BIG ON LOVE AT THE LITTLE CHAPEL

WORDS Joshua Brosnahan PHOTOS Joseph O’Sullivan

The Little Chapel is more than a church – it’s home to a social enterprise that quite literally changes lives in the most perfect way. An offshoot of non-profit The Home & Family Society, all profits generated by weddings and functions at The Little Chapel go directly towards funding their services. They’re dedicated to helping Christchurch children and families.

The Little Chapel opened its doors in March last year, with a dream of creating beautiful, bespoke weddings. It’s a place for the public to use and enjoy a stunning heritage hidden gem, all the while enabling Home & Family to continue to deliver their essential services to our community.

The chapel was built in the late 19th century and was designed by the renowned architect Benjamin Mountfort, who was one of the country’s most prominent architects. He was the first official Provincial Architect in the development of the Canterbury region, and was responsible for many notable buildings including Canterbury Museum and The Canterbury Provincial Chambers. The chapel features a wooden altar, sculpted by Frederick Gurnsey, who carved the Bridge of Remembrance, and stained-glass windows by Veronica Whall. The chapel is now non- denominational – which means they welcome civil unions. In fact, you can personalise your ceremony to your heart’s content.

Recently at The Little Chapel, a very special union took place, thanks to The Little Chapel’s Claire Quinn, and a promotion with a local radio station.

Rochelle and Kahanui’s story started in the early 2000s – Rochelle mentions the pair bonded in an unlikely scenario – at the infamous Holy Grail pub.

“We bonded over our mutual love of Bon Jovi, on the dancefloor, one night in 2004. I was 24 and he was 23.”
After a full circle journey, including another marriage, a move to Australia and more, the couple have been back together for five and a half years, which includes the birth of their son.

“When Kahanui proposed in February last year, it was a massive surprise to me, and all our family and friends. They’ve always believed we should be together.”

The blended family includes Imogen, 19 and Diezel, 14 – completed with two-year-old German Shepherd, Kubo.

“A good friend of mine, Julia, was helping me with all the wedding planning, as it was stressing me out a little. She tagged me in The Breeze Canterbury’s post on Facebook, so I entered the competition via text and told our story; how we had been together when we were younger, then parted ways. After a separation, and my move to Australia, Kahanui came and spent some time with us in Brisbane. We had a great time, and it helped reignite our old flame, so to speak. So here we are, 14 years later.”

The wedding was a good old-fashioned Kiwi working-bee – with several local businesses on board to make the day as wonderful as possible. Everything from beauty, the dresses, the cake and even luxury accommodation was provided by local business for the duo.

“The whole day was a highlight, in my opinion. Everyone who was a part of the competition contributed to making our wedding absolutely amazing. The day was beautiful, from start to finish”

The Little Chapel has won over these hearts, and in the process, helped our community. A wonderful initiative that means the best day of your life, can help to make someone else’s life better.

thelittlechapel.co.nz