The Bride, The Burger & The Hockey Game: Auckland Newly-Weds Go Viral

A newly-wed Auckland couple have made headlines around the world after a video of them in the stands of a Minnesota Wild ice hockey game still decked out in their wedding attire went viral.

Kiwi Lewis Blake and his new bride Erica Skuta - a Minnesota native - headed to Saturday night's game against the Dallas Stars straight from their wedding reception.

TV cameras captured Skuta, a facilities and administration assistant at the University of Auckland, chowing down on a burger in her white dress.

After an especially big bite, Blake was right there to wipe the excess burger juice from his wife's chin.

The video has been viewed more than 35,000 times on youtube and generated 15,000 shares on Facebook, with fans gushing over the couple.

Several comments on the viral video include, "This is the most Minnesotan thing ever" and "She's a total keeper.....Wild fan, loves burgers, wants to go to the game on her wedding night", while sports website Deadspin have labelled Skuta "the greatest baller of all time".

The bride's parents reserved a box at the game for the wedding party and family.

"We wanted to do something a little different and since we're both such huge Wild fans, we thought this was the perfect post-wedding celebration," Blake told The Huffington Post.

"We both decided we wanted to carry on the festivities and stay in our wedding attire, especially since Erica only gets to wear the dress once."

At the game, the newlyweds received a warm welcome from fellow fans.

"When we were put on the Jumbotron people stood up and cheered," the groom said.

"We also had lots of other friends and family who were at the game texting us and telling us that they could see Erica's dress across the arena."

Blake said the attention they've received has been unexpected, to say the least.

"We've just been sitting back watching it all unfold and our phones have been constantly flashing with notifications as our friends all over the world alert us to new posts and stories."

"We never expected this to happen - all we wanted was to get on the Jumbotron. We just never thought eating a burger in a wedding dress would go viral."

The Huffington Post reported the couple met in 2011 when they worked as summer camp counselors in Maryland and now in Auckland.

NZ Herald