The Royal Sydney Golf Club is one of those Sydney wedding venues I know extremely well. Having photographed numerous weddings here, I know the different spaces, how the light moves through the grounds, and the many ways the Club can be used throughout a wedding day.

What I particularly love about Royal Sydney is that it gives couples a beautiful setting without dictating exactly how their wedding needs to look. The reception spaces are elegant but understated enough to be completely transformed - whether that means keeping things minimal, filling the room with colour, or creating a warm, candlelit atmosphere. The space becomes a reflection of the couple rather than feeling like a predetermined wedding setting.

For ceremonies, the Sunken Garden is my favourite. Guests gather around the fountain while the couple exchange vows with the stone staircase behind them, and the bride can make a particularly beautiful entrance by walking down the steps towards the groom. It is one of those settings that already has a sense of occasion without needing much added to it.

The Northern Lawn is another favourite of mine. It works beautifully for drinks and canapés before the reception, but it can also become a completely different space later in the evening - particularly for a sparkler dance floor!

The Club also offers beautiful options for getting ready, with heritage rooms that give the morning a sense of place from the very beginning. And if the weather doesn't cooperate, there is no need to abandon portraits. The heritage interiors provide their own possibilities, from the wooden staircase to the quieter rooms and reading room.

For portraits, there is plenty to explore beyond the obvious. We can wander through the Sunken Garden and around the grounds near the tennis courts and lawn bowls, where the manicured gardens and seasonal flowers create a completely different feel. In spring especially, the jacarandas are in bloom creating a unique backdrop to the portraits.

After photographing so many weddings here, I know how to move through the Club and make the most of what is available on the day - from the changing light and weather to the spaces that work best at different points of the celebration.

For couples considering the Royal Sydney Golf Club, that familiarity is something I value enormously. You don't need to spend your wedding day wondering where we'll take photographs or whether we'll have enough options if the weather changes. I already know the grounds, the interiors and the possibilities, so we can focus on making photographs that feel natural to your wedding and to you.