In an exclusive interview with Johanna Osborne, Steve Carlin, lead singer of famed Wellington band Uncle Monkey, takes Mr and Mrs behind the scenes of NZ’s most talked about wedding
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When he took a call from his Agent requesting his band ‘Uncle Monkey’ to appear at a wedding for a “D.Carter” in Blenheim in December, Steve Carlin had no idea he had just agreed to be part of the most hyped wedding of the year.

Steve laughs as he explains that he only learnt that it was actually Dan Carter’s wedding he would be playing at 2 days prior to the wedding, when he read in the newspaper that Dan would be tying the knot with his long-time sweetheart Honor at the famous Timara Lodge, the same venue Uncle Monkey had been booked for. Steve says “That’s when I realised that was us – we were going to be playing at Dan Carter’s wedding! Oh my God!” Understandably excitement levels for the well-loved Wellington band reached fever pitch at this point.

When recounting the details of the wedding, it’s plain to see how much fun it was for everyone, including Uncle Monkey. The band was well taken care of and all expenses were covered when they took their epic journey down south, preparing to play for a star-studded audience. Timara Lodge, the luxury estate that hosted the wedding, is located 15 minutes west of Blenheim and the location as well as wedding details were heavily guarded.

The band had to clear security for their afternoon sound-check and returned later in the evening to kick-start the night-time celebrations. They were lucky enough to catch the last of the speeches, and Steve says that Dan’s was particularly heartfelt and very “sweet”. Steve describes the overall atmosphere in the room as “warm, loving and happy”. He goes on to say “What I liked most about this wedding was that apart from the odd celebrity here and there, it was much like any other wedding. The people were down to earth and it was all about family and close friends.”
Uncle Monkey are no strangers to the limelight and have played a number of high profile gigs, including the closing celebration of the Rugby World Cup, where they were a focal point of the festivities. However being part of NZ’s answer to a Hollywood-scale celebrity wedding, complete with over-the-top security and immense hype, made for a totally unique and pretty exciting experience for this bunch of laid-back kiwi blokes.
 

 
Asked how it came to be that Uncle Monkey was selected for this fantastic occasion, Steve explains that apparently it was a long time in the making – and the band had no idea about any of it. Uncle Monkey had played at Honor’s sister’s wedding several years earlier and clearly made an impact then. Dan’s parents also saw the band perform in Wellington and gave their seal of approval. And the last encounter, again unbeknown to the band, came when Dan attended a special gig at Dockside after the All Blacks vs Canada match in Wellington. Dan was amongst a crowd of All Blacks who came along and Dan confided to Steve that he was actually “secretly checking the band out”. This serves as the ultimate compliment to a humble and unassuming band, who simply describe the whole experience as “pretty damn cool”.
On the wedding day itself, Steve, Sam and Carl were greeted in a warm way by the famous bride and groom. When asked about Honor, Steve says “she looked stunning” and that she reminded him a little of Kate Middleton in the way she looked that day, in her Anna Schimmel designed gown. “She’s just completely lovely – a friendly, down-to-earth girl”.

A stand-out of the night was the fireworks display and also the fire-dancing that took place, a spectacular treat for the happy guests.

The band was delighted the dance floor stayed full all night, and that Dan and Honor held their own and partied along with their merry guests until 1.30am. The guest list included big names like Hayley Westenra (who also sang during the ceremony), Graham Henry, Ali Williams, Richie McCaw, Sarah Tetro and many more. Perhaps disappointingly there were no scandalous moments as “everyone was very well behaved and just having a great time”.

As the sun rose over sleepy Marlborough the next morning, a last confirmation that indeed a star-studded wedding had taken place the night before came when the band bumped into Graham Henry wandering the streets of Blenheim, and greeted them with a jovial “Hey Guys”. And I guess that’s what kiwi weddings all about – no matter who you are, it’s all about camaraderie and brotherhood. Just the way Dan and Honor wanted it.

www.unclemonkey.com/