- Across Aotearoa, wedding bells are ringing. - (MAN SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - I do. - I feel very lucky to be a celebrant. - And making them official... - So fancy. - ...are our Maori celebrants. - Which one is it? - Ah, I nearly gave him a wring around the ears. (ALL SHOUT) - Raise your glasses for the newly-wed couple. - From the vows to the rings,... - You may now kiss your bride. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - ...they help couples say, 'I do.' (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC) This is Aroha Nui. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 (UPLIFTING ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Tauranga Moana is home to this week's celebrant. In fact, that's celebrants, because the Rangis are a double act. - So, we are Marena na Iripa ` a husband-and-wife celebrant team. I have the legal ability to marry people, and Jess does everything else. - Kia ora, everyone. - I was asked to be a celebrant from some special friends of ours. - My name is Iripa Rangi. - I continue to be a celebrant because it's such a special thing to be a part of. - Do you, Keith, take Katrina to be your wife? - I do. - You don't realise how much of an amazing feeling it is and how special of a role it is until you've completed one. It's difficult to put into words. Yeah, it's an amazing feeling. (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - Ka pai. - OK, we can call your line over. - Yeah. - And get this going. - We chose Iripa because we just wanted to go right away from what is expected from both of our sides, and we found that we really, really clicked. It didn't even feel like it was a celebrant-client conversation. It just felt like we were catching up with old mates. (LAUGHTER) - You know? You know what I mean? (BRIGHT ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - For the last year, these two lovebirds have been helping other couples tie the knot. - (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - That email from last night, that enquiry came back, and they are getting married at Hairini Marae. - Ooh. - 'I embarked on this joint venture because, 'firstly, I think that he is just a great personality to be someone's celebrant.' He's really calm and relaxed, and that's what you want on your special day. 'But what I love about doing this is we get to do it together.' - So, it's a local wedding. - Local. Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, they're from Auckland. - 'Also, for, us having Rameka our son now.' - Bus? - (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) Ka pai. - With administrative support from son Rameka, Jess and Iripa used social media to connect with new clients. - Well, I'm trying to put a post` - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - To post one of our weddings. - Kei te aha, koe? - Eh? On our Facebook and our Instagram. Most of our clientele come from our online platforms. - (MURMURS) - I'm just trying to do this post. - Yeah. - Um... I thought I might do Moana and Lamoni. - Yeah. - Cos they sent through a couple of photos ` one of them in Korowai and one from their ceremony. - Ka pai. - Yeah, it should be done. - Couples come to us for various reasons. Some want the husband-and-wife combo. Some want the blend of two cultures. Some want a male celebrant. Some want a younger celebrant. And then more prominently, an injection of te ao Maori into their day. (ENCHANTING MUSIC) - Tonight Iripa and Jess are preparing to meet their new clients Anaru and Turehu. - 'When it comes to injecting te ao Maori or te reo Maori into our ceremonies, 'we're really guided by our couples.' - Come in. Come in. - Hi. - (SMOOCHES) - 'Having done lots of ceremonies with te reo Maori and te ao Maori now, we have lots of ideas, 'and we're able to kind of make suggestions or recommendations for our couples to choose from,' and then tweak that to meet their personal kind of wants or needs. - E noho. Take a seat. Take a seat. (ENCHANTING MUSIC CONTINUES) - It's been a long drive from Te Papaioea. - Can you put that on that side, please. - But with the wedding only a week away, it's worth the trip. - 'It's the first time that we have met face-to-face. 'Such a special feeling, especially for our couples who live far away.' And it's just nice to get a sense of each other's vibe how they want to have their day portrayed. Do you want that in Maori and English? I know you said you want it in Maori. Do you want it in English as well? - No. - 'They were really welcoming, really warm, really welcoming to our tamariki, eh?' (LAUGHTER) - What we're gonna talk about today is kind of like an extension of our last Zoom chat. So really, about making those final decisions about your ceremony so that I've got some time and Pa's got some time to do our different parts of the ceremony so we have it sorted before we come and see you in a week's time. - Yeah. - In our questionnaire that we send the couple, there's lots of questions that range from some funny, quirky ones and some emotional lovey-dovey stuff. And then from there, we kind of, I guess, paraphrase their words so it's still 100% them coming through. - Cos we we're trying to get it out of each other. - Yeah. - 'What did you say?' 