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Christine (right) and Geoffrey Robb, were married at St Faith's in 1975. Photo / Supplied
When Rosemary Robb walks down the aisle at St Faith’s Anglican Church today, she will be following in the footsteps of two generations before her.
The historic Rotorua church was where her parents and grandparents said their wedding vows.
“I’ve always wanted to get married at St Faith’s,” said Rosemary, known as Rosie.
“I’ve lived in Hastings and Auckland but when my fiance and I moved to Rotorua earlier this year and we were planning our wedding, that was one non-negotiable.
“We both wanted to get married in a church. It wasn’t even debatable.”
Rosie knew her parents, Christine and Geoffrey Robb, were married at St Faith’s in 1975 but didn’t find out about her grandparents’ wedding until last weekend.
“My dad’s brother had his 70th and we were celebrating with all the family and I discovered my nan and koro were also married at St Faith’s.
“One of my aunties is adamant about the date. She said the wedding was on January 7, 1950, and there was a clipping of the announcement in the Rotorua Daily Post at the time.
“It’s pretty exciting to be getting married where my mother was but this knowledge has made it a little bit more special, more amazing.”
Rosie said St Faith’s, located near the lake edge in Ohinemutu village, was a beautiful church with a lot of meaning for herself and for her family. She was baptised there, as was one of her sons.
“My fiance and I are just looking forward to really doing our vows and sharing all of it with our close ones who are attending.”
Christine Robb said she “got a bit emotional” when her daughter told her she had chosen to get married at the church.
“How cool is that? I would not have thought that she would have chosen that. These days people want to get married in vineyards and gardens.”
Christine said it was “absolutely wonderful” that her daughter had “stuck to home ground”.
Christine and Geoffrey Robb were married at St Faith’s on May 17, 1975.
Christine said the venue choice had been “a foregone conclusion” as her mother-in-law’s family had a long history with St Faith’s.
Mervyn Reginald Robb and Edith Maraea Timihou-Te Kowhai were married at St Faith’s in 1950 and the church continued to be an important part of their family’s life.
“We’ve got our own pew there. Everyone’s been christened and confirmed at St Faith’s all the way through,” Christine said.
“My mother-in-law, she was like my mum really, was at Midnight Mass every year on Christmas Eve. She was also in the choir.”
Christine said although Rosie’s grandparents had passed away, they would have been proud to see one of their mokopuna come back to her roots.
“They would be elated. That’s the absolutely wonderful thing.”
When Geoffrey and Christine celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and Geoffrey’s 70th birthday in 2025 they plan to hold their vow renewal ceremony at St Faith’s.
“It’s all very fitting, you know?” Christine said.
Asked her advice for couples getting married, Christine had this to say:
“When the chips are down and the going gets tough, you’ve got to work together and focus on why you got together in the first place.”
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St Faith’s Church secretary of management Ann Somerville said while many couples came to the church’s doors with fond memories of being married at St Faith’s, this story was “a wee bit rare”.
“It’s quite special for three generations to have their weddings at St Faith’s.”
Somerville said the bride’s family has played a big role in the history of the church and its community.
“It’s wonderful that they’ve decided to be married here. Getting married is such a hopeful thing to do.”
Somerville said St Faith’s was a popular wedding venue for its history and its beautiful architecture.
The church building is more than a century old and is Heritage New Zealand-listed. The famed Galilee window – a vision of Jesus wearing a Māori cloak and walking on Lake Rotorua – was installed in 1967.
Famous visitors include the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Newlyweds Harry and Meghan were shown around during the Rotorua stop on their New Zealand tour in 2018.
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