Bride & groom: Anjanica and Nirav
Wedding date: 2nd February 2020
Key details:
Bridesmaid dresses from BLAK, Newmarket
Suit tailor-made by Family Tailor in India
Makeup by Sarika (MAC Cosmetics) and hair by Dinple (Rodney Wayne)
Wedding venue styling by the couple, with help from Event Styling Co
Q. Why did you choose Allely Estate as your venue?
They had a beautiful marquee space which could hold so many people! The garden and outdoor area were stunning and had a great indoor/outdoor flow for the type of event we were wanting. The event coordinator Athina also was great to deal with and just was so supportive and would try her best to accommodate our requests. She was amazing.
Q. What special touches were important to you?
The Tuscan touches were important because it’s such a special place for us, that special moment where we got engaged. We also made raised boards that sat along the middle of the table for the sharing platters to sit on – this was built with the help of both of our families and was special to have something at the wedding that both families created. AND it looked beautiful!
Q. Tell us about your favorite moment
To be honest there were so many to choose from to single out one from our wedding. But if we had to pick one it would be having so many of our friends and family from all around the world and to celebrate the afternoon with them, laughing, chatting, dancing and drinking. Thinking back now, we cherish this so much and were incredibly grateful to have all of our special people able to attend our wedding!
Q. What was your best decision about the wedding?
Nirav and I decided to have our first look with each other in a forest before our actual ceremony, and it was the best thing. We got to see each other without seas of people and just really appreciate all the moments leading up. We then took all of our bridal party photos soon after as well. It was just so much fun, we all were laughing and having a great time. It then meant that during our ceremony we didn’t need to stress about being removed from our guests to have photos taken. This allowed us to spend the afternoon with our family and friends and have a great time chatting with everyone – it was so relaxed, instead of being pulled in every direction in between shoots. It was honestly a great decision we made!
Q. Did you have a theme or vibe?
We chose to have a Tuscan theme for our Civil Wedding, as we got engaged in Tuscany in May 2018. We definitely wanted to bring back Tuscany by using accents and small special touches throughout the day and evening, such as grazing platters, a prosecco hour, gelato carts, rosemary tied to napkins on each plate and shared platters for the mains. The shared platters allowed our guests to relax and enjoy the night and meant that there were plenty of options and food so no one was left hungry! It honestly felt like we were transported to a mini Tuscany here in Auckland which was amazing as Tuscany has a very special place in both our hearts.
Q. Advice for other couples?
Just enjoy the day, even if a few things start to veer away from your plans. There are always things that won’t always go to plan, no matter how hard you try to control things and how much planning you’ve done in the months leading up. The best thing we did was just go with the flow. We had our amazing and supportive friends and family who were there to take care of things that needed to be done which just allowed us to have the best day as we start a new chapter. Also, try and have a moment where it’s just you and your partner, even if it’s just a few minutes. It’s crazy how busy the day can get and it’s easy to be pulled apart by family and friends who are overwhelmed with excitement for you. It was really nice and special to get away just for a bit and reflect with just us, no one else, and take a breath.
Q. Did you incorporate any tradition?
Both Nirav and I come from very cultural backgrounds which we definitely brought into our wedding. We had a traditional Indian wedding ceremony the day before. On the Civil Wedding day I swapped out the traditional white dress for a Lengha that I bought from Mumbai which is a traditional Indian outfit. I wanted to find a Lengha that seemed like a mix of myself, a fusion of western and Indian. Therefore I went with a light champagne-coloured Lengha that was simple to tie these two cultures together and really represent who I was.
Photo of Athina by Dawn Photography
Draping, lighting & styling by Event Styling