Sandringham Yacht Club Weddings
A glass-walled clubhouse above the marina, with Port Phillip Bay and Sandringham Beach on the doorstep.
Sandringham Yacht Club sits on Jetty Road in Sandringham, on the shore of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne’s bayside south, about half an hour from the city centre by car. The club traces its roots to the Port Phillip Yacht Club, founded at Sandringham in the early 1900s, and its modern clubhouse was completed in the late 2000s beside a marina of about 360 berths. Weddings centre on the Port Phillip Room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a long balcony over the water and room for up to about 250 seated guests, while ceremonies can take the Southern Podium, an outdoor balcony bordering the bay.
We photographed Arielle and Darran’s wedding here: a church ceremony in St Kilda East, a windswept walk along Sandringham Beach, then speeches against the club’s wall of glass as night came down over the bay and a last kiss on the spiral staircase above the boats.
Photographing a wedding at Sandringham Yacht Club
Plan the day around sunset over the bay: the balcony and the Southern Podium face the water, and the windows turn deep blue after dark, which makes a soft backdrop for speeches. The foreshore paths, palms and Sandringham Beach are a short walk away for portraits, so allow 30 to 40 minutes between the arrival and the reception. The breeze off the bay lifts veils and hair, so bring pins, and on a wet day the glass walls still keep the water in every frame.
Read the wedding venue guide
A bayside wedding at the club
Weddings here revolve around the Port Phillip Room, a long glass room above the marina with a balcony over the water. You can marry outside on the Southern Podium with the bay behind you, or in a church elsewhere and arrive for the evening. A private bridal room gives you somewhere to breathe before the entrance. For portraits, the grassy foreshore paths and palms lead down to Sandringham Beach within a few minutes on foot, then the terrace above the water is waiting at dusk. Dinner, speeches and dancing all happen in the glass room, with the bay in every frame.
Weather on the bay
The bay sets the mood in every season. Summer gives long, warm evenings with light until well after eight, though the sand and the podium have little shade, so think hats and water for an afternoon ceremony. Autumn often brings the stillest days and soft pink skies. Winter is cold and grey on the water, with dark soon after five, so beach portraits need to come early and stay short. Spring is breezy and changeable, and a southerly can arrive without much warning. If rain sets in, the ceremony moves indoors to the Port Phillip Room, and the glass still frames the water.
Light, wind and the glass room
On the sand the breeze rarely drops, so we lean into the movement: hair and veil flying, a walk along the waterline with white water behind. Up on the terrace at dusk the mood calms, and the pale sky over the bay gives soft, close portraits at the glass rail. After dark the windows go deep blue and fairy lights repeat in the glass, a lovely backdrop for every speech. The spiral staircase above the marina gives a final high angle down to the boats. Outdoor vows on the podium compete with wind and water, so put a microphone on the celebrant.
Planning tips
Work your timeline back from sunset, so the beach gets the soft end of the day and the terrace gets the dusk colour. If your ceremony is inland, allow the drive and still arrive with light to spare. Pins for the veil and a hair plan that copes with wind will save stress. Sand and grass paths are easier barefoot or in flats, so keep a pair in the car. Once the speeches are done, step out for a few minutes around the club, because night reflections in the glass make a quiet last portrait.