One Australian couple has bucked the trend for a tropical wedding, instead opting for a winter wonderland wedding at New Zealand’s Aoraki Mount Cook last week.
Melinda Gaughwin and Gary Cook, from Bridgewater, South Australia, chose snow over the beach for their wedding day and braved near zero temperatures to tie the knot on the Tasman Glacier.
The couple married at 6900ft surrounded by the Southern Alps and New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, with wedding celebrant Denis Callesen – also the general manager of tourism at Aoraki Mount Cook.
After the ceremony and photos, the newlyweds went on an afternoon hike up the Hooker Valley before heading back to the Hermitage Hotel to enjoy a candlelit dinner at its Panorama Room.
The Hermitage wedding planner Nyree Schaar said a trend towards destination weddings was emerging with more couples moving away from the idea of a traditional wedding in their local church or at home.
“This wedding season is our busiest ever. We’re seeing more and more couples, particularly those from Britain, America and Australia, choosing to wed in the surrounds of Aoraki Mount Cook.

“Last year we hosted 24 weddings in total but by the end of March this year we will have already hosted 28.”
There are a variety of spots at Aoraki Mount Cook for couples to wed – such as on the Tasman Glacier, the shores of Lake Pukaki, at The Hermitage hotel and more.