Venue guide · The Surf Club on the Sound · New Rochelle, New York
The Surf Club on the Sound Wedding Photography & Films
The Surf Club on the Sound is a beachfront mansion on Long Island Sound in New Rochelle, in Westchester County, New York. This page features real celebrations BlackTie Brothers covered there: Leah and Nicholas’s September wedding, which we photographed and filmed, and Olamide and Abayomi’s Fourth of July celebration, which we filmed. Their photographs and trailer come first; our planning notes follow.
Leah & Nicholas · Wedding photography · The Surf Club on the Sound
A September wedding on the Sound.
Leah and Nicholas were married at The Surf Club on the Sound on a Saturday in September, and BlackTie Brothers covered their day with photography and film. It never left the property: getting ready in the mansion, a first look on the terrace above the water, the grand staircase, a ceremony at the gazebo with the Sound behind it, portraits on the beach and a reception under the chandeliers.
The photographs below are a selection from their wedding gallery. Tap any of them to see it larger, or open the full gallery at the end of this section. Their wedding film is not on this page.
Getting ready in the mansion
The fountain out front, the gown upstairs and the groom's side on the terrace.
The first look on the terrace
Leah walked out to Nicholas at the balustrade above the water. He turned around; we kept shooting.
The grand staircase
Inside, the marble staircase under the crystal chandelier, first for everyone, then for the two of them.
The ceremony by the water
The gazebo stands at the end of a brick aisle between clipped hedges, with Long Island Sound behind it.
Golden hour on the beach
Down to the sand for the last light over the Sound.
The reception
Chandeliers, a marble dance floor, the cake and a lit tree by the dessert table.
Opens their gallery in a new tab.
Olamide & Abayomi · Wedding film coverage · The Surf Club on the Sound
A Fourth of July celebration, on film.
Olamide and Abayomi celebrated their Nigerian wedding at The Surf Club on the Sound on the Fourth of July, and BlackTie Brothers covered it with film. We did not photograph their celebration, so none of the photographs above are from their day. Below is their wedding trailer, a minute and fourteen seconds long. It is a trailer, not their full wedding film; the full wedding film is available on request.
Olamide & Abayomi’s Wedding Trailer
Olamide & Abayomi’s Wedding Trailer · The Surf Club on the Sound, New Rochelle · 1 min 14 s. It plays here only when you press play, with YouTube’s own controls for pause, seeking, volume and full screen. The full wedding film is available on request. Prefer YouTube? Watch the trailer there.
BlackTie Brothers filmed Olamide and Abayomi’s celebration. The photographs on this page are from Leah and Nicholas’s wedding, a separate event.
Venue & planning · New Rochelle, Westchester County
A mansion on the water,
and how to plan around it.
From the venue. The Surf Club on the Sound describes itself as a beachfront mansion with views over Long Island Sound, with landscaped grounds and fountains at the arrival, and an entry where a marble staircase comes down under a crystal chandelier. Its site mentions an in-house kitchen led by an executive chef, an in-house pastry chef who can make the wedding cake, and in-house event planners. In summer it also runs a member-sponsored Beach Club with a pool, tennis and a Tiki Bar terrace over the water. Spaces, capacities, packages and policies are the venue’s to explain, so we leave those to them.
What we saw. At Leah and Nicholas’s wedding, the fountain and the front of the mansion made the arrival photograph. The terrace behind the building has a white balustrade with the Sound below it, which is where we photographed the first look and the first portraits. The staircase inside is the formal photograph of the day, for the couple and for the wedding party. The ceremony gazebo stands at the end of a brick aisle with the water behind it, the beach gave us the last portraits of the evening, and the reception room, with its crystal chandeliers and inlaid marble dance floor, is as bright as it looks.
Our coverage here. Photography and film for Leah and Nicholas; film only for Olamide and Abayomi.
Our recommendations, drawn from the weddings on this page. Access, timing and policies belong to the venue, so where something is theirs to decide we have written it as a question to ask them.
The terrace first, the beach last.
The balustrade behind the mansion puts the Sound in the background without anyone walking far, which is why Leah and Nicholas's first look happened there. The beach is lovelier and slower: sand, a long train and a veil in the wind all take time. We plan the terrace for the first look and the first portraits, and keep the beach for a short session near the end of the day, if the venue can give us access on your date.
Give every move ten extra minutes.
The fountain out front, the terrace, the staircase, the gazebo and the beach are all part of one property, but a full wedding party does not move like two people. We build a margin into every move between locations. One person on each side who can round up the group saves more time than any shortcut.
Ceremony, portraits, cocktail hour, reception.
At a waterfront ceremony the order matters. We suggest family photographs right after the ceremony, while everyone is still near the gazebo; the two of you on the terrace or the beach while guests are at cocktail hour; then back inside for entrances. We recommend sharing one version of the timeline with the venue team, so the room is ready when we bring you in.
