Up in the air over wedding

Press, 2 September 1983, Page 3

Up in the air over wedding

An Invercargill couple were married twice on Wednesday, once at 10,000 ft above Lake Manapouri and a second time with their feet firmly on the ground. Robyn Dickson and Rod Ruddell chartered an Air New Zealand Friendship for their wedding service because they wanted a wedding with a difference and are both keen on flying. • It is believed they are the first couple in New Zealand to be married in a commercial airliner. There was one technical hitch with their idea, however. In order to comply with a legal requirement that the public must have access to a marriage ceremony, they had to repeat their vows when the aircraft had landed at Invercargill and had its doors open.

Captain John Murray, of Christchurch, who was the captain of the flight, said the main ceremony took place once the plane had finished climbing.

“It was absolutely firstclass,” he said. “We had a special public address system set up and there was music in the cabin. The crew decorated the aircraft in Christchurch before we flew down. The whole service was perfect. It was

something quite special,” he said.

Mr Ruddell, who has a private pilot's licence, is the licensee of the Woodlands Tavern, north of Invercargill, where Mrs Ruddell also works. After the wedding flight, they posed for photographs before flying by helicopter to the tavern for their wedding reception. The couple had invited 43 guests for the airborne service. For the bride’s family the experience was doubly exciting, since it was the first time her parents, brother, and sister, who acted as the bridesmaid, had flown. The weather was perfect for the flight. Captain Murray said he thought the idea of airborne weddings might “take off.” “It is letting people know that Air New Zealand can do more than just fly people from A to B,” he said.

The company had already diversified its operations by going into scenic flights and offering special rates for educational groups. He was not sure if the company would promote the idea of weddings in the air, but said its staff had a positive attiude to new suggestions.

Another venture which Captain Murray is organising is a two-day airborne tour of the Taranaki energy projects later this month.