'Nah, nah.' (LAUGHTER) - 'What did you say about me, my ipo?' 'Nah, nah, nah. You just wait. You wait.' - And it's always cool to listen to this for the first time. - Your answers were great, and it gave me heaps to work with. - Yeah, a little bit of a laugh, a little bit of fun. - Yeah, yeah. (CHUCKLES) - But also the lovey-dovey stuff, which is, yeah. - I'm marrying my ipo simply because I feel like he's my soulmate. I feel like we were together in a past life that had some unfinished business to do. And I'm here today, yeah. And I love it. - Hm. - Oh, yeah. A few little questions ` fun stuff. - If we're talking about sort of theme or colour, what's the bridal party wearing? - My girls are wearing black-gold. - I'm the only one in a blazer. - Yeah. - I think. - 'I'm marrying my ipo, firstly, because I love her. I love you unconditionally.' But a lot of it, for me, is for our kids as well and role modelling to them what true love is supposed to look like. - TUREHU: However you turn up. (LAUGHTER) - However you turn up. (CHUCKLES) - (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) (BIRDSONG) (GRACEFUL PIANO MUSIC) - Turehu confirmed it was definitely love at first sight for him, and if he says anything else, it's a lie. - 'It's really important to me that their love story really gives them all the feels on the day.' - Good, but, 'when Turehu got the whanau call-up to a kapa haka noho to support their poi choreography, 'a closed-off Anaru was surprised to experience love at first sight.' So, like, more emphasis on that. - And hence those, yeah. - Yeah. - I make sure that that is... really... tight, I guess, in their ceremony, cos I want it to be perfect for them. - Go, like, full Turehu there. - (CHUCKLES) Into character. - Yeah, like, 'It was definitely love at first sight for him, 'and if he says anything else, it's a lie.' - OK, cool. (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) Yeah. 'You probably should've practised that a few more times.' - Mm-hm. - Let's see if practise makes perfect. - File in. (LAUGHTER) - Because they have such a large bridal party, it is very much like herding cats. (EASY-GOING ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - It's the day before Anaru and Turehu's wedding. - Yeah. - 'We have arrived at the chalet in Palmerston North, the venue for tomorrow.' - (CHUCKLES) - BOTH: 'Come as you are. Stay as long as you can. 'We're all family here, so no seating plan.' - Oh, ka rawe! (HIP-HOP MUSIC) - 'We see all of the beautiful decorations that they've put heaps of mahi into.' - Yeah, hang it up and then unravel it, eh. And then one, Paul, behind the arch for the photo booth. - Turehu is very busy, just like any bride would be the day before the wedding. - Tena koe? (SMOOCHES) - Hi. Tena koe? Pehea? - Oh... Kei te ora. Kei te ora. - Kei te ora? Oh no. (CHUCKLES) - Kei te ora. - Kei te ora. - Yeah. - Did you get more sleep last night? - No. - It's great to see Turehu. For someone who hasn't slept since 5 am, she's looking great. - The end is in sight. - And my brain's starting to get a bit fuzzy now. (LAUGHTER) So I'm like, 'Girls...' - Well, that's cos of the kore sleep. - 'Can you please help me do this?' - Yeah. - So, they've just taken it off me. I need to walk away from it cos it's not... (INHALES SHARPLY) Yeah. It's kind of doing my head in a little bit. (LAUGHTER) - So, it's all looking good, except one small detail. - The only thing we're missing is your vows. - Yeah. (SIGHS) I know. I know. - And that's the legal part. (CHUCKLES) - I think maybe, because I haven't got it, maybe it's not meant to come out until tomorrow. (LAUGHTER) You know? You know what I mean? - Don't do that to me. - Off the cuff. Off the cuff vows. (LAUGHTER) - Don't do that to my OCD. - No but, yeah, nah, we will have it. We will have it. I will assure you that we will have it. - The only things that we tell our couples they have to have in their ceremony are the legalities. So having to say their full name once, some sort of a vow, and sign the registry. - I choose you. - And yeah, and saying some form of 'I choose you' or 'I take you'. Actually, I thought that the poem you sent through were your vows, cos that was pretty cool. - Well, cos we were` - The English version? - Yeah. - Yeah, that was cool. - 'Her paps had written a beautiful poem, 'and we came up with the idea that maybe we could pull some vows out of the English version' for them to share, just to make it that much more special. - My paps was Morvin Simon ` beautiful, humble man, poetic, choir master, composer, musician. He was a lot, but to me, he is my pap, yeah. - Shall we have a look at that and see if we can come up with something? - Yes. - Yeah? - Mm, how about that? (LAUGHTER) Paps be writing your guys' vows too. