Inside Jacinda Ardern’s beautiful vineyard wedding ceremony as she marries Clarke Gayford
New Zealand’s former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern got married to Clarke Gayford earlier today in a beautiful ceremony.
The couple had been engaged for five years and said “I do” at Craggy Range vineyard, in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, where they were joined by friends, family and politicians.
The wedding was held on Saturday afternoon with images from the reception being released shortly after 6pm local time.
Jacinda, 43, was dressed in a white halterneck gown which was custom-made by Juliette Hogan.
She also wore a sheer white full-length veil which bore great resemblance to the one her mother Laurell wore when marrying her father Ross Ardern 47 years ago.
Clarke, 47, and a television presenter best known for hosting fishing shows, opted for a simple but elegant Zambesi black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He completed his outfit with a white boutonnière that complemented his wife’s orchid-filled bouquet.
Their daughter Neve, aged five, walked down the aisle with her father, wearing a dress made from Ardern’s mother’s wedding dress.
The wedding ceremony took place under a clump of trees in the centre of the vineyard, and Jacinda was seen being shaded by a bridesmaid holding an umbrella to keep cool in the high temperatures.
According to one guest on Instagram, there was an array of quirky canapes on offer – including a pāua and snapper sausage roll, the Daily Mail reports.
As for who attended the wedding, Dame Annette King, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia; celebrity chef Peter Gordon; and Labour opposition leader Chris Hipkins and his partner Toni Grace were spotted.
There were also reports Grammy Award-winning singer Lorde would be performing at the wedding.
British singer Ed Sheeran had previously expressed interest in singing at the wedding but couldn’t due to a schedule conflict.
How did Jacinda and Clarke meet?
The couple were meant to get married in January 2022 but due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions in place at the time, it was postponed.
When Jacinda announced she was retiring from her role as Prime Minister in January 2023, she declared to her fiance: “To Clarke, let’s finally get married.”
As for how the couple met, according to Clarke, the way the relationship began is “slightly embarrassing” as they were brought together by a constituency issue.
He said in an interview with Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa: “This is slightly embarrassing – I had a constituency issue and I emailed my local MP,” who was Nikki Kaye.
Clarke didn’t year back from Nikki so wrote to Jacinda, who arranged for the pair to discuss the matter over coffee.
During their meet, they realised they shared the same love for music – with both have DJing experience, and Clarke being a presenter on a music channel.
The pair hung out as friends before their relationship turned romantic.
As for their first date, Gayford told New Zealand Women’s Weekly they went on a fishing trip where Jacinda reeled in a 5.4kg snapper.
He added: “It was literally Jacinda’s first cast and she was like, ‘Ooh! Something’s pulling!’ … she said, ‘Is that good?’ And I was like, ‘That’s real good!'”