1. Tell us about yourselves
Opposites attract would be the best way to describe us. I’m a Fiji-Indian girl, spontaneous, enjoys out-going and loves being social. Rajan is Gujrati, Kiwi born and raised and is as Kiwi as they get. He prefers having a chill day at home or small social gatherings with people he knows and gets along with well. Despite being so opposite in personality, our morals and what we envisioned for our future were similar and eventually became the foundation of our relationship. 

2. How did you two meet?

Meeting Rajan felt like fate. To make a long story short, I went to a party I didn’t want to go to and met his friend who invited me out to the driving range with his friends. I was meant to go with my best friend but she got called into work leaving me tempted to not go as well but I thought “if I do what I always did, I’ll get what I always got” and I’m so glad I did because it brought me to Rajan. Three weeks later he asked me out on our first date and that’s when I had my “when you know you know” moment. Fast forward a year and a half later, he took me down to Queenstown and popped the question after a scenic helicopter ride to Old Woman’s Range. It really was a surreal moment!

3. Tell us about your wedding planning process, how far in advance did you start planning and what were some challenges you face?

We had about a year and half and it still didn’t feel like enough time! 
The biggest challenges we faced were trying to find vendors who could bring our vision to life and who we could trust to do a good job of it. We found trust was crucial for us because not only were we paying a lot, but we encountered ingenuine vendors who would say they could do what we wanted when in reality they couldn’t and weren’t willing to be accommodating. We also had the different culture aspect and had to find a happy balance while remaining respectful of both sides. Fortunately, both our families were really supportive throughout the whole process and made it much easier for Rajan and I.

4. How is it being married to the love of your life now and did you notice any changes from pre-wedding to now?

Being married at first was like moving to a new house with a new flat mate, especially since we got married the weekend before the first lockdown and didn’t live together beforehand. Ofcourse we had an adjustment period and the first year ended up being a super intense crash course of marriage. Almost three years later, that one year during lockdown was a blessing in disguise because we managed to fast track finding a cooperative style of living with each other and now it’s like we’re living harmoniously with our best friend. Instead of feeling the need to go out like we used to before getting married, we prefer enjoying meals at home with wine in our own safe haven. 
You also tend to understand each other on a deeper level once you’re married. If we’re ever upset with each other, we understand being apart is worse than being upset in that moment and that motivates us to try and be better for each other in order to be better together. 

5. What advise would you give our beautiful South Asian couples planning for their wedding in NZ/Australia?

Find out what you want, what your non-negotiables are, pick your bridal party carefully and thoughtfully, and remember why you’re planning this wedding. I think it’s really easy to be swept up in planning the “perfect” wedding but in reality, what you think matters doesn’t always matter in the big picture and it’s okay if things don’t always go as planned. 
Planning weddings can be stressful and the last thing you want are bridal party dramas, so pick people who always have your back and will be there for you through it all! Trust me, you will rely on them more than you think you will!

6 .What was a non-negotiable for you at your wedding and why?

I always knew I wanted to plan a wedding events I would love to attend and knew I wanted to have a big Indian wedding with table seating where people could snack and have refreshments. It was important to me for our guests to enjoy the wedding and stay fed and hydrated during summer. We all know how long Indian weddings can be!
My make-up artist and photographer/videographer also were massive non-negotiables! Eleanor had a genuinely positive personality and truly did take the best care of me, my mum and my bridesmaids. I had her for all my events and she was accommodating with anything I needed changed on the day! With our photographer, it was important for us to find a someone who could also do videography and could make Rajan feel comfortable. There’s nothing worse than looking awkward in your photos when you’re not used to being in front of the camera and Chris Turner has us both smiling and laughing throughout all our events!

7. What vendors would you recommend?

Out of our many vendors across all our events, we absolutely loved working with La Lumiere, Stylish Weddings, A Touch of Class, our photographer/videographer Chris Turner, my amazing make-up artist Eleanor Dorn, Maaru Senthil (bridal lehenga and saree draping), Sweet Bites Cakes and Mangere Bridge Flowers (bouquets, lapels and flowers for the cake)! These vendors took the stress away and made us feel reassured they had everything sorted. They were all open to work within our budget and were accommodating to anything we needed and really were our ultimate dream team!