“Ryaan and I are both of Pakistani heritage and we were already family friends beforehand as our parents were friends for many years. We never really talked to eachother until a wedding brought us together as dance partners. From there, we started to get to know each other better and the rest, as they say, is history! 

Our wedding felt so surreal, it was like a fairytale. We had our engagement two years ago, in a Docklands venue on my birthday. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago and it was just the beginning of many festivities yet to come.

Tell us a little about your wedding- the functions & venue

2022 was the year of all the festivities! We started them off months before the actual wedding. The pre-wedding events were so much fun and brought everyone together. Wedding planning was also enjoyable (and stressful) but everything turned out perfectly. The actual wedding events went by in a blink of an eye and were very memorable for everyone.

 Our main events consisted of the Mehndi, Nikkah, Baraat and Walima, all of which had their own vibe and amazing atmosphere. I was extremely happy with all the venues and loved how they were different. Our Mehndi was in Williamstown town hall, our Nikkah was in a beautiful mosque, our Baraat was in Manor on High and Walima was in Park Hyatt. All of these were incredible and we wouldn’t change a thing. 

Tell us about your journey in finding and selecting your vendors, and your experience with them-

My experience with my vendors were pretty good, I had been researching them in advance and some had been suggested to me.

I was extremely happy with RiteshMehndi, who was so bubbly and did my henna for my wedding. Couldn’t have asked for someone better.

Cineweddingstories had taken all of my wedding video footage and made the most amazing videos that I still look back on to this day. I’m very big on looking back at memories via videos so it meant a lot to me.

Lajeen Artistry did my hair, duppatta draping and styling and it looked impeccable!

Makeupbydiimple did my makeup on my baraat and walima and I could not recommend her more. I felt like a princess because of her and I’ve never had a better makeup artist.

Dj Karan was such an amazing DJ and he absolutely nailed it with the mehndi medley, open dance floor and my baraat music. 

Minsikco and EventsbyDWB were amazing decorators and was very happy with them. 

Weddingstoriesbysundus took amazing photos and I was very very happy with them.  Bhargavboppa took some amazing clicks too. 

How easy or difficult was it to find South Asian wedding vendors in Australia? 

We found most of our vendors through word of mouth and as they were South Asian wedding specialists we were happy with it because they know best when it comes to the culture and traditions of these weddings. There are many out there and I just feel like you have to pick the right ones for you.

Any “wedding planning” tips or advice for to-be-weds planning a South Asian wedding in Australia?

I think my biggest advice for those who are wedding planning (especially south Asian style) is to just book and research in advance, stick to those vendors who are recommended to you the most and look through their pages. You want to see if you like their work so just looking through past events they have done or clients they’ve had is really helpful. Just have fun indulging in all this culture and enjoy it all and don’t stress because everything turns out to be great!

Wedding Vendors:

Videography: Cinewedding Stories

Hair, Draping & Styling: Lajeen Artistry

Mehndi: Ritesh Mehndi

Makeup: Makeup by Dimple

Decor: Minksik co & Events by DWB

Photographers: Weddingstories by Sundus & Bhargav Boppa Photography

DJ: DJ Karan

Venues: Williamstown Town Hall, Manor on High, Park Hyatt Melbourne

Brides Outfits: Annus Abrar, Nimrah Khokhar, Elan Official

Grooms Outfits: The Suit Concierge, Deepak Perwani Official