Ding! Next stop the wedding ceremony

JAMES GILBERD/Photospace

FIRST IN, FIRST SERVED: Nicola Tod and Malcolm Stuart have scored a trio of firsts by being the first couple to get married on Wellington's cable car in what may be NZ's shortest marriage ceremony.

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A couple of British expatriates have scored a trio of firsts by being the first couple to get married on Wellington's cable car in what may be New Zealand's shortest marriage ceremony.

Nicola Tod and Malcolm Stuart were married in 4½ minutes during the cable car's six-minute journey from bottom to top.

The third "first" came from marriage celebrant Katie Shannon, whose first wedding it was.

"Everybody should get married in four minutes," she said. "It was such a rush, a real buzz."

Asked why they chose to marry on the cable car, Ms Tod, a student at Whitireia journalism school, said she started thinking about something that would be a bit more fun.

"I've always thought what I would like to do would be more quirky, and casual, and a bit more fun and different, a bit Wellingtonianish, and would involve the children."

About three weeks ago a friend suggested the cable car.

"I probably would never have thought of the cable car, but as soon as it was suggested I thought, `Yes'.

"It has been remarkably stress-free as far as the planning goes. I'm really enjoying it because there hasn't been that much to organise."

The major concern was logistics. With the 3pm Saturday cable car booked, there was no leeway for anyone to be late.

Everyone - including Nicola and groom Malcolm, who was till recently an anaesthetist at Greymouth Hospital - was gathered at the turnstile by 2.30pm.

The only cause for panic was the cancellation of the marriage celebrant's flight from Greymouth on Friday. She arrived in Wellington at 11am on Saturday.

Once at the top, the party of 17 adults and nine children had celebratory drinks in the cable car museum.