You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a blog all about a gorgeous beach wedding in the Catlins. You’re close!

Last year I travelled out to the Catlins with a group of professional wedding photographers from Invercargill and around Southland for a workshop weekend. We stayed at River Ridge Retreat which happens to be a fabulous wedding venue. If you’re looking for one then it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s near Owaka and features delicious food (the ham is fabulous!) and plenty of accommodation for your guests. But, I digress…

We spent the weekend talking. A lot. It turns out that a dozen photographers in one room make a lot of noise. The talking stick scheme was implemented; if you have the stick, you may talk. After a lot of deep discussions we headed down to Purakanui Bay for a shoot with newlyweds Hannah and Rob. As you can see in the photos we were rugged up in hats and coats. Poor Hannah wasn’t so warm but she braved the cold to model for us. What a champ! Here we are, what a beautiful bunch!