Sophia and Robbie Hart were married in a surprise sunrise ceremony at He Puna Taimoana on Marine Pde before a small group of friends and family overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Their friends and family were only informed of the couple’s wedding plans just before the ceremony.
They love to be spontaneous and after enjoying an evening at one of He Puna Taimoana’s sunset sessions earlier this year, they said they had found their dream wedding venue.
“As soon as we walked in, we were like, ‘wow,'” Sophia said.
“There was a lovely vibe and energy to the place and we knew we wanted to get married there.
“Weddings can be so stressful and it can be boring for guests.
“We didn’t want anything boring. We wanted something special and satisfying.
“We always knew we wanted a surprise wedding, so we invited about 25 of our closest friends and family to join us at the pools.
“We didn’t tell them to meet us there until the day before, so they were all blown away when I came out in my wedding dress.”
Sophia said she had no expectations for the day, but the staff was “easy and accommodating”.
“We kept our vows short and sweet and wore our toga underneath,” Sophia said.
“As soon as we were done, we jumped in the pool and joined our guests. It was perfect.”
The celebrant, Taurapa, said it was an ambitious plan, but everything fell into place.
“Recording te reo Māori was very important to Sophia and Robbie,” he said.
“I was disguised as a lifeguard when the guests arrived.
“As soon as I started speaking in te reo, I think they all started clicking.
“It’s definitely the most wedding I’ve been a part of.
“I don’t know how they managed to get all their guests to a surprise wedding at 7am in the middle of winter, but it worked.
“Everyone was very happy, it was a great party.”
He Puna Taimoana manager Merryn Skipper said the wedding was very exciting.
“It was such a magical morning,” Skipper said.
“The team really came together to create something special for the bride and groom and their guests.
“We were thrilled to be a part of their happy day.
“Our sunrise sessions have been so popular. It’s such a beautiful part of Christchurch and we’re so glad Sophia and Robbie chose to have their wedding here.”