Ange Davidson Hurunui Celebrant

13/03/2026

This magnificent Lawson Cypress has been gently expanding for generations. It is a living breathing family tree that holds space for new relationships and new generations while never letting go of the old.

With dappled light and room for family and friends within its many offshoots, the tree was a supportive sanctuary for a truly beautiful wedding.

Photography Tim Pierce

14/02/2026

A garden wedding at home on a sunny day. Have a few friends and family over to help celebrate the occasion... what's not to like?

29/01/2026

A favourite wedding venue ...

Gore Bay looking it's best after a wet week in the Hurunui.



Photo credit Anna Cook

10/01/2026

Wedding destinations in the Hurunui are as diverse as the district’s landscapes -think mountain lodges at Mt Lyford, Hanmer Springs, vineyards at Waipara, incredible coastal locations such as Gore Bay and Motunau and many hidden gems in between.

As a Hurunui based wedding celebrant with many years’ experience, I have officiated at weddings on hilltops, beaches, vineyards and venues, beautiful private gardens and homes. I offer a range of ceremony types from bespoke personalised ceremonies to elopement packages and registry weddings.

Get in touch to chat about your wedding plans.

24/12/2025

Meri kirihimete!

My last wedding for 2025 on the cliffs above Gore Bay in the beautiful Hurunui.

I hope your holidays are fun-filled and restful. Be safe out there.

16/12/2025

https://www.instagram.com/stories/harrybakerpoet/3788120082971412961?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=cXZma21icWtzbnF1

Today I heard Harry Baker's 'A Poem for When I Die' and it stopped me in my tracks. It's an insanely beautiful poem about grief and love, and loving life...its about forward planning and it's funny to boot!

Now I've spent far too long poking around his website, reading things, watching his Ted talks and resisting the urge to buy merch in hefty British pounds.

Hope you enjoy it.

Meri Kirihimete!

319K Followers, 1,223 Following, 2,434 Posts

13/11/2025

Wedding taonga can be many things to many people but generally involves the exchange of wedding rings. As a celebrant, I’ve watched couples exchange pounamu, wrist watches, a large artwork and a firearm. Safety first … the gun wasn’t at the ceremony.

Why a ring on the fourth finger of the left hand? This was thought to be a direct link to your heart, a fast track to the centre of your emotions. Wearing a wedding ring shows the world that your heart is already spoken for.

09/10/2025

Handfasting is an ancient Celtic ceremony of commitment where the binding of hands was considered a legal betrothal.

While no longer legally binding, the intent of handfasting remains a visual and powerful ritual that symbolises a couple’s commitment to a life together.

The ribbons can represent different elements of a couple’s love and wishes for their future, they can be spiritually significant, colour themed, and family and friends can add ribbons and cords to the couple’s bound wrists to wish them well.

As the couple release each other’s hands after saying their vows, the ribbons can be craftily tied into an infinity symbol or in a more modern take, a ribbon is cut to represent individual freedoms within marriage.

However you wish to adapt this beautiful ceremony, it remains one of my favourites for the visual symbolism and community participation.

14/08/2025

We’re all just walking each other home. Ram Dass

Alongside the wonderful role of being a marriage celebrant for the past 18 years, I have also been leading funeral and end-of-life ceremonies. I hold a certificate in Funeral Studies and recently spent time with the remarkable Zenith Virago, an Australian woman whose mission is to ‘normalise’ death and restore the time-honoured practices of caring for our dead.

Zenith’s extraordinary workshop added another layer to how we farewell our people that honours them while bringing solace and hope to the living. Death is a transition, and ceremony acknowledges both a person’s life and death. Being together in ceremony can help people come to terms with loss and begin their healing as they step back into their lives without their loved one.

No surprises, death is inevitable. Acknowledging this can be a big step towards living well.

01/08/2025

Registry weddings have long been a favourite for eloping couples or those who want a stress-free wedding within their budget.

A registry wedding is a civil service with a set script and price and is available only on weekdays. As a Validated Celebrant, I offer registry weddings in Cheviot either at my home or at one of the many stunning locations Cheviot has to offer such as Gore Bay, the beautiful Cheviot Hills Reserve, and the community owned Knox Church.

If you’d like to know more about a registry wedding or to contact me about creating a personalised and unique ceremony for your wedding day, please call 027 4914770.

18/05/2025

Ōhau can be translated to mean a windy place but it may also mean the place of Hau, a descendent of the rangitira/chief Rakaihautu who famously dug Te Wai Pounamu/South Island’s major lakes with his digging stick or kō.

And windy it was as Zha and Teige shared their vows with whānau, friends and much-loved dog at Lake Ohau Quarters, with the lake and mountains playing their part in this beautiful event.