Church of the
                 Good Shepherd

 The Church of the Good Shepherd is one of our beautiful attractions in New Zealand.

Surrounded by Pine Trees on the hillsides, as you drive down into Lake Tekapo you are blown away by the beauty of the Lake. It holds a very strong colour of Turquoise. Outlined at the end of the Lake is the Southern Alps with Mt Cook towering above them all. It’s a stunning location complemented by the old fashion stone Church sitting beside the edge of the Lake.

If you’re looking for unspoiled beauty, you have chosen the right destination. You won’t be disappointed with what the Church and the village has to offer you on your wedding day.

This Church simply shows the outstanding beauty of what New Zealand has to offer.

Package Price:

To create your wish list for the, Lake Tekapo Wedding at the Church of the Good Shepherd please click below.

 

This page has been specifically designed so you can create your very own wedding packages. It allows you to pick and choose what you desire, at the same time it answers all your questions with regards to your wedding budget.

Have fun creating your wedding! If you wish to save your package, please note you are not held or obligated to proceed.

Time of the year to marry

Anytime is a good time in Lake Tekapo. There summers are super hot as it’s situated in the middle of the Island so there is little Southerly breath from the ocean. So please don’t forget to plaster yourselves in sunscreen before getting ready for your wedding, you don’t want to turn into a lobster after enjoying yourselves in the sun after your photo shoot!

The winter time is quite picturesque; if you marry in August it would not be uncommon for there to be snow. With the snow hanging onto the pine branches and covering the ground this makes for some beautiful photos. Just be aware that the roads will get graded in the mornings for traffic to get in and out so it’s important to work this into your schedule and arrive the day prior to elevate the stress. Afternoon weddings are ideal in the winter as 2.30pm is the warmest time of the day and provides plenty of time for your wedding team to arrive.

Hire of the Church

This is hired through the local parish. Not only does your hire fee include the Church it also includes the Ministers fees, the organist and a person to patrol the area around the Church to keep tourist at bay while you enjoy your time in the Church.

Please let me know if you have any requests for the organist.

Ceremony

As this is a practicing Church your ceremony/service will have a religious basis. You are not required to attend meetings (This is not a catholic church), however you will need to be comfortable with the service. This service can be slightly changed and added too. However, the base ceremony will need to stay the same. I am more than happy to email you a copy of the service. Request copy of Service

Below is a snippet of the ceremony it is really lovely.

Service

Here is an extract of your service at the Church, it’s quite unique to the area and makes it more special with you travelling all this way to New Zealand:

"The Christian faith reminds us that God is love. That God is with us at all times, and wants us to love each other as God loves us. As you look out the window of this beautiful church you can see 3 things that will always remind you of the promises you make today.

Firstly - the mountains, the hills and the rocks. They will remind you of the building blocks of your relationship, which are trust, honesty, joy, encouragement, hope, faith and love.

Secondly – the water, the lake and the canal. Water is a symbol of life and growth, and creation. Marriages need to be watered with lots of warmth, hugs and cuddles. Water is also a symbol of healing, cleansing and refreshment. When we hurt each other, make each other angry, sad or disappointed we need to say ‘sorry’ and make amends. Forgive each other and make changes.

Thirdly – the Matagouri. A wild thorn bush, native to the Mackenzie. Matagouri has long sharp thorns that tear the wool off sheep, and if we try to walk through it, it will tear our clothes and skin. But once a year it has a beautiful little white flower, and an exquisite perfume. The Matagouri bush reminds us that when we overcome the obstacles and problems of life, with God’s help, we experience the beauty and the fragrance of Christian Love.

As you set out on your journey in Christian Marriage, build a good foundation, encourage and forgive each other, and work hard to make your marriage loving, caring and wonderful.

God bless you both today."

Seating Capacity

The Church will seat a maximum of 55 guests.

Please note this wedding package is based on just the Bride & Groom attending the wedding. Please let me know if you are expecting family or friends at your wedding.

Wedding Itinerary – Guideline only

Christchurch Meet & Greet

11.00am Rochelle will meet you at your accommodation and take you to the legal office to assist you in picking up your Marriage Licence. Afterwards we will go out for coffee and go through your arrangements to make sure you are happy with all aspects of your wedding.

(If you are not flying into Christchurch we can arrange for your Marriage Licence pick up in Queenstown).

Day prior to your wedding

2.30pm Check into Stoneridge Estate

Wedding Day

12.00pm - Your Hair & Make-up Artist will arrive at Stoneridge

2.00pm - Final Preparations

2.25pm -Please make your way down to the Chapel (We can arrange wedding transport if you would like to arrive by car)

2.30pm - Your music will start for your entrance into the Chapel

Ceremony will begin

2.50pm Celebrant your wedding with the team over a glass of bubbles. Afterwards your photographer will guide you around the manicure gardens for photos, you may like to go to another location for further photos.

4.30pm Head back to Stoneridge

5.30pm Wedding Dinner

 Your Church of the Good Shepherd Package includes:

 

• Personal assistance from Day one through to your Wedding Day. I will be here to correspond with you every step of the way ensuring everything runs smoothly.
• Return transport to the Legal Office in Christchurch (Based on centrally located Accommodation)
• Personal assistance to pick up your Marriage Licence in Christchurch plus an in-depth discussion to recap all your confirmed wedding arrangements
• The Church of Good Shepherd Venue Hire Fee
• Ministers fee, including full assistance with vows plus meeting you both prior to your wedding in Fairlie which is 20 minutes prior to Lake Tekapo
• Personal assistance on your wedding day. A professional wedding co-ordinator from this region will be there from the start to the finish
• Extra Witness if required, it is law here in New Zealand to have two persons present at your wedding. At Weddings in New Zealand we understand the desire to keep your day as intimate as possible. This can be achieved by utilizing your personal team (Photographer, Co-ordinator, etc).
• Marriage Certificate
• Apostille Certificate, this certificate is widely recognised by most countries including the U.K, U.S.A & Australia.  If you do not reside in one of these countries please let me know, I can then advise which legal document you will require.
• Courier of Marriage Certificate & Apostille Certificate to home address
• All New Zealand Goods & Services Taxes are included (New 15% GST) 
• Price is created based on the Bride & Groom attending the wedding only / Mon-Thu weekday weddings, weekends will incur additional costs
  
  
  We would like to thank you so much for your help and for everything you did to make our day go off so well. Honestly, it was perfect. So yeah thanks for doing such a great job we wouldn’t have known where to start without you and the photos…..well! We can’t get over how wonderful they are and the photographer and his wife were such a lovely couple too. We really had a great day in Lake Tekapo.
  
  Dave, Geri & Ella
  Married at the Church of the Good Shepherd Aug 07
  

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