Photography: Amalia Osborne.
Ordering Dominos pizza for catering and driving herself to a small country church wasn’t quite the fairytale Danish wedding Julia Vahry was dreaming up when she last spoke to Woman’s Day about getting married. But the Traitors NZ season one contestant couldn’t have imagined a more perfect setting as she wed love of her life, Kiwi filmmaker James Boddy in Pohangina, near Palmerston North.
“We could have had a dream Copenhagen wedding, but this was the crème de la crème,” smiles Julia.
“It was so perfect, simple and gorgeous. Pohangina should be a wedding hot spot!”
Back in October, Julia, 40, told us about her new life in Dublin, Ireland, where she’d relocated to study drama after a talent agency spotted her in 2023’s The Traitors NZ, in which she was banished in the final episode, placing fourth.
Julia’s daughter Isla, 13, and son James, 12, moved with her, but James missed his mates and eventually returned home to his dad in Aotearoa. Julia’s fiancé, aka “Big James”, also moved with her. The Kiwi writer and director, whom she met on dating app Hinge in 2024, had popped the question during a hike in Auckland’s Waitākere Ranges months earlier.
A day filled with love
The couple was working on various screen projects in Ireland, but after being rocked by the death of James’ mum Jeanette and facing delays with getting a Danish marriage licence, they accepted a gig working on a TV series in Aotearoa.
Deciding to marry while at home, they had James’ dad Ian, a Methodist church minister, officiate.
“He owned a comic shop for 20 years, then became a church minister,” says Palmy lad James, 46.
“I used to get free comics – now I get free sermons, which isn’t quite the same!”
His UK-based daughter Catherine Boddy, 26, a fashion designer, made Julia’s exquisite gown, but James barely had time to comprehend how stunning she looked as Isla and young James ditched plans to slowly lead their mum down the aisle to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
James laughs, “They went from the door to the front of the church in three seconds. There was no time to go, ‘She looks lovely.’ She was just suddenly there!”
Heartfelt vows
James adds Julia “bawled like a baby” as they recited their vows, in which Julia saluted her “cheeky, handsome” best friend for feeling “like home”.
She also honoured Jeanette, who had told her, “The Beatles had it right – all you need is love.”
Julia says, “I adored that, so in my vows, I said, ‘All we need is love and together we have an unlimited supply.’”
A celebration to remember
The couple exchanged Jeanette’s wedding and engagement rings as their wedding rings.
“Now she’s always with us,” says Julia.
“Afterwards, the whole church was bawling. James’ brother’s partner Marya came up and said, ‘You guys really love, love each other, eh?’”
A reception at Pohangina’s County Fayre café included sausage rolls, a lemon curd cake from the Edmonds Cookery Book and flowers from local gardens. The kids devoured milkshakes and the adults enjoyed an impromptu game of 10-pin bowling, rolling pickled onions at a line-up of Champagne corks.
A wholesome ending
The clan then headed to Ian’s house, where pizzas were ordered, and guests stargazed and did karaoke, with James performing Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain. After the wedding, Julia learnt it’d take another few months before her Irish visa would be renewed, so instead of returning to Dublin, the pair turned their honeymoon into a film shoot.
James speedily penned a whodunnit script, tentatively titled Haven, which they shot on a tiny budget, on Mt Ruapehu.
James shares, “A lot of our cast and crew had gone through hardship, and after being up a mountain for 10 days without phones, we’re friends for life and had the most magnificent time being creative. “It’s a lesson to keep enjoying life and not let anything stop you – even the death of your mother. She wouldn’t want me twiddling my thumbs. And to direct my first film with my wife made it more special. Every moment was a thrill.”
Looking to the future
The newlyweds also launched their production company Boddybag and will continue making films with a focus on fun. The only challenge now is deciding where to live, with Isla due to begin high school in Dublin in September. Fortunately, the children’s father supports their nomadic lifestyle.
“We’re very honest with the kids,” says Julia.
“I’ve told them, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I’ve never been a 40-year-old woman who’s mum to a 12- and 13-year-old before! I won’t always get it right.”
James adds, “The exciting thing is that it’s all an adventure together. If you attack everything with a positive attitude, there’s no issues – and we’re pretty good at that!”
