Wellington's brief cable car wedding
16 Jul 2008
A British expatriate couple has made double New Zealand history by getting married on the capital city’s cable car in what’s thought to be the country’s shortest marriage ceremony.
Nicola Tod and Malcolm Stuart tied the knot in just four and a half minutes while the Wellington cable car completed its scheduled six minute journey.
The cable car is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and runs from Lambton Quay in the commercial heart of the city up to the botanic gardens with panoramic views of the CBD, harbour and surrounding districts.
The ex-pat couple also scored a third "first" with their marriage celebrant Katie Shannon performing her first wedding ceremony.
"Everybody should get married in four minutes. It was such a rush, a real buzz," said Shannon.
Quirky and casual
Asked why they chose to marry on the cable car, Ms Tod, a journalism student said she wanted something that would be a bit more fun.
"I've always thought what I would like to do would be more quirky, and casual, and a bit more fun and different, a bit Wellingtonian-ish, and would involve the children."
Until recently Stuart has been working as an anaesthetist at Greymouth Hospital on the west coast of the South Island.
When a friend suggested the cable car the couple agreed and said planning the event had been remarkably stress-free.
Logistics
The major concern was logistics. With the cable car booked, there was no leeway for anyone to be late. Guests and the bride and groom gathered at the turnstile early in order to jump on the same car.
The only cause for panic was the cancellation of the marriage celebrant's flight from Greymouth the day before. She arrived in Wellington just a few hours before the ceremony.
After the brief ceremony and scenic journey, the wedding party of 17 adults and nine children had celebratory drinks in the cable car museum.
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