The Raiders' gusty second-rower Joe Tapine married his long-time girlfriend Kirsten Stanton in her home town of Newcastle.

And thoughts of the Raiders' heart-breaking loss to the Sydney Roosters just six days earlier, last Sunday, were put to bed as the couple celebrated with team-mates, family and friends.

"It's good. It takes a bit of the sting away from last week," Joe, 25, said of his wedding day.

"It's a nice, happy memory after a sad one."

Kirsten looked stunning in a Zavana Couture gown while Joe was handsome in a custom-made suit in midnight blue from Institchu in Canberra.

The couple was married at the Newcastle Museum followed by a ceremony at the Merewether Surfhouse overlooking one of the city's most popular beaches.

Joe had no trouble deciding if a grand final or his wedding day was the bigger occasion.

"This is the biggest one. The biggest one for me and one to remember," he said of their nuptials.

Many of Joe's family from New Zealand flew in from the occasion while Kirsten also had lots of family in attendance, including her sister nrl.com reporter Tanisha Stanton.

The couple met more than five years ago in Newcastle when Joe was playing for the Knights.

"She's independent and I love that about her," Joe said.

"I like that she goes out and gets what she wants."

Kirsten, who works for the Australian Tax Office in Canberra, recently graduated in IT and commerce from the University of Canberra. She said she was getting teary even at their rehearsal dinner on Thursday.

"I think it kicked in for him too then,' she said. "He's just really happy, especially to be with everyone who has come from New Zealand."

And the couple has put their honeymoon on hold since Joe was last week named in the New Zealand squad to play upcoming Tests against Australia and Great Britain. But they expect to be also busy with more Raiders weddings in the coming weeks.

Joe and Kirsten are just one Raiders couple getting married post the 2019 season. Sam Williams and Sarah Gilbert are getting married in Canberra next weekend.

Then it's Jordan Rapana and Kelsey Kopp in November and Joey Leilua and Tiana Faapoi in December.