Our Wedding

After several months of long-distance planning and preparing for our wedding, the big day(s) arrived at the end of December. We had planned a small ceremony on the east coast of the Coromandel region of New Zealand for December 29, followed by a wedding reception back in Auckland on New Year's Eve. With just a few surprises (like our reception facility forgetting to book us a DJ - yikes!) everything came together very well.

On December 28, nineteen of us made our way out to Hahei, a small town on the Coromandel. Our wedding was planned for Cathedral Cove, a beach that is part of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve, just around the corner from Hahei. Early on the morning of the 29th, we awoke to see that our wish for clear skies had come true! Christine and Marielle helped me get ready at Hahei B&B, one of the bed and breakfasts where our wedding party was staying, while Edwin got ready at The Church, where the remainder of our family was.

In order to avoid the 45-minute trek that most people have to walk to get to Cathedral Cove, we had arranged two sets of transportation. Most of the guests - Edwin, Dad Kirzinger, Dad Tucker, Natia, Colin and Emily, Uncle George and Aunty Sally, best man Bryce and his girlfriend Michelle, cousin Robert along with our Celebrant and David from Simple Weddings all boarded a four wheel drive bus that would take them from Hahei across a section of land adjacent to the Marine Reserve that belongs to a local farmer. They then made their way down the final 200 steps (along with our picnic lunch) to the beach. The rest of us - me, Chris, Mum Tucker, Marielle, Tina, Tyrone, and Leina and Sophia boarded the Hahei Explorer, a small zodiac boat which zipped us across the water to land at the beach.

It's hard to describe how beautiful the beach actually is. When our boat landed, my first thoughts were that I was so glad that we were going to be married at this very special place. At the end of the beach where the ceremony was held, there is a small waterfall, while at the other end of the beach is a huge cave carved out of incredibly white rock. The sand is fine and white, and the beach is lined with pohutakawa trees, which bloom with red blossoms over the Christmas season. Lovely rock formations sit in the water just off the beach, including the Cathedral, for which the beach is actually named.

My Dad walked me up the beach, while Sophia and Leina sprinkled flower petals on the sand. Our ceremony included Chris singing Songbird; an Indian wedding blessing, which had been sent to us by our friend Matt (who introduced us in Nepal); and a sand ceremony, which mixed sand from the beach at the Cove, with sand from Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver. After our "I Do's" were complete, our sandals were quickly kicked off, champagne was poured (it was 10:30 in the morning by now - a perfect time for champagne), photos were taken, and everyone enjoyed the beach. We returned to Hahei for a restful afternoon, and a wonderful dinner on the balcony of the Church. I was very happy to wear my puletasi, a traditional Samoan dress that Mum Tucker had made for me.

We returned to Auckland for our Reception at the Auckland Botanical Gardens on New Year's Eve. Uncle John played the bagpipes as we entered the room, and we enjoyed a great barbeque meal. Our sisters Natia and Chris did a great job as MCs, and Leina entertained us during dinner with a dance. Chris surprised us with a video greetings DVD from friends and family in Canada, and Bryce and Dad made us feel really special with their kind words during the toasts. After the formal stuff was done, everyone wanted to dance! Fortunately, the staff at the Gardens had found a DJ (slightly deaf, but he did a great job), and we danced until the New Year arrived. Edwin and I survived our first siva together (a Samoan dance that we pretended to know how to do), and I managed not to scream with surprise when I turned around during the siva to see Uncle Vale with his shirt off to reveal his full body Samoan tattoo!

We were very happy that everyone had a good time, and we both feel incredibly lucky that our families came together as they did in their support of our wishes and plans.

Location: Wellington, New Zealand