“We met in 2012 through mutual family friends and had remained friends for a very long time (about 7 years). In those 7 years we had a really good friendship and in the last 2 years from that we started to become very close and realised we really enjoyed each other’s company, sharing a lot of the same interests but also learning a lot more about each other. We had then realised we started to grow fond of one another and it was a little scary for a while not knowing how this would pan out since we did have such a great friendship. We both “confessed” about liking one another, and here we are today! I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I feel blessed to have my best friend as my life partner. “
Tell us a little about your wedding- the functions & venue
Engagement: My husband Rohan had surprised me with the engagement, he told me we were going for dinner together at the restaurant in the botanical gardens. I ended up walking in to a gorgeous set up of red roses, candlelight and the cello playing behind as simple but gorgeous set up. He hired out the entire park after hours just for the two of us and it was the best proposal I could ask for. We had our families join together the day after at my mums house as she planned a surprise party for the two of us which was so lovely!
Sangeet & Mehendi: as we are South Indian we had a mehendi, haldi and then a Chandan night. These were all held at our homes as we both wanted intimate events to enjoy with our close friends and family. It held a lot more meaning to us to have it from home considering we were moving out on our own after the wedding.
Tell us about your journey in finding and selecting your vendors, and your experience with them-
As most people know social media does wonders in finding vendors.
I wanted my home event decor to be quite simple and my husbands Aunty has a business (jnj decoration and catering) who offered to do this for us. Highly recommend them as they are super creative and affordable, they also make delicious food!
Our photographers/videographers are the famous Rolling Canvas who did a wonderful job for us! They have done quite a few of my friends events so I knew I would go with them.
My wedding decorator went above and beyond – VIP decorating. Irene Aunty nailed it completely and brought my vision to life! The colours, the types of florals and the way it was arranged it was absolutely perfect!
My reception decorator Vesna Grasso also exceeded my expectations, they worked with me and the budget we had in mind. Our venue for the reception was the Grand ballroom at Luna Park which is a beautiful but simplistic venue and Vesna and her team did an amazing job at lifting the venue to match exactly what Rohan and I wanted for our special night.
Our reception Dj, Dj Discretion was amazinggg. Our guests raved on about the music and the vibe!
A few quick mentions:
– Our jeweller, Aris who works in their family business Armans jewellery who created our stunning and unique rings
– Nikki Arora, I knew I HAD to have her from the absolute beginning. She made me feel like an absolute princess and helped me a lot!
– henna by Maziah, for creating my amazing henna design which I loved and I sort of want to get it done again just because 😂
– our reception MC Chris Giuliano, one of our good friends who was happy to MC and is thinking of kick starting his career in the wedding industry as an MC. He’s an absolute natural!! Also started speaking some Fiji Hindi to entertain the crowd a little more
– we had guides printed by the lotus press (the.lotuspress on instagram), I worked with them providing a lot of detail and they created a lovely ceremony guide for our guests as well as an overall guide on the series of events for the day. I also worked with an artist (inside.esti on instagram) who created a gorgeous ‘cartoon’ version of Rohan and I in our wedding outfits.
How easy or difficult was it to find South Asian wedding vendors in Australia?
I can see that there are so many options that are available even after our wedding I’ve noticed there are many more upcoming and great vendors for photography, decoration, henna etc. I think we are so lucky in Sydney especially as it is quite multicultural too though I can see that it is growing further out from here.
In saying this I did go to India to shop for our outfits just so we could have it fitted well/custom made (especially for my petite self!).
Any “wedding planning” tips or advice for to-be-weds planning a South Asian wedding in Australia?
1. Track your spending on excel (perhaps as a shared file)
2. Let go of the small things, whilst everything I feel went absolutely perfect this was also because of our outlook on it all. There may be things that go wrong but don’t sweat the small things ☺️
3. Don’t forget to soak it all in as it all goes so quickly!
Wedding Vendors:
Bride hair & makeup @nikkiaroraofficial
Bride henna @hennabymaziah
Guest henna @hennabymeghapatel
Mehendi backdrop @jnj_deco_catering
Wedding Bridal outfit @kalkifashion
Engagement and wedding rings @armansjewellery
Wedding Bridal Jewellery @rianajewellery
Wedding Bridal hair flowers @freshflowergarlandssydney
Wedding Decor @vip_decorating
Wedding Garlands @freshflowergarlandssydney
Wedding Dj @dj_aash
Wedding day dancers @skbollywood_
Wedding day farewell car @paramountluxurycarhire
Bride’s Reception Outfit @seemagujraldesign
Reception decor @vesnagrasso_floraleventdesign
Reception chandeliers @starlightchandeliers
Reception Cake @honeyandlavenderbyhelena
Reception Catering @lunaparkvenues
Reception photobooth @strawberry_spoon_photobooth
Reception cars @iconiclimousines
Drummers/ Dhol @sydneydholis
DJ Reception @djdiscretion
Wedding Venue @manoronelizabeth
Reception Venue @lunaparkvenues
Photo/Videos @rollingcanvas
Wedding Guides @the.lotuspress