We check the time. The sky is not ours.
Open water means wind, and wind means veils. We look up the sunset time for your date and plan the outdoor portraits around it, but a clear sky is never guaranteed, so there is always an indoor version of the plan: the staircase and the entry hall work in any weather. Ask the venue which space is the alternative for an outdoor ceremony and when that decision is made.
Chandeliers, marble and a dance floor.
The rooms are ornate and full of crystal, which is lovely and also easy to overexpose. We light the dance floor so faces stay natural under the chandeliers, keep black and white in reserve for the busiest moments, and photograph and film the reception room before the doors open whenever it is set in time.
One timeline, two crafts, clean audio.
When you book photography and film together, one team plans the day and splits up only when two things happen at once. For vows and toasts we record from our own microphones and, whenever the DJ allows it, a feed from the board, so the film does not depend on the wind or the room. At the gazebo we place our cameras so the water stays in the frame.
Questions worth asking The Surf Club on the Sound
- Which spaces are included for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, and which is the plan if it rains?
- Where can we get ready on site, and from what time?
- Can our photographer and videographer use the terrace, the lawn and the beach for portraits, and at what times?
- When will the reception room be fully set, so it can be photographed before guests come in?
- Can our DJ give the videographer an audio feed for the vows and toasts?
- Are sparklers, cold sparks or a send-off permitted, and where?
- Is drone flight allowed over the property and the beach, and is notice required?
- Where do cars or a bus stop for arrivals and departures?
Nothing on this page is a venue policy. Timelines are agreed with each couple privately, and access to the terrace, the lawn, the beach and the rest of the property is arranged by The Surf Club on the Sound for each event.
Photography and film
Why coordinated photography and film matter.
Two crafts, one plan. Here is what that looks like at this venue, using the two celebrations on this page.
Frames that stand on their own.
A photograph has to hold a moment by itself: the staircase with everyone on it, the rings under the gazebo, the dip at the end of the aisle. Leah and Nicholas's gallery is built from frames like that, and it works without a soundtrack.
Voices, movement, atmosphere.
Film keeps what a photograph cannot: the music, the voices, the way a room moves when everyone gets up to dance. Olamide and Abayomi's trailer is a minute and fourteen seconds of exactly that.
The same moments, from two sides.
When one team plans both, the photographer and the filmmaker agree where each will stand for the processional, the vows and the first dance, so neither ends up in the other's shot and neither misses the moment.
Two celebrations here so far.
We have covered this property twice, once with both crafts and once with film, so we know where the terrace light falls, how long the walk to the gazebo takes with a train, and what the chandeliers do to a camera.
The Surf Club on the Sound wedding questions
A few things couples ask.
Have you photographed or filmed weddings at The Surf Club on the Sound?
Yes. BlackTie Brothers photographed and filmed Leah and Nicholas's wedding there in September, and filmed Olamide and Abayomi's celebration there on the Fourth of July. Olamide and Abayomi's coverage was film only; every photograph on this page is from Leah and Nicholas's wedding.
Can we view a full photography gallery?
Yes. Leah and Nicholas's wedding gallery is linked on this page, directly under their photographs, and opens in a new tab. If you would like to see more complete galleries from weddings like yours, ask us and we will share them.
Can we watch a wedding trailer from the venue?
Yes. Olamide and Abayomi's wedding trailer plays on this page when you press play. It is their trailer, a minute and fourteen seconds long, not their full wedding film. The full wedding film is available on request.
Do you offer both photography and film?
Yes. Most couples come to us for photography first, and many add film through the same team, which is how Leah and Nicholas worked with us. One coordinated team plans one timeline, so both crafts cover the same moments without getting in each other's way. Film-only coverage is also possible, as it was for Olamide and Abayomi.
How should we allow time for waterfront portraits?
We recommend two short windows rather than one long one: about fifteen to twenty minutes on the terrace earlier in the day, often around a first look, and ten to fifteen minutes by the water near the end of the day if the venue can give you access. Add time for walking between locations and for a long train. We look up the sunset for your date and plan around it, with an indoor version of the plan in case the weather does not cooperate. Access to the terrace, the lawn and the beach is the venue's to arrange, so confirm it with The Surf Club on the Sound team.
How do we check availability?
Send us your date, your ceremony and reception locations, and whether you want photography, film or both through our contact form. We reply with availability and a coverage recommendation that fits how your day is laid out. Questions about the venue's spaces, packages and policies are best answered by The Surf Club on the Sound team.
Availability
Planning your wedding at
The Surf Club on the Sound?
Share your wedding date, where the ceremony and reception will happen, and whether you want photography, film or both. We will confirm availability and recommend coverage that fits the day. BlackTie Brothers is a national wedding photography and film company with teams serving New York City, Long Island and the surrounding area, Upstate New York, Florida and Hawaii, and we travel for weddings across the country.