Joyce & Kara

Joyce and Kara went for a minimalist and natural feel for their wedding day, and paid homage to their Māori and Korean cultures in a beautiful ceremony, followed by a fun reception filled with great food, dancing, their gorgeous dog Howie, and a whole lot of love. Joyce shares details from their day…

Photos by Jinal Govind

‘For Kara (Ihakara) and myself, getting married was as much about making a forever commitment to each other, as it was celebrating the union of our two whānau and loved ones. We wanted to pay homage to both our Māori and Korean cultures while keeping a timeless and yet elegant theme to our wedding.’

‘The minimalist and natural feel of the Rose & Smith venue at the Tauherenikau racecourse was a perfect spot for our special day. Kara used to go there as a child with his late grandmother for family reunions, and we even held the wedding on her birthday. We’re convinced she was there with us in spirit.  

The picturesque landscape paired with the modern indoor-outdoor entertainment space worked seamlessly with our ceremony, reception and photography being all in one place, and enabled us to spend more time with our guests. In addition, having our dear friend, Marianne, as our celebrant really enhanced and gave a greater sense of intimacy to our special day. ‘

‘As I walked down the aisle with my father at my side, our whānau acknowledged this special moment through a karanga, which spoke to the coming together of our whakapapa (ancestry, cultures and heritage). After we said our “I dos”, both mothers placed the korowai (cloak) woven by Kara's late nan on me. It was an incredibly humbling moment as I was now not only a wife to my new husband, but was also being brought into my new whānau under a cloak of aroha (love) and care.’

‘My Korean heritage also played a unique role on our special day through the Paebaek Ceremony. We dressed up in Korean Hanbok, and paid respects to our parents and loved ones by bowing in the traditional way. Our friends and family were then provided with dates and chestnuts which they tossed at us to catch, symbolising their blessing and well wishes. As the tradition goes, the chestnuts represent 'sons' and the dates represent 'daughters', with the idea that the more chestnuts and dates we catch, the more sons and daughters we would be blessed with. Fortunately we only caught one each!’

‘Our friend Tangaroa caught a whole lot of kaimoana and gave it to us as a koha for our wedding for us and guests to enjoy. ‘

‘Having a live band was a non-negotiable for both Kara and myself. We were absolutely blown away by the band, The New Squad, who had our friends and family dancing throughout the night.'

It was a magical and emotional day, and we felt it captured both of our cultures beautifully. We felt the spirit of loved ones here and passed, and in particular the strong wāhine in our lives, were present enjoying the day with us. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate our love. ‘

Photographer: Jinal Govind Photography

Wedding Film: V Visual

Rose and Smith at Tauherenikau / Paperswan Bride / Lovers Society / Naveya & Sloane / Suits on Broadway / Calli / Rembrandt / Sunny Lee Hair & Makeup / Horrobin and Hodge / Stiletto Studio Cakes / Marianne Dutkiewicz / Tranzit Buses / Wairarapa Vintage Tours / The New Squad