Oct 11, 2020

You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image. Bride Amberleigh Jack stopped at the Titirangi War Memorial to cast her vote. Photo / Ethan Lowry Photography For her final act as a single woman, Amberleigh Jack walked into the Titirangi War Memorial to cast her vote, in her wedding dress, surrounded by her bridesmaids. "It was the perfect way to start the perfect day," she told The New Zealand Herald the day after her big day yesterday. "I've always appreciated the fact we get to vote - and always loved election time," she said. "When the timing worked out that my bridesmaids and I could stop on the way to he ceremony and cast our vote, on the same day I get to marry the love of my life, Darren, it seemed the perfect way to start the perfect day." The bride voted accompanied by her bridesmaids. Photo / Ethan Lowry Photography The couple tied the knot at home in Titirangi and Amberleigh made the quick voting stop at the war memorial on her way to the her own ceremony, for her last "official" act as Amberleigh Jack. She said people working at the polling place loved her special voting outfit. "They loved it. Just so excited and happy. They were amazing." What was meant to be just the simple fulfilment of her civic duty turned into a viral moment online. The bride and groom at their wedding reception. Photo / Ethan Lowry Photography The newlywed had no idea she would wake up the following day to a flood of messages and notifications on her phone, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shared her photo and commended her commitment to her civic duties. "I'm captioning this one 'commitment'," Ardern posted on Sunday morning. "Congratulations @amberleighjack on your big day, and thanks for reminding us all that no matter what you're up to, there's always time to vote." The photo received tens of thousands of likes on Facebook. "I woke up this morning to my phone exploding, it was surreal," the newlywed said, adding that, despite getting a shout-out from the Prime Minister, "getting to marry Darren was the big highlight of the weekend". The groom, Darren Patterson, will be voting tomorrow as he was rather busy waiting for his bride to arrive yesterday.