Video: Whole new meaning to walking down the aisle

Dunedin couple Christian (38) and Jennifer Kasper (31) get married at a ceremony in Countdown on...
Dunedin couple Christian (38) and Jennifer Kasper (31) get married at a ceremony in Countdown on Cumberland St. Musician Tiki Taane looks on from extreme left. Photo by Gerard O'Brien

A Dunedin bride received the shock of a lifetime when her husband-to-be surprised her with the ultimate ''flash mob'' wedding at an inner-city supermarket on Saturday.

The surprise wedding of Dunedin couple Christian Kasper and Jennifer Chou took place at Countdown, in Cumberland St, with celebrity guests, a brass band, a procession of 200 dancing guests, Pacific Island drummers and a supermarket aisle which filled in as the aisle.

Among the guests were family and friends and awe-struck shoppers, many of whom filmed the ceremony, which took place next to the checkout, on their smartphones.

The newly married Mrs Kasper, who runs Dunedin restaurant Chopsticks 101 and is originally from Taiwan, was still overwhelmed after the ceremony, but ''very happy'' with her husband's intricately planned surprise wedding.

''I am the luckiest girl in the world. I couldn't have asked for anything more,'' she said.

What started as an everyday grocery shopping trip, quickly turned into something altogether different and she knew ''something wasn't right'' when she was greeted by Shortland Street star Pua Magasiva just after entering the supermarket.

Magasiva, who plays nurse Nurse Vinnie Kruse, was with artist Dick Frizzell and offered her some cheese from a mock promotions stand before blowing a whistle which started a ''flash mob'' involving a brass band and a procession of 200 guests.

But it was not until her husband - and the instigator of the ''crazy'' flash mob wedding - popped up, that she knew she would be getting married right there and then.

With a make-up artist and a wedding dress on hand, she would soon be walking down the aisle, with musician Tiki Taane there to play his hit Always On My Mind as she made her way past laundry products.

The surprise wedding came after she proposed six months ago, telling her future husband it was a condition that he organised the wedding. Little did she know what he would come up with.

Mr Kasper, who is originally from Germany and runs a business licensing Frizzell's artwork, said he had ''about 60 sleepless nights'' before the big day and it took a lot of organising, including asking favours from a few celebrity friends.

He came up with the idea after a conversation with his new mother-in-law. ‘‘When her mum said ‘I want my daughter to walk down an aisle', I thought of a supermarket straight away, so that's how it struck me.''

He was grateful none of the 200 guests let anythingslip before the big day and Countdown agreed to his ‘‘crazy idea''. 

‘‘They are amazing. When I talked to them six months ago they thought I was crazy, but it all came together and we are all very happy.''

Magasivasaid he was more than happy to fly down and play his part in the big day. ‘‘He wanted me to come down and be a part of it, so, I was like, how can I decline that? It's pretty epic'.''

He was impressed Mr Kasper's plans had been kept from his new wife. ‘‘I think the whole of Dunedin knew except for her, which is pretty special.'' Store manager Paul Wallace, who was there to enjoy the big day, was glad he had agreed for it to be held at the supermarket. ‘‘I've been[working] in supermarkets for 20 years and I have never seen a wedding in a supermarket,'' he said. A few shoppers were annoyed at the interruption, with one commenting he would need to come back the next day to finish his shopping.

 

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