THE RETREAT 2026 itinerary

Host: Reece, 0421506412

Date: 10 September 2026

Address: 201B Waitpinga Road, Encounter Bay, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

Arrival: 10:00AM

Sleepers: Overnight stayers, please see Reece when you arrive to allocate your bedroom!

Bedroom 1 - Reece, Neil

Bedroom 2 - Lucy

Bedroom 3 - Alix, Tina

Bedroom 4 - Tara

Bedroom 5 - Laura

Dayers

Billie, Maria, Laila



THE IDEA

Hi lovelies,

It's off season, I'm bored, and I think that's the perfect condition for planning something good. So: a short retreat for a small group of open-minded wedding businesses. Photographers, videographers, content creators and celebrants, anyone who makes wedding really - in one coastal villa, learning from each other.

Full honesty up front: this is the first time I've organised something like this, and I'm not promising you the world. But that's the point. You're not buying anything from me here. I am simply offering to coordinate and plan for us a "cross-pollination" learning retreat. Just a bunch of honest humans getting together and sharing stuff. The most I can promise right now is wine and great views. The aim is to make it a casual, relaxed, connection and learning based thing. In my old life I was a school principal. I built teams, taught people things, and I genuinely love being in spaces when we can be honest, vulnerable, helping ideas bounce around. That's the job here. I'm simply offering to support plan and arrange something that could be really fun and useful for a good crew. You're literally paying your split of the accommodation, and offering to share/teach something thing you know how to do well.

WHY MIXED FACILITIES

Because cross-discipline teaching beats twelve photographers teaching each other variations of the same craft. I'm a big believer in the big picture. Understanding how other people's roles actually work makes you better at yours, and makes the whole day better for couples. A celebrant explaining how ceremony timing really works is gold for every photographer who's been guessing at it. A content creator teaching short-form strategy solves a problem everyone in the villa has. Me teaching you about cognitive load theory and why that's important for your website and entire businesses processes... the room is the curriculum.

COME IF

• You see yourself as an evolving learner - always looking to improve
• You're genuinely open to hearing how other people do things and willing to help others, share your knowledge, no gatekeeping
• You agree there's no right or wrong way to run a business, everyone has a different way of doing things
• You approach every wedding/opportunity of connection as a chance to get better

SCHOOL RULES - AGREEMENT WE'RE ALL SIGNING UP TO. THIS IS HOW I OPERATE AND WILL ONLY HAVE OTHERS THERE THE SAME MINDSET :)

• Come as a learner. Every business here is evolving, including mine. Literally very new.
• No right or wrong way. This is purely a place of learning, not converting.
• No gatekeeping. If someone asks, you share - and you get the same in return.
• No ego. Leave the highlight reel at home. Bring real numbers, real questions.
• Everyone teaches once. Every attendee is staff - and staff teach.
• Have the attitude of relaxing and connecting (it's not a party)
• No complaining or bad talking clients or other businesses.



EVERYONE TEACHES SOMETHING

This is the heart of it. You'll run one short, casual session on something you're good at. A workflow, a posing method, an ad strategy, how you write a ceremony, a film recipe, whatever. Anything related to business. I will likely do a session on ads or business systems. I'm also really good at the back end of business stuff so happy to share anything. I'll chuck out a survey before and gather areas of strength, what we'd be keen to learn more of, and I'll try and then link up those things. If you're worried you have nothing to teach: you're exactly the humble sort who should come, and your survey answers will help me find it. You are definitely good at something and can always share with others. None of us know everything, but share what you do!

THE SHAPE OF THE DAYS

Not really any idea yet. Could include possibly something like below. Depends how many people come.

MORNING ASSEMBLY - Coffee, housekeeping, one creative prompt for the day.

SHOOTING AND MAKING? - Golden-hour villa sessions

SHOW AND TELL - Evening share over drinks - a few frames, a clip, a ceremony excerpt. One thing you love, one thing you would do next time. Sharing our biggest mistakes or failures and what we learnt from them.

THE STAFF MEETING - One candid, no-cameras business roundtable. Pricing, hard clients, burnout. What's said in the staffroom stays there.

COSTS, BEDS AND ALL THAT

• ******As per update at top of page.
• Food: Probably a BBQ or something? Still working on that.
• You'll get a tax receipt. For us this is a chill time but for your accountant this is most definitely professional development.
• Maximum twelve places, capped on purpose. Small means everyone teaches and gets airtime.