Living, Green Church is New Zealand's coolest wedding venue

Barry Cox had been developing his Ohaupo property for five years when it dawned on him that it needed a church.

An ancient stone church like the ones he'd seen in Europe, would have been ideal "but that wasn't going to happen," Barry says, so he opted to grow one from trees instead.

His business involves shifting mature trees with a large mechanical tree spade so he was able to move whopping specimens into place.

You've got to get the proportions right," he says.

"There's a formula, from an architectural point of view."

Alnus 'Imperialis' forms the canopy, with its trunks bare and its ultra-flexible branches bent to form a roof. Contrasting red Leptospermum 'Copper Sheen' creates the walls of the church, which seats 100.

Located in Ohaupo, near Cambridge, the church is set in 1.2 ha of gardens and also includes a shaded area under a large canopy constructed from a military cargo parachute.

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