Anchorage Port Stephens wedding photographer: White verandas on the marina

An Anchorage Port Stephens wedding is a waterside one: the hotel stands on its own marina at Corlette Point, with white walls, broad verandas and Hamptons styling turned towards the bay. We drive up from Cooks Hill in about an hour, and the appeal for us is that boats and water sit in the background of almost every frame without leaving the grounds.

Check your date at Anchorage Port Stephens (02) 5550 7136

Black and white: a bride stands in the shallows, her skirt lifting as the wave runs out — From the studio
39 km north-east
Sunset, January
8:03pm
Sunset, June
4:52pm

Why an Anchorage Port Stephens wedding makes our favourites list

The Anchorage is built around water. Most of its rooms look out over the marina, the bay or the pool, and the coastal gardens run to within footsteps of the shore, so the backdrop is masts, calm water and the far side of the port.

The architecture helps as well: white walls and broad verandas throw soft light back into faces, which is rare on a bright coastal afternoon, and the light-filled interiors make getting ready easy to photograph.

Corlette Beach is a short walk through the grounds, so a barefoot frame on the sand is only a few minutes from the vows.

Getting there

The Anchorage is at 26 Corlette Point Road, Corlette. From Newcastle it is roughly 55 km, following Nelson Bay Road almost to its end and turning off along Port Stephens Drive, so allow about an hour.

Nelson Bay's shops are five minutes away for anyone staying off site.

The venue says most rooms look over the marina or bay from a private balcony or terrace, which makes a room on the water an easy choice for getting ready if you stay at the hotel.

It offers two backdrops for the vows and more than one reception space, so we'd confirm with its events team which pair you've booked and walk the distance between them.

How the day runs

Corlette Point faces north over the marina, with more water to the west across Salamander Bay, so the afternoon sun comes in from the side rather than from behind the boats.

The venue notes its infinity pool catches the afternoon sun, and that's the light we'd keep for your portraits. From May to August the sun goes down in the west-north-west, out over the water towards Soldiers Point.

Around midsummer it sets well round to the south-west, over the land, so the final half hour by the marina is shaded and even.

No ceremony times or photography rules are published, so we'd ask the events team about both, along with the wet weather plan.

Before your day

We'd walk the grounds with the Anchorage events team on a weekday before the wedding, at the time your ceremony will start, from the ceremony spot to the marina's edge and along to Corlette Beach.

Where the water meets the grounds at the Anchorage

The marina
The hotel's private marina sits right in front of it, with rows of moored boats and the bay opening out past the breakwater.
Its edge puts masts and water behind you; we keep to the areas the hotel allows and stay off the pontoons unless told otherwise.
The verandas
Broad verandas and white walls in the Hamptons style the hotel describes.
In strong sun they work like a giant reflector, so they're where we'd put family groups and the bridal party when the glare off the water is too harsh for faces.
Corlette Beach
A short walk through the grounds, by the venue's own account. Calm bay water and soft sand make it the spot for barefoot frames, and it's close enough to fit into the gap between the ceremony and the speeches.
The coastal gardens
The waterfront rooms sit among coastal gardens a few steps from the shoreline. Low planting with the water just beyond gives quieter, greener frames for the two of you, away from the comings and goings of the marina.

What to ask before an Anchorage Port Stephens wedding

Which way does the Anchorage face for photos?

The hotel looks north over its marina to the bay, with Salamander Bay opening up on the western side. In the afternoon the sun swings across from that side and lights the boats and the water from the side, and that's the hour we'd hold back for your portraits.

Are portraits allowed out on the Anchorage marina?

The marina is right in front of the hotel and makes the backdrop from the shore and the grounds. Out on the pontoons among the boats is a different matter, so we'd ask the venue before the day what's allowed there and keep to it.

Is Corlette Beach close enough for photos during the reception?

Yes. The venue describes it as a short walk through the grounds, so ten or fifteen minutes there between the ceremony and the speeches is realistic. Bring a pair of flats: the sand is soft and you'll get there faster without heels.

Can we get ready at the Anchorage?

If you stay at the hotel, yes. Most rooms look over the marina or the bay from a balcony or terrace, and the light-filled interiors give soft window light. Send us a photo of your room once you've booked and we'll plan where the dress hangs.

What happens to the photos if it's wet at the Anchorage?

Rain arrangements aren't on the Anchorage's website, so put the question to its events team when you book. For photos, the verandas give cover and even light, and a grey sky over the marina still makes soft, flattering portraits; we'd save the beach for a dry window.

Is Corlette within easy reach of your studio?

About an hour from Cooks Hill, along Nelson Bay Road and Port Stephens Drive. We arrive well before the ceremony to check the light at the marina and meet the venue's coordinator, so the drive never touches your timeline.

One kiss beside the boats.

Send us your date and the backdrop you've booked at the Anchorage, and we'll work out where the afternoon sun falls across the marina.

Check your date (02) 5550 7136

Newcastle ▸ Hunter Valley ▸ Port Stephens ▸ Central Coast