Last updated 11:19, Friday, 19 September 2008

Amy Claxton had always dreamed of a traditional English country wedding, but she also felt it was important to make it special for her rugby playing fiancé and his family and friends from New Zealand.

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Walk the walk: Amy and Fraser with their attendants

They got married in her family’s village church and had a marquee reception in the garden of her family home with New Zealand traditions incorporated to make her Kiwi guests feel at home.

Amy, originally from Wreay, and Fraser Gemmell, from Auckland, got married on July 19 at St Mary’s Church, Wreay.

Amy, 29, said: “When I was at primary school I was in Christmas plays performed in the church so it was important that I got married there. It was very special.”

During the service, Amy’s friend Elaine Martin sang Pokare Kare Ana – a traditional Maori love song from New Zealand.

The ceremony was followed by a reception in a marquee in the garden of Amy’s family home across the road from the church.

Amy, a teacher, said: “I lived in the house all my life until I left to go to university and my dad always promised me that when I got married we would have the reception in our garden.”

The nights before the wedding red squirrels chewed their way through a pipe laid between the house and the marquee to carry water.

“I thought it was mice but someone saw a red squirrel,” said Amy. “Water had to be carried from the house to the marquee on the day.”

Fraser, 30, is the son of former All Blacks player Bruce Gemmell and played rugby to a high standard himself; Amy wanted to reflect this during the wedding day.

“I wanted to include things relating to New Zealand and rugby because they are Fraser’s passion,” she said.

The table plan was a rugby field with 15 All Blacks shirts with the names of the guests on for each table, a surprise for Fraser.

Each table was named after the location of houses the couple had lived in together and the bride and groom and close family sat at Fellbrigg Road, London, where they currently live.

The silver fern, a New Zealand emblem and symbol used on the shirts of the All Blacks rugby team, featured in the flower arrangements and in the table settings.

The wedding cake was topped with figures of the bride and groom made at Margie’s in Carlisle. There was a silver fern on the jacket that Fraser’s figure was wearing and he was holding a rugby ball.

Bottles of Momo Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir were specially imported from New Zealand by Pippa Sedgwick Wines and the couple’s first dance was Sway by Bic Runga, which Amy had heard when she was in New Zealand.

Amy said: “Everyone liked the special touches, but I also wanted to give the guests a taste of Cumbria, so there was a lot of Cumbrian produce used in the buffet.”

About 50 guests travelled on the same plane from New Zealand and there were a further 20 from the UK who stayed in Glenridding.

At midnight the male guests from New Zealand did a haka, the traditional Maori dance that is performed at the beginning of All Blacks’ games.

On the day, Amy wore a beautiful Pronovias backless vintage lace dress supplied by Blackburn Bridal in Blackheath, London.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by the bride and made by designer Kate Wynn in London.

Amy said: “I wanted their dresses to match the style of my dress as it has straps. I couldn’t find any that matched so I decided to get them designed. I worked with Kate on the design and then chose the material.”

Brenda Dowding, of Gardenalia, created a traditional shower bouquet and pale pink roses for the bridesmaids.

Amy and Fraser met in New Zealand when Amy was teaching there in 2000. Following this, Fraser, who now works in London, joined Amy back in the UK when he was brought over by Oxford University to play rugby in the annual varsity match against Cambridge.

The couple got engaged on May 12 last year in the University Parks, Oxford. Fraser got down on one knee after pretending they were going to have a barbecue with his rugby team mates.