Rain, Haka and a Hāngī:
Ngakohu and David's Lima East Wedding
Some weddings you photograph, and some weddings you feel. Ngakohu and David's was one I'll be carrying with me for a long time.
Ngakohu & David met in the shearing sheds, so it only felt right that their day was full of hard work, family and a whole lot of heart. Ngakohu is Māori, from Ngāti Porou on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island, and she wanted to bring a part of home to their wedding at David's parents' property in Lima East. She did that beautifully.
The dress and the details
Ngakohu found her dress at House of Gowns in Melbourne, then had it altered at Michelle Bridal in Shepparton, where she also found her veil. The flowers were gathered from the bush around Lima, with a few extras from an old antique store in Swanpool, and put together by her cousin Meghan. Waratahs, ponga fern, wattle, eucalyptus and proteas sat alongside flax flowers Meghan made by hand, a perfect mix of home and here.
A hāngī made by family hands
Ngakohu's brother Carlos, with the help of their dad Mikaere, led the hāngī. Carlos supplied the food, and he and his son collected the hāngī rocks themselves. There was mutton, pork and chicken, with potato, kūmara, pumpkin, cabbage and watercress, and her mum Rangimarie made a steamed pudding that cooked right there in the ground with everything else. David's dad built the hāngī crates and organised the pit, while cousins and friends prepped the food packs under Carlos's guidance.
As Ngakohu put it, it was like being home on the marae, with family all around preparing the food and the decorations together.
Cloaks woven with love
Ngakohu's feathered cloak, a huruhuru korowai, was made especially for her by her auntie Shara, a master of flax work and cloak making who also teaches through Koka Shara's Raranga. With only six months between deciding to marry and the big day, it would have taken her nearly all of that time. The colours and design are traditional to Ngakohu's family.
David wore a harakeke korowai, a flax cloak made years ago for Ngakohu by her auntie Teawhina (Auntie Gilly) with Auntie Shara's help. Carlos placed it on David's shoulders as a sign of acceptance into the family, and his blessing. Both cloaks will be passed down through the generations.
Ngakohu told me she felt surrounded by love, knowing the work and the hands that went into making it. And on the day, it kept her dry in the rain too, which made it even more special.
The haka
Carlos led the haka holding a whalebone mere that has been handed down through the generations to Ngakohu. One day it will pass to her daughter, or to another family member. Watching her family and friends perform for them was one of the most powerful moments I've ever witnessed at a wedding, and Ngakohu was so proud of every one of them.
Many of her family wear tā moko, each one telling its own story of family and tradition. Her brother Wiremu has the mataora on the top half of his face, her cousin Tereo has the lower half, and her cousin Jacquianne wears the moko kauae.
A handfasting, a little rain, and a very good boy
Ngakohu and David chose a handfasting instead of rings, because their rings aren't made yet. They'll be crafted from gold the two of them have found prospecting in the outback over the years, along with a gem David found when he was seven and asked his parents to keep in their safe for the day he got married. (How special is that?) They're planning a second little ceremony on their anniversary next year, hopefully in New Zealand, to exchange them.
The handfasting honoured their Scottish roots too. David is a Miller-Lawlor with ties to the Gunn clan, and Ngakohu's mum's side is Murray-McGregor. Their four-legged child, Bull, was meant to carry the ribbon, though the rain had other ideas.
And the rain really did come. Ngakohu felt for her guests standing out in the downpour, but nothing was going to dampen how happy she was. Her family believe it was her grandmother, Ngakohu Te Aopurangi Kumeroa Hokianga, who she's named after, sending tears of happiness. In their eyes, it was a blessing.
Everyone she loved, in one place
When I asked about her favourite moment, Ngakohu said it was walking down the aisle and seeing David, with family who'd flown over from New Zealand and friends, including farmers who mean the world to her, all there waiting. In her words, she just can't describe that feeling.
I don't think I can either, but I hope these photos come close. From there, everyone headed to Charnwood Auscamp to celebrate into the night.
Thank you, Ngakohu and David, for letting me be part of something so meaningful.
Chat soon,
Katie
If you're planning a wedding in North East Victoria and want your day captured with all its heart, culture and family, I'd love to hear from you.
Vendors:
Photography & Content Creation - Kmerritt Photography (https://www.kmerrittphotography.com.au/)
Dress: House of Gowns, Melbourne · (Closed Down)
Veil and alterations: Michelle Bridal, Shepparton · (https://www.michelesbridal.com/)
Flowers: Lima bush and Bloomin Natives, arranged by Meghan · (https://www.bloominnatives.au/)
Korowai: Shara (Koka Shara's Raranga) ·
Celebrant: Candice (https://www.loveagoodwedding.com/)
Reception: Charnwood Auscamp (https://www.auscamp.com.au/)
