The magazine Woman's Day bought the rights to cover the wedding of former All Black captain Richie McCaw and New Zealand hockey player Gemma Flynn at The Olive Grove in Wanaka on Saturday.
Editor-in-chief Sido Kitchin said the special issue went on sale in the North Island yesterday and the South Island today.
Subscribers across New Zealand would receive their issue today.
Woman's Day was usually printed on Friday night, to be on-sale nationwide by Monday, she said. With the wedding on Saturday afternoon, the magazine printed on Sunday and delivery was 24 hours later than usual.
``We apologise for the delay, but I hope our South Island readers will understand on this special occasion.''
Paper Plus Wanaka manager Chris Lumsden said people flocked to the shop yesterday to buy the magazine.
By 4pm more than 50 people were on a waiting list to secure a copy of the magazine on its arrival today.
He had ordered 200 copies, four times his usual weekly order.
He doubted the delay would result in fewer sales. But the magazine publisher should have waited to release the magazine on the same day.
``That would have been nice,'' Mr Lumsden said.
Caltex Kurow shop assistant Sonia Pablecheque said she was ``horrified'' South Islanders had to wait an extra day.
The news was particularly hard because the groom was raised in Kurow.
The interest in the story was high but she believed the disappointment about the wait for release would dampen sales across the South Island today.
Just down the road, Kurow Hotel owner and manager Trish Paton was happy to wait.
``It's not going to make too much difference ... We're in the middle of nowhere. We don't get anything first, anyhow, so we are used to that.''
Green Island Milk Bar shop assistant Jo Inch said about 12 shoppers asked for the edition in the Dunedin shop before noon yesterday.
She said North Islanders should have had to wait to read the South Island story.
The magazine said the 26-year-old bride was a ``picture of elegance, wearing a white custom-made Anna Shimmel silk satin gown, shoes by Valentino and diamond earrings by Sutcliffe Jewellery''.
The 36-year-old groom ``looked more handsome than ever in a black Ermenegildo Zegna suit''.
The couple exchanged vows in front of 170 family and friends, under a wooden arch built by the bride's father.
After the ceremony couple were flown by helicopter to the top of the Crown Range for a photo session, the article said.
