Newlyweds Phoebe Colbrelli-Cox, left, and Charity Turner.Photo: Amber and Rose Photography
Newlyweds Phoebe Colbrelli-Cox, left, and Charity Turner.Photo: Amber and Rose Photography
A wedding set in the hills of Peka Peka has been watched by almost a million people across Australia this month as part of a new reality television show.
Sudbury, a wedding and events venue owned by Peka Peka's Janine Sudbury, was selected by Australian couple Phoebe Colbrelli-Cox and CharityTurner as the location for their televised celebration.
Filmed for Bride and Prejudice: the Forbidden Wedding, the ceremony was part of the popular series that follows five couples whose families stand in the way of their dream weddings.
With same sex marriage not yet legal in Australia, the Sydney based couple were left searching for the perfect venue in New Zealand, with 70 of their family and friends having travelled abroad for their special day in November last year.
Three weeks after choosing Sudbury's hillside views and converted stables, the pair flew from Australia to get married in front of the TV cameras.
"It was a whirlwind wedding and I worked closely with Phoebe and Charity to give them the day of their dreams," Ms Sudbury said. "The couple said their vows on a warm spring day under the pergola on a ridge overlooking the valley, and I don't think there was a dry eye."
According to Ms Sudbury, Charity's parents, who are pastors, did not approve of same sex marriage and did not attend.
"Despite this, the ceremony left both brides overjoyed with happiness as the celebrant pronounced them wives for life."
Kapiti's Fiona Greig, co-owner of Paraparaumu Beach's Marine Parade Café, served a range of seasonal dishes that were brought banquet-style to the tables, which were decorated with rows of candles, flowers and greenery.
"The day reflected their independent spirit.
"They both love adventure and the outdoors and they had brought some Turkish rugs over from Australia that they'd collected on their travels, which we laid out on the deck by the ceremony site.
"A friend did the flowers for them and opted for the vintage look, with individual flower sprigs in jam jars hanging from the pergola and hanging garlands from the top of the pergola."
The guests, who each received a wooden eco bottle, danced outside under the stars beside an open fire, with music from a DJ entertaining from the Sudbury Old Caravan Stage.
Since being televised, the wedding had featured in newspapers including The Guardian and The Daily Mail in the UK.
"I've already received other enquiries from couples in Australia who have watched the programme.
"It's great to see how much media attention their wedding had and as a result, the Kapiti district."
