behind them at Sergeants' Mess.
A beaming guest in a pinstripe suit watches the ceremony, the venue's white railed balcony rising behind the seating.
Sarah's hand with her diamond ring rests over George's wedding band on the signed certificate at the waterfront ceremony.
The wedding party gathers around Sarah and George at the signing table under a huge tree at Sergeants' Mess on Sydney's North Shore.
Sarah and George share a kiss between the floral stands as guests cheer, the wide harbour open behind them.
Sarah and George kiss on the garden steps as bubbles drift past and guests line the path below the Sergeants Mess balcony.
The wedding party lines up between two white vintage cars on the North Shore foreshore, the harbour and a green headland beyond.
Sarah and George stand on the Chowder Bay wharf, white crossed railings and bush covered hillside behind them.
George dips Sarah for a kiss on the timber wharf, a small yellow shelter and lower North Shore hillside homes behind.
Sarah and George look back over their shoulders on the wharf, her long veil trailing across the weathered boards.
Hand in hand, Sarah and George glance back as her veil flies out on a breezy wharf on the lower North Shore.
Sarah and George walk hand in hand along the wharf at Clifton Gardens, an arched sandstone building at the far end.
The wedding party lines up along the wharf as a harbour breeze lifts Sarah's veil around the bridesmaids.
Sarah and her bridesmaids throw their bouquets high on the waterfront wharf, hillside homes behind them.
Sarah laughs with the men of the wedding party, roses in hand, on the wharf at Chowder Bay.
George scoops Sarah up on the wharf as the groomsmen cheer and punch the air above the bay.
Sarah and George stroll past the arched sandstone Submarine Miners' Depot at Chowder Bay, her veil trailing on the concrete.
Sarah and George stand at the barn doors of a pale yellow timber shed, bush covered hillside rising behind on the North Shore.
George rests his forehead against Sarah's at the painted barn doors on the waterfront, her veil pooling at their feet.
Sarah wraps her arms around George's neck as he smiles down, a pale timber wall behind them on the harbour foreshore.
George kisses Sarah's forehead as she smiles to camera on Sydney's North Shore, white roses behind his shoulder.
Barefoot on the sand, Sarah and George walk hand in hand along the little beach at Clifton Gardens, her veil flying.
Sarah smiles back over her shoulder holding George's hand on the sand, harbour water soft behind her on the lower North Shore.
George carries Sarah along the beach and kisses her, a sandstone sea wall and the bay beside them.
George sweeps Sarah off her feet on the harbourside beach, her gown and veil swinging out behind.
Sarah raises her bouquet as she and George walk into the reception at Sergeants' Mess between sparkler fountains.
Sarah and George with two older loved ones beside a reception table dressed in white flowers on Sydney's North Shore.
Sarah and George with an older couple under crystal chandeliers, the harbour view behind them at Sergeants Mess in Mosman.
Sarah and George with a loved one in a gingham shirt and floral tie inside the North Shore waterfront reception room.
Sarah and George with five guests against the warm timber panelled walls of the reception room at Sergeants Mess.
Sarah and George with a family group by the windows, the harbour and a far headland outside on the lower North Shore.
A guest wipes his eye during the speeches beside an older loved one in blue lace at Sergeants' Mess on Sydney's North Shore.
An older guest in a pinstripe suit leans on his chair to listen, a white orchid centrepiece behind him.
George hides his face in his hands at the top table at Sergeants' Mess as Sarah and a groomsman laugh, the harbour deep blue beyond.
A smiling guest in black and white lace turns in her chair during the speeches at the waterfront reception.
An older guest in glasses smiles over his chair back at Sergeants Mess in Mosman, white orchids and blush roses behind.
Sarah and George with a big group of friends in floral, blue and satin dresses in the harbourside room on Sydney's North Shore.
Guests at a round table laugh along with the speeches at Sergeants Mess, a woman in teal smiling in the middle.
A bridesmaid in blush satin gives her speech under a long garland of white orchids and blush roses at a lower North Shore reception.
A groomsman reads his speech from a page, microphone in hand, beside the tables at Sergeants' Mess on Sydney's North Shore.
A loved one in deep green laughs during the speeches as an older guest rests his chin on his hand at the bayside reception.
A guest in a grey shirt laughs and gestures between the round tables in the timber panelled room at Sergeants' Mess.
Sarah wipes away a tear as George reads his speech from a page at the harbourside top table.
Sarah and George cut their four tier white cake dressed in blush roses and white flowers at Sergeants Mess in Mosman.
Sarah and George hold each other close on the dance floor, the floral top table and cake behind them on the North Shore.
Sarah and George share their first dance through a carpet of low fog at Sergeants Mess.
Fog rolls across the dance floor as Sarah and George dance by the long top table at their North Shore waterfront reception.
The wedding story

Our Sergeants Mess wedding photos: vows above the harbour, a veil flying on the wharf and a first dance through fog

Getting ready at InterContinental Double Bay · Vintage car arrival · Harbourside ceremony at Sergeants Mess · Wharf and beach portraits at Chowder Bay · Sparklers and speeches · First dance in fog

Read the full story

Beige suits above Double Bay

Our day began with George at the InterContinental Double Bay, checking his jacket in the bathroom mirror before the groomsmen spilled out onto the balcony. Four beige suits, drinks in hand, rooftops and a strip of harbour behind them: nobody was standing still. A grey sky helped up there: soft light from every side and no squinting. A loved one in a green dress pinned a white rose to his lapel, and two more planted a kiss on each of his cheeks at once. George laughed so hard we nearly lost the frame.