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh, he's been hanging up around there. I'm like, 'You're a beautiful man.' No, cool, all right. - OK. Give us five minutes. We'll see what we can come up with. And then we'll go from there. - OK. (BIRDSONG) - You want me to read just the whole thing? - 'First of all, Iripa read the poem out so that we could hear the words. - And the families gather and meet` 'And we just bounced off each other. - Do we make the ta moko part singular? No, cos it's about 'on our hands'. - Something that they share together. - Yeah. - So, what have we got in there? - Maybe what if we change that, then? 'Where the ink will never run, 'I vow neither will my love for you.' (INSECTS CHIRP, WIND BLUSTERS) - I like it. - Yeah? - I like it. I think we're done. - Too easy. - Yeah. Run it by them and see what they have to say. - That should take a load off too. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. I means they don't have to stress about it. - Off them. - (CHUCKLES) - And I can sleep tonight knowing they have some vows. OK. (LIVELY GUITAR MUSIC) - Ka pai. So, that's the bride's vows sorted. But what about our groom? - So, Turehu said you wrote the vows for you fellas. - Can we have them? - Yeah. - He froze. - (CHUCKLES) I hadn't written nothing. - (BOTH GIGGLE) (LAUGHTER) - No. All right. - No, you can come. We wrote your vows. - So, yeah. - TUREHU: 'They read it to us.' - Oh, yeah. - If I'm being Turehu, I'll say Anaru's full name. 'Today I take you as my husband, and with this, our two are joined as one. 'Just like the ta moko of infinity on our hands, 'where the ink will never run, I vow neither will my love for you. 'You're the reason I hold my heart on my sleeve. I'm forever yours. 'I promise to love you always, taku ipo.' - All right? - WHISPERS: Yup. - ANARU: Perfect. - 'And it made me quite emotional, cos it was meant to be raining that day, 'but our family have always believed that he's the sun to us.' And as they read it` Oosh. VOICE WAVERS: ...um, the sun came through. 'Yeah, so that was beautiful.' - Ka rawe. There we go. - And he wrote your vows. - Yeah. - (SIGHS) - Through his poem, so he's got you. - Yup. - Ka pai. - OK, we can call your line over. - Yeah. - And get this going. (POIGNANT MUSIC) - All right. - Away you go. - All right, kia ora, whanau. My name's Iripa. I'm the whakahari, if you will, the celebrant for apopo. But she's the boss. - Hi. I'm Jess. I'm the boss. (LAUGHTER) - 'Usually I run rehearsal, just for the little levels of detail. 'And that way, it allows Iripa to stay in place up the front,' where the couple will be used to seeing him on the day. Cool, so, it sounds like you're all walking the aisle, bar this man. - Excellent. Because they have such a large bridal party, it is very much like herding cats. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) (LAUGHTER) - File in. File in. - It is all over the place. Everyone's energies are high. Everyone's excited. First time we've been together for a while. Oh, well, you know. (CHUCKLES) - All right? All good. I think. (OVERLAPPING INDISTINCT CONVERSATION, LAUGHTER) Let's give it a go. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Nice and slow. Use up all the music. (LAUGHTER) - 'I guess we play a little bit of good cop, bad cop when it comes to rehearsals, 'especially with big bridal parties, because everyone's so excited about the couple getting married, 'which is an awesome thing to have, but we also are there to get... - 'The job done. - 'The job done, yeah. 'Make sure that on the day everything flows beautifully 'cos people know where they need to be when. So I'm probably a little bit more, um...' (HAND PATTERS) - Couple of things from that walk. So, the boys aren't gonna drop you guys off. It's quite messy, visually, to keep crossing over. - So you just whoosh. - So when you get to the centre, you're just gonna split? - Does that make sense? - Yup. - Kia ora. - Yup. And we're gonna run it the other way next time so that the end of the line goes first. Cos again, you're kind of crossing over and blocking each other as you walk that way. So we'll try that next time and see how it looks. - Yeah. - (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Is it ever your idea? No. (CHUCKLES) It's his beautiful face that fronts the project. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - But it's my brains. No. (CHUCKLES) No, it's definitely a joint venture. He often points out little things that I forget. - Mama, I was just saying that, son can just stand up here with Anaru` - Yeah, absolutely. - ...until such time that the girls get here. And then he can go sit down with the girls once they go sit down. Yeah. - You hear that? So, you'll be standing here, and then when your sisters come, and then they go and take their seat over there, that's where you'll go and sit with them, OK? - Ka pai? - Until Iripa will call you up again. - Ka pai? Cool? All right. You can go stand by your sisters now. - 'It's been a great rehearsal. The son's been shining. 