I love hot chocolate

One of those "things we do" is photograph at Castaways fairly regularly, being our "local" so to speak..

After the biggest part of our part of the wedding day is over (ceremony and photo shoot etc..) - we return to Castaways about 15 minutes or so before sunset. The Bride and Groom come out onto the cliff edge with us and we take sunset photos for about 20 minutes while the sun is going down. Sometimes (well mostly) the sunset is great - other times not so much - but it is always interesting and exciting to see what we get...and 99% of the time there is also wind!

While waiting for the bride and groom (after or between the speeches/dinner) I said in passing to Marcel how I loved hot chocolate... And three minutes later - Voila - a lovely hot chocolate - arrived for me - very yummy and moreish.. Thanks Marcel.!! ... At that time of night the last thing I need is coffee - so hot chocolate filled the gap very nicely, thankyou.

Rumour has it that Marcel will also be Head Boy at Waiuku College this year...Congratulations Marcel - I hope you will still have time to work out at Castaways.

Marcel does have a nice smile, but I managed to catch him totally unawares... You are now on the blog Marcel - you will be in hot demand for more of those hot chocolates I imagine...

See you again :)

Thanks once again so much to Steve and the team - who make our task so much easier and provide awesome service to everyone.

One day we should write a book - -there would be some stories to tell:) based somewhere totally fictious ... of course

Claudine and Peter

Claudine and Peter were married recently at the gorgeous Karioitahi venue, Castaways. Claudine – a stunning bride, in her gown from City Bridal and was both nervous and excited before the ceremony – and totally exhilarated afterwards.
Angela 1 , Angela 2 and Becs were a gorgeous trio in pink gowns – their hair and makeup – (great job as always) by B.O.D.
Bouquets in pink and white were divine – and from way on the other side of Auckland - Fronds in Kumeu.
Peter and the boys (not to miss you out) were all very smooth in their suits by Balmoral suit hire. Our appreciation goes to a fun bridal party who were “up” for anything, the helpers with the family photos, and also the wonderful professionals at Castaways who do a fantastic job.
The sunset was one of those special ones – and not too cold at 8.30 at night to be on the cliff edge. We also grabbed those never to be forgotten husband and wife “first dance” photos.
Claudine and Peter it was an awesome wedding - you were gorgeous, easy to photograph and made our job a pleasure. We will catch up with you both soon .

Donna and Chris

Another lovely wedding held at Castaways Karioitahi recently. Donna and Chris were a great couple and lots of fun. Donna's gorgeous black dress was sourced north of Auckland at Orewa from - Chocolates for Breakfast (just the name encourages me to visit!) A surprise for Chris, (although he had suspected the dress would be different:) ) when they met prior to their wedding for a fun photo session at the beach. Donna loves animal prints and the setting at the wedding reception at Castaways was gold, black with a splash of animal print - including the cake - from Celebration Cakes in Manukau City. Donna's flowers were another totally original design from Scent "World famous in South Auckland" for the stunningly different floral designs they produce.

It was a very breezy day on the sunset coast- and I was quite relieved that Greer Dyson - (Donna and Chris's celebrant) had not worn one of her famous hats... I think it would have ended up way down the cliff in the surf and eventually made its way to the Australian Gold Coast ! Also - it was not a great day for "short" flowy dresses.... if you had a handbag in one hand and a glass in the other :)

A ring "warming" was carried out while Chris and Donna said their vows and the ladies present at the wedding were all given a beautiful red rose..

It was good to catch up with Donna and Chris the following day, with their beautiful daughters and take some family photos with Dick at Papakura.

This is a preview of a few images - A private viewing gallery has been uploaded and access is via a password from Donna and Chris.

Kate and Jason - Castaways

Kate and Jason were married at Castaways on New Years Eve. Family and friends witnessed the event, in the very,very hot sunshine - on the clifftop overlooking Karioitahi Beach. Thank goodness for the sun umbrellas... A fun time was had on the beach for the photo shoot after we all piled into a four wheel drive and headed south -about 1 kilometre along the black iron sand. Amazingly we fitted everything in - with not quite the kitchen sink - but almost:) Gavin (such an awesome help rounding up the family for the photos - thank you so much :) and Becs you were fun! Kate and Jason it was so nice at your lovely wedding - you- were gorgeous, easy to photograph and made our job a pleasure. The beautiful flowers, totally different from anything I had seen before, were from Scent in Pukekohe. The tiny red and blue striped live fish, swimming amongest the flowers on the tables at the reception were great - not sure of what the live head count was the next day though ! Gallery link to more images here:)

The sunset was stunning that evening and we managed a number of great shots including some from their first dance as husband and wife. Loved the song you chose for your first dance ~ ! :) Congratulations!!

Josie and Al's wedding 30/12/2007

A quick preview of a few images from Josie and Alistair's wedding held on the cliff top at Castaways, Karioitahi Beach - on Sunday 30th December 2007. More images will be online soon and a password will be available from Josie and Al when they return from their tropical honeymoon.

It was a beautiful day on the west coast, at the base of the Awhitu Peninsula - with a strong breeze which kept the temperatures down slightly - just enough to forget the sunburning issues. High tide was around 3.30pm and there were plenty of beachgoers and paragliders galore enjoying the warm summer weather west of Waiuku.

Josie looked elegantly stunning in her gown :) The flowers were gorgeous - by Designer Flowers in Pukekohe and the girls makeup was by B.O.D., the cake- a stunning masterpiece was from Michels Patisserie in Pukekohe and Nick Logan the DJ was in perfect form - as always!
The ceremony was lovely, under the guidance of Billie - a family friend - who performed the perfect ceremony. Over 80 family and friends gathered and witnessed the event overlooking the spectacular west coast.

A great time was had by all - and we had a fabulous photo session down on the beach later in the afternoon. Thanks so much Josie and Al - and also to your fun wedding party, Lara , Emily , Sam and Steve - you were great and it was a pleasure meeting you all . Josie - your lists were invaluable ! - thanks so much:)
Castaways were, as always, the most wonderful hosts for the ceremony and reception and everyone enjoyed the atmosphere and food immensely.