A waterfront hotel and spa on Corlette Point, where the ceremony lawn runs to the edge of Nelson Bay and the whole day happens within a few steps of the water. It is polished without being stiff — a resort setting that lets a wedding feel like a weekend away.
Planning a Port Stephens wedding? Read our Port Stephens wedding photographer guide for beach and bay ceremonies, permits and tides.
01
The setting
The Anchorage sits on the shoreline at Corlette, looking out over the protected water of Nelson Bay toward the heads. Ceremonies are held on the waterfront lawn with the bay directly behind the couple, and the property's jetty and pontoons give you a second, more graphic setting for portraits without ever leaving the grounds. Inside, the function rooms carry the same water view through full-height windows, so the backdrop does not disappear when the sun does. It is a hotel as well as a venue, which means guests can stay on site and the morning of the wedding happens in one place.
02
The light
West-facing water is the reason to marry here. In the final hour the sun drops across the bay and lights the whole western sky, so the lawn, the jetty and the beach at the point all catch warm directional light at once. Earlier in the afternoon the light off the water is soft and bounced, which is forgiving for ceremony coverage and keeps everyone looking comfortable in the heat. Once the sun is gone, the bay goes blue and still — that is the window I use for the quiet portraits, with the last colour still in the sky behind the couple.
03
The flow
A waterfront ceremony, drinks on the terrace while the light drops, portraits on the jetty and the point, then dinner in the function room with the bay still in the windows. Because everything is on one property, the schedule has room to breathe — no convoy, no travel buffer, no leaving the celebration to chase a location. Couples often book the night before and the night after as well, which turns the wedding into a genuine Port Stephens weekend for their guests.
04
Who it suits
Couples who want a coastal wedding with a resort's ease — water views, on-site accommodation, a spa for the morning of, and a team used to running a full wedding day. It suits mid-sized celebrations especially well, and it is one of the few Port Stephens venues where a Sydney guest list can arrive, stay and never need a second venue.
Photographer's perspective
A note on the light
The Anchorage is the venue I point Port Stephens couples toward when they want the water in almost every frame without a single car trip. Corlette Point faces west across the bay, so the light does something lovely in the late afternoon — the water turns a soft silver-gold and the jetty becomes a natural aisle into the portraits. Because the ceremony lawn, the jetty, the gardens and the reception room are all on the one property, I can move between them as the light changes instead of watching a good sunset from a car. The one thing I always plan for is the breeze coming off the bay: it is usually welcome on a summer afternoon, but it means I keep the group photos tight and shoot the wide frames earlier while the light is still high and clean.
At a glance
Venue essentials
Ceremony
Waterfront lawn on Corlette Point
Reception
Function room with bay views
Best light
Final hour before sunset
Stays
On-site hotel suites & spa