On the day we arrived, we were taking in the stunning views of the west coast cliffs overlooking the Tasman Sea, and he popped the question!
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We both work in Finance in Wellington. Tanesha has recently started a side gig with her bestie as a content creator, and it acts as a creative outlet for Tanesha outside of her day job. We love good food, and these days, we tend to do a lot of the cooking ourselves (Vinay is a keen bbq’er). We also love travelling and seeing new places when we get some time off. We love having movie nights, and we are very competitive with each other when it comes to games, which always makes things really interesting!
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We’ve always had mutual friends, and we went to the same uni, but we didn’t properly meet until six years ago at a friend’s birthday party, which is when we hit it off instantly, and it felt like we had known each other forever. My first impression was that he was very funny (he knew how to make me laugh) and sweet. Vinay also thought that I was pretty funny and just generally a fun person to be around, which is probably why we hit it off instantly. We liked the fact that we could make light jokes about each other, and we wouldn’t get offended, and we could just be ourselves around each other from the get-go.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
When we realized that we didn’t have to pretend to be someone else, we could both completely be ourselves and be comfortable with each other, which we realized pretty early on. As mentioned before, we both felt like we had already known each other for a long time before we even met. We are also a team, and I think that is really important.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Yes, it was magical.
We had been talking about booking a few night’s stay at the Nest in Pihama (a dreamy off-the-grid location) for a while, but it was always booked out. Vinay surprised me with a midweek getaway as he managed to get a booking. On the day we arrived, we were taking in the stunning views of the west coast cliffs overlooking the Tasman Sea, and he popped the question! We had the most stunning sunset shortly after. If you know us, you know we LOVE a gorgeous view and sunset! It was honestly super low-key and perfect.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
On our lovely photographers, Hemi & Michelle from Patina. We know they’re extremely talented and have a very creative eye, which we experienced first-hand at a previous wedding. I think capturing good photos is really important for a wedding because when you look at a photo, it almost takes you back to that moment and reminds you how you felt back then. We had the best wedding week! They also made the whole process really easy and super fun as they seamlessly got along with all of our guests and, on the final night, ended up dancing with everyone on the dancefloor!
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Yes… Vinay called me the morning of as I was getting my makeup done and told me the groomsmen’s shoes weren’t fitting 5 out of 6 of them. They all managed to squeeze their feet into the shoes (somehow), and later that day, they all went home barefoot because all their shoes were stolen by Tanesha’s family (if you’ve been to an Indian wedding, you know what we’re talking about). It all worked out okay in the end!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress…
Wedding outfit – It’s funny; growing up, I never saw myself wearing red, but when I got engaged, I knew I wanted to go with a completely traditional look and have a red colour palette. I was very particular about the shade of red, I wanted to go with a deep red colour and have a burnt orange dupatta, I just think that contrast is