'Turehu's mum reassures us that it's going to continue to shine tomorrow, so we can't wait.' - But what if she's wrong? And what will happen if Tawhirimatea doesn't fall into line... - Went outside and the whole sky is black. - (CHUCKLES) - ...when Turehu and Anaru say, 'I do'? - TUREHU: My stress level is through the roof. (GRACEFUL PIANO MUSIC) - The big day is finally here and so is an unwanted guest. - JESS: We wake up on the morning of the wedding, and we look at each other and are like, 'Oh.' - Went outside and the whole sky was black. - (CHUCKLES) - It's raining; it's pouring. - 'We instantly think of Turehu.' - My stress level is through the roof. - But we decide not to send them a message because we don't wanna add any more stress to their day. - Obviously, you have to come up with a plan B. (SLOW PIANO MUSIC) I tried to ring my ipo. Uh, she didn't wanna have a bar of it. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - I was just really, really, like, talking to him. 'Come on, Paps. You have to come through. You have to come through.' So, I wasn't making it easier for him. I was like, 'No, he's coming. He's coming.' - ANARU: 'I arrive at the venue. Unbeknown to me, my groomsmen had all followed me down. 'With the guidance of myself and Honey, we set the whole ceremony up in about 20 minutes.' - While Anaru and the boys sort out the venue, Turehu and her whanau prepare. - 'Through the stress of it all, we play our family album and the emotions just take over. (CALMING WAIATA PLAYS) And I just feel so much more too. The tears start flowing. But it's just having faith, just about having faith that my paps was gonna be there. (CALMING WAIATA CONTINUES) (ROCK MUSIC) - ANARU: 'While the groomsmen are getting ready, we're all vibing. 'It was the first time, actually, that I had put my suit together. 'Mean. So, I felt ready. 'Then I'll see all my groomsmen. 'Oh, man. We made the right choice in their suits as well.' - JESS: 'We make sure we find out what the couple are wearing on the day, but also their bridal party, 'to make sure that Iripa's kakaku blend in with their vibe.' (CURIOUS HARP MUSIC) - Despite this morning's dramas, everything is looking rosy. - IRIPA: So, we are quite surprised that they managed to do such an amazing job for a contingency plan. - Cheers to that, e hoa. - I get the thumbs up from my whaiaipo. I give the DJ the thumbs up, and the music begins. (PIANO VERSION OF 'POKAREKARE ANA' PLAYS) - 'I'm doing my usual buzzing around, in the background ` 'helping the bridal party space out, helping the music man with his cues,' making sure everything goes smoothly. (PIANO VERSION OF 'POKAREKARE ANA' CONTINUES) - 'So naturally, the clouds have parted, sun's shining bright, Paps is working his magic.' Mum was right the whole time. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) - (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - (IRIPA SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) - 'I tautoko the mihi from Uncle John Maihi. 'We acknowledge important and significant people in the lives of Anaru and Turehu ` 'both those who are here and also those who have dearly departed.' - We take a moment to remember those who are instead with us in spirit. Anaru's koro Tap, and Turehu's godmother Auntie Mona, big brother Paul and her paps Morvin. Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai ra. - And it's now time for the long-awaited vows. - Today I take you as my husband, and with this, our two hearts are joined as one, just like the ta moko of infinity on our hands, where the ink will never run. - Today I take you as my wife. I am forever yours. I promise to love you always, taku ipo. - Anaru, do you promise to share your life with Turehu, love, honour and respect her today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your days? - I do. - Turehu, do you promise to share your life with Anaru, inspire him to be the best he can be, laugh, cry and grow old with him today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your days? - I do. - Nga mihi nui for allowing me and my little whanau to share in this incredibly special milestone with you both. It is now my honour to pronounce you husband and wife. (CHEERS, APPLAUSE) You may now here kiss your bride. (GROOMSMEN AND GUESTS PERFORM HAKA) It was great to see the best man get up there and tautoko the couple with a beautiful haka. And seeing those guests and friends jump in to tautoko him, it's a sight to behold. - It's a really humbling feeling to be a part of a wedding that is so proud of their culture. (UPBEAT MUSIC) - Our wedding went beautiful. (SMACKS LIPS) Perfect. And it was the best decision we've made in finding a Maori celebrant. - Next time on Aroha Nui, Annette is helping an old friend get hitched. - I will support, cherish and love you always, but there might be times I don't listen. I love that. - But tensions rise at rehearsal. - They stand for 40 minutes. - That's too long for them to stand. - They suck it up for 40 minutes. - And will the rain dampen their big day?