Bride & Groom: Prashant and Karishma Chhika
Wedding date: 04/02/2024
Key details:
Wedding Dress: Astra Bridal
Bridesman Dresses: BLAK Bridesmaids
Suits: Tailor Made Suits NZ
Draping and lighting: We went with a package provided by Allely Estate
Styling: 0800 MANDAP (Soni)
Cake: JL Bakes – Jigna (sister of the groom)
Flowers: Contractor organised by 0800 MANDAP (Soni)
Hair & Makeup:
- Hair – Anita Morris
- Makeup – Sarika Patel
Photographer: Kouki Photography
What song did you walk up the aisle to?
I get to love you – Ruelle
What was your Wedding dance song?
Love me like you do (instrumental)
Q. Why did you choose Allely Estate as your Wedding venue?
It was a mix of the greenery and marquee setup. Both of us really love being outside in the summer and wanted an outdoor ceremony. It was also great to have a marquee for the reception to give it a semi formal feel.
Q. Did you have a theme or vibe?
We wanted a rustic feel to use dried flowers as I really like them. All the flowers Prashant has given me over the years I have dried them and kept them, which are currently all over our house now. Which is why we thought it would be fitting to go with a rustic dried flower theme.
Q. Did you incorporate any tradition?
Not for our civil ceremony. We had a week full of Indian traditional events at other locations and the civil was a nice event where we could relax and just have an intimate ceremony and reception.
Q. What was your best decision about the wedding?
Saying I do… To not only have a big traditional Indian wedding but also have a nice small intimate civil ceremony. We got best of both worlds this way.
Q. How did you both meet? What is your personal 'love story'?
We met at a games night which was hosted by Prashant’s cousin. Neither of is thought much of it, it was a nice games night with a few friends. The second interaction was where something had sparked which led into one of us sliding into the others DMs. The back and forth messaging continued and then we had our first proper hangout. We went on two beautiful walks and spent the day getting to know each other. Fast track two years of dating in a long distance relationship, to finally living in the same city, getting married and living our happily ever after.
Q. Tell us about your favourite wedding moment?
I have two favourite moments, first one was reciting the vows and reminiscing in that moment how far we have come and the fact that we both mention “9.30 calls” in our vows. The second moment is towards the end of the night when we were all dancing in a group but then Prashant grabbed my hand and it literally felt like it was just us.
Q. What special touches were important to you?
Special touches which were important to me was to decorate our wedding which showed our personalities, the outdoor venue as we love the outdoors and again the dried flowers.
Q. What advice do you have for other couples?
To ensure you get the vendors booked in early also ensure they are great with communicating. The other really important thing is to have a very good friend and family group to keep your spirits up through the process and on the day.