Invitations, perfume and fine lines

Where Sarah was getting ready, we started with the small things: the invitation with their names in fine lettering, her perfume and a bracelet laid out on soft fabric beside the white roses. We always photograph details early, while the room is still calm and nothing has been picked up. Then we moved in close for the last touch of lipstick, the brush catching the window light. Close-ups like that need only a corner of the room, so the makeup kept moving and Sarah never felt crowded.

Satin, buttons and a long veil

Then the gown went on: slim white satin, thin straps and a row of covered buttons down an open back, with a long veil that pooled on the floor. We stood Sarah beside the window, where the blinds turned harsh daylight into something soft and even, as she looked back over her shoulder with her bouquet of white roses. That side light shows the shine of satin far better than any lamp. One frame of her against the bright window we kept in black and white, just shape, veil and light.

Blush satin and a vintage car

Out on the balcony the bridesmaids arrived in blush satin slip dresses, each holding white and blush roses, and the laughing started straight away. We lined them up against the trees for a frame of four faces over four bouquets. Sarah pinned a white rose onto a loved one in a navy suit, and a loved one in a teal dress could not stop smiling at her. Then it was time to go. A white vintage car waited with a red carpet at its door, and Sarah gathered her veil and stepped inside.

Down the steps to the water

At Sergeants Mess the guests filled white chairs on the tiered garden above the harbour, tucked in among tall grasses and bush. Sarah arrived with two loved ones beside the car, then Sarah’s dad walked her down the steps towards two tall stands of blush and white flowers at the water’s edge. George waited there with the groomsmen in matching beige. Tiered seating is a gift for photographers: we could shoot from the back over the guests’ heads and still see the whole aisle, the arch and the open water beyond.

Hands, rings and a big tree

Under that soft grey sky Sarah and George held hands and faced each other, the harbour flat and silver behind them. We kept a longer lens on their faces and let a second angle take in the crowd’s reactions. After the rings went on, the signing table sat under a big spreading tree, and we brought the wedding party in around them for a relaxed group frame. The kiss got a cheer, then they walked back through the garden past every smiling guest, and the whole wedding party gathered between two white vintage cars on the foreshore.

Veils and cheers on the wharf

Then we headed down to the Chowder Bay wharf, a long run of weathered timber with white crossed railings. A breeze off the water caught Sarah’s veil and swept it across the boards, so we stopped posing and simply let it fly. George dipped her for a kiss, they walked hand in hand towards us, and the bridesmaids threw their arms and bouquets in the air. Then George scooped Sarah up while the groomsmen cheered. Wharves give you a clean line straight to the couple, with the bush and houses of Mosman behind.

Sandstone, timber and sand

Our Sergeants Mess wedding photos kept going along the foreshore, where three very different backdrops sit close together. First the old sandstone depot building with its arched windows, then the pale yellow timber sheds with big barn doors, where George kissed Sarah’s forehead and she leant into him. Plain walls like these strip everything back to the two of you. Last came the little beach: Sarah carried her bouquet across the sand with the veil trailing, and George swept her off her feet one more time. Bring a towel for sandy shoes.

Sparklers, speeches and fog

Sparkler fountains lit the doorway as Sarah and George walked into the reception, and the guests clapped them in. The top table sat under a long garland of white orchids and blush roses, with the windows behind turning deep blue over the harbour. A bridesmaid took the microphone, a groomsman followed, and George read from his page while Sarah dabbed her eye. He hid his face laughing more than once. They cut a four-tier white cake dressed in blush flowers, then danced their first dance through a carpet of low fog.

Photographer's venue notes

Sergeants Mess, Mosman: harbourside vows under a grey sky and a breezy loop of the Chowder Bay foreshore

Read the venue notes

Garden, foreshore and dining room

Sarah and George married in the tiered garden beside Sergeants Mess, with guests on white chairs among tall grasses and Sarah coming down the steps with her dad to the floral stands at the water’s edge. The signing table sat under the big spreading tree, and the wedding party gathered between the two vintage cars straight after. From there we walked the foreshore below the venue: the wharf first, then the sandstone depot and the yellow sheds, finishing on the little beach at Clifton Gardens before heading inside for the reception.

A grey sky over the harbour

From the balcony in the morning to the vows, the sky stayed grey, and it was a gift. The harbour turned flat and silver behind the couple, faces stayed soft with no squinting, and we could shoot in any direction without fighting the sun. Out on the wharf the wind was stronger, and Sarah’s veil became the star of those frames, flying out across the railings and around the bridesmaids. By the time guests sat down for dinner, the harbour beyond the top table had turned a deep evening blue.

Where we stood them

From the top of the steps, the two floral stands framed Sarah and George with the harbour between them, and the tall grasses softened the foreground for guest reactions. On the wharf, the white crossed railings run in a long line towards the couple, so a walk towards us reads cleanly, and the wedding party lined up along the rail as well. The arched windows of the old depot and the painted barn doors of the timber sheds gave us plain, textured walls for close and quiet frames, and the beach gave George room to carry Sarah.

Tips for a foreshore loop

Plan the portraits as one walking loop so nobody has to double back: wharf, depot, sheds and then the sand worked neatly for Sarah and George. Do the full wedding party on the wharf before the couple’s time alone, because the bouquets thrown in the air worked best with everyone still fresh and excited. Going barefoot is easiest on the beach, and Sarah slipped her shoes off for the sand. Finally, let the veil stay loose; on a breezy wharf, its movement was half the fun.

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