Northern Beaches best wedding venues for 2022
Great Mackerel Beach
I often get asked about beach wedding venues, and in particular, the best wedding venues on the Northern Beaches. There are so many wonderful spaces to choose from, and even then the list becomes endless as you expand to smaller and more intimate spaces for micro weddings and small weddings that are perfect for non-traditional beach wedding venues.
In this guide, I have made my best attempt to put together a list of “the Northern Beaches classics”, some of the absolute best wedding venues on the Northern Beaches, and then some of the unexpected - Northern Beaches wedding venues that aren’t as well known or ones that you wouldn’t expect to be able to use. I am a local to the Northern Beaches - having grown up nearby. I am also lucky enough to share in many wonderful weddings with couples who either call Sydney’s Northern Beaches home, or who choose the relaxed atmosphere and the calming effect of the vast Pacific Ocean outlook as their space to celebrate togetherness.
This list of wedding venues isn’t in order. Number one isn’t the best venue on the Northern Beaches, and the last one certainly isn’t the worst. It’s also definitely not exhaustive - every year I am pleasantly surprised to discover a new corner, a new spot, a new space, that brings meaning and joy to two people and their friends and family on their beautiful day.
Part one: the classics
1. The Boathouse Palm Beach
We can’t talk about a wedding on the Northern Beaches without mentioning The Boathouse Palm Beach. The Boathouse is a classic. From its beginnings as a cafe and lunch space carefully cultivated with a strong eye for a Hamptons-style interior design, the Boathouse has grown to become one of the most iconic Northern Beaches wedding venues.
More information: https://www.theboathousepb.com.au/weddings-events
Contact: events@theboathousegroup.com.au
2. Pilu at Freshwater
Pilu at Freshwater
Pilu is a little bit special. The restaurant is known Sydney-wide for its Sardinian and regional Italian menu. You can expect an experience full of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients such as yellowfin tuna sashimi, rock lobster, and perfectly cooked John Dory.
Add to that a space that is nestled in a surprisingly private corner overlooking Freshwater beach, one of Manly’s smaller swimming beaches. Choose a ceremony outside in the courtyard, followed by a spectacular sunset dinner watching the waves roll in. This space is smaller and more intimate than your average wedding venue, and all the better for it.
Head over to Love Stories to see the most recent wedding I had the pleasure of being a part of here - an intimate lunch with Lucy and Jordon. Jordon is the head chef at one of the Lower North Shore’s newer fine dining establishments, so if it’s good enough for him, you can expect excellence in every bite.
More information: https://pilu.com.au/functions/weddings/
Contact: dining@pilu.com.au
3. Pasadena Sydney
Pasadena Sydney is a relative newcomer to the Northern Beaches wedding venue scene, but it is what you could call a ‘future classic’. A beaches wedding venue that has already become iconic, and not just because of its stunning location at the shores of Pittwater in Church Point.
Since the 1930’s, the space has been an eatery but it was refreshed and refurbished, re-opening in 2018.
The ceremony space overlooks Pittwater, and your guests can enjoy an aperitivo as the sun sets over the bay, wandering in to the reception space as night falls.
More information: https://pasadenasydney.com/
Contact: 8998 7813 (events)
4. Q Station
Q Station Glasshouse
Q Station is positioned at North Head in the suburb of Manly, and it commands a huge expanse (33 acres) complete with a beach, its own wharf, and numerous secluded views over the glistening harbour.
A Q Station Sunset is something not to be missed - one of the better wedding venue sunsets in Sydney.
There are lots of spaces and choices for a ceremony, but one of the best must have to be the former hospital precinct, which is perched atop rugged cliffs overlooking the harbour.
The quarantine beach and wharf are both stunning spaces to explore during the portrait session, and one of my favourite spots to finish and watch the sun set is from the abandoned glasshouse - where the rays of the sun glance over the old glass, changing minute-by-minute as the last glimpses of the sun disappear behind Sydney’s skyline.
More information: https://www.qstation.com.au
Contact: H8773@accor.com
Part two: the nooks and the unexpected
5. Palm Beach Bible Gardens
This is the ultimate ‘blink and you will miss it’ Northern Beaches wedding venue. An extremely intimate garden, perched oh-so-perfectly in the hills overlooking Whale Beach. If you have ever wished for your own private garden terrace, overlooking the Pacific Ocean - this is your spot.
Distinctly Mediterranean in style, it is not a space for a big wedding ceremony. Rather, this one is for elopements and small weddings only - a maximum of 40 guests are permitted, and parking is extremely limited (a bus for your guests is an absolute must here).
This space is owned and operated by the Northern Beaches Council (and no, you do not need to be religious to use and enjoy this space - everyone is welcome).
Mix this incredible ceremony venue with a reception at either Moby Dicks on Whale Beach or the iconic Jonah’s restaurant - both are less than five minutes away. I can already picture the summer vibes around the pool at Jonah’s with an Aperol in-hand.
More information: https://palmbeachbiblegarden.org/bookings/
Contact: OpenSpaceBookings@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
Palm Beach Bible Gardens
6. Great Mackerel Beach
OK, I’ll be honest here. This isn’t a strictly a Northern Beaches wedding venue. It’s actually a beach. You can’t even drive here. You need to catch the ferry that services all the small nooks a few lucky locals call home on this isolated part of the Northern Beaches.
Great Mackerel Beach
Even though it’s a secluded spot, it is home to some of Sydney’s best Airbnb getaways. Not only that - some of them will (if you ask nicely) let you have a small gathering to celebrate togetherness, tucked away in your own private corner of this beach side paradise.
This is exactly what Ali and Tom did when they chose to elope here. An extremely intimate ceremony, after which they invited their close friends over to enjoy lunch overlooking the water.
This spot is about as private as it gets. Dancing with bare feet down the empty and secluded beach as the waves lap against your ankles is a unique feeling that cannot easily be replicated, even in the quieter parts of Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
No contact details to see here - go and explore Airbnb for some options.
7. McKay Reserve
Where would a list of ‘Northern Beaches best wedding venues’ be without McKay Reserve. It’s sort of like the Home & Away of Northern Beaches wedding ceremony spaces. That big tree just so perfectly wraps over the pathway, it is immediately distinguishable from anywhere else (but it’s actually surprisingly hard to find!).
Whatever you do, tell your guests to go to the top of the reserve, not the bottom, or they will be faced with a long climb up many stairs to reach you!
If you are looking for a bushland setting to compliment your beach side reception, this is not to be missed.
Contact Northern Beaches Council to reserve this space.
That’s a wrap for now - hopefully that’s plenty of inspiration to get you started, because it’s definitely not an exhaustive list of spaces - there are so many, many more spots. Got any suggestions for the list, or need a bit of local knowledge to find your perfect wedding venue? Get in touch with me at hello@oliversmithphoto.com.