Tell us about yourselves?
David and I come from slightly different backgrounds. David is Cook Island and European and I’m half Fiji-Indian and half NZ European. David is a PE teacher at his local high school which is perfect because he loves his sports and running for fun. I’m an emergency nurse who loves a bit of thrill. We’re complete opposites but share the same values in life. David is outgoing, loves walks and hikes and is a social butterfly. I love brunch dates and dog walks and only smaller gatherings with a glass of wine involved. We compliment each other with our differences and allow each other to explore different interests and hobbies by pushing each other. 

How did you two meet?
The modern day “bar story”… we met on tinder haha. I was out having drinks with my friends and let them swipe away on my tinder. They came across a lovely brown athletic boy who also loved the gym and thought he was the perfect match. We started to talk and the jokes were flowing and I thought I’d give him a chance on a proper date. I was so skeptical about tinder and meeting someone online so I made sure that when we first met he’d meet me in a public place with lots of people and well lit area. I wasn’t risking being kidnapped just because I was trying to avoid an arranged marriage. We met up for drinks, laughed the night away and after that he pretty much booked me out for 3 more dates in advance worried I’d find someone else to fill that time with.  Five dates later we were hooked and next thing you know we were inseparable!  He soon realised how amazing I was and decided propose during one of our dog walks 2 years later!

Tell us about your wedding planning process, how far in advance did you start planning and what were some challenges you faced?
We knew we wanted a small wedding from the get-go and once we were engaged we were keen to get married ASAP and start our married lives together. We planned the wedding in 6 weeks (which I now realise is crazy!). I had envisioned a small hindu ceremony with my closest family and friends but wanted it to be outdoors and with a backdrop. I found an air bnb that was willing to host our wedding at a lakefront house with a beautiful big deck to place the mandap and hold around 40 guests. I wanted floral and wooden and didn’t want the scenery to be hidden. I won’t lie, planning a wedding in 6 weeks had many challenges ! Firstly, finding vendors that were available on such short notice. I think we were really lucky at the time truely! Our mandap was handmade and we bought our own florals and fabric and made the decorations by hand as most vendors need to be booked in advance. The second problem I had was finding my dream wedding dress. I knew exactly what I wanted and it wasn’t the typical Indian bridal wear found in our Indian clothing stores. And it was too late for me to get something custom made . Thankfully my mum is a tailor and worked with Indian clothing and western bridal wear. We searched far and wide for the perfect fabric and my lehenga was hand made by my talented mother and it took on the exact image I had envisioned for my wedding day. If I was to do it all again I would definitely give myself more time to plan a wedding! But we really were lucky everything just happened to work out in the end.

How is it being married to the love of your life now and did you notice any changes from pre wedding to now?
We thought it would be the same as we both lived together prior to marriage and spent so much time together and with each other’s families. Marriage brought a whole new spark into our relationship and brought stronger emotions and a sense of belonging to us. We went from partners to husband and wife and just hearing these terms gave us butterflies. Also attending events and other weddings as a married couple feels so magical as you think back to your own special day! Marriage has given us a sense of belonging in each others life and almost makes us feel unbreakable. It’s like living with ur best friend and knowing that they’ll be there forever and through all of lives adventures. 

What advise would you give to our beautiful south Asian couples planning for their wedding in NZ/Australia?
Planning a wedding in the south Asian community can be tricky let’s be honest. There’s two families involved and often both sides don’t have the same outlook or opinion. Just remember, it’s your special day and it’s about being with your best friend forever and celebrating your love. My best advise is if you have a vision or idea for your wedding… run with it ! Nothing is too big or small. There’s so many talented big and small businesses and vendors around as well who can help your vision come to life. Enjoy every moment of it, even the most stressful of times. And just remember … is it really a south Asian wedding without a bit of chao?! Start with the important aspects of your wedding that you think are non-negotiable when planning so that you stay true to your fairytale wedding. I would highly recommend buying a good wedding planner/book as they often have prompts for little details and it makes it so much easier to write down every detail and cost. We looked back at ours often and found the prompts and visuals and tables so helpful ! We used “The little white book” to help plan our wedding. Enjoy every moment of the planning and the wedding and remember it’s about the two of you celebrating your happily ever after. 

What was a non negotiable for you at your wedding and why? 
Non negotiable for my wedding was booking an amazing photographer, venue and my wedding look. I think I’d always dreamt about having a small and intimate outdoor wedding with beautiful scenery and how I envisioned myself as a South Asian bride. I knew I wanted to wear a simple red lehenga with gold jewellery and get married with a beautiful nature-inspired backdrop. I wasn’t prepared to negotiate on this because I didn’t want to look back with any regrets. Many of us girls dream about our dream wedding day so I wanted to make 16 year old Rachael proud by sticking to what I loved. An amazing photographer was another key component as I wanted my authentic moments captured during my wedding. I wanted that “funny pandit” moment too ! So when I worked with HP collective I had confidence that she’d capture authentic moments from my wedding and be able to capture my Bollywood wedding moment for me. I look back at my wedding photos often and I don’t regret being particular about these important components of my wedding

What vendors would you recommend?
The HP collective for sure for wedding. I looked for a while through many portfolios and pages to find a photographer that captured authentic moments and shared the same vision as me and she did! She was able to capture beautiful moments from my wedding without any staging. I’ve also never seen someone work so hard to capture those perfect shots on my special day. The energy she brought on the day was incredible! She was so comfortable to be around and it was like having your friend there on your wedding which I think is such a special touch for those who work with you on your special day!

Samreena from Makeup by Sam was my makeup artist for my special day. She really worked so hard on my special day to make me look and feel the most beautiful I had ever felt in my life! Having Samreena around is like having ur super talented big sister help do your makeup and help set your veil on your special day. She listened to my vision and made it come to life and I wouldn’t have changed anything about my makeup. She’s got a beautiful presence and is super passionate about makeup and making others look and feel their best. I’m so glad I worked with such a talented individual

Drapers Fabrics was amazing when it came to me searching for the ideal fabric for my wedding outfits. The girls there really took their time to listen to my vision and what I wanted to achieve and helped me to locate the most beautiful fabrics in their store

I bought my jewellery and bridal veil from Kaysons Limited in New Lynn. They listened to the type of bride I wanted to be and searched through their store to find me jewellery and a veil that matched my bridal outfit fabric and fit my vision. Although I did not buy my bridal lehenga from them, they were amazing with assisting me with the important finishing touches to my look and were so patient with my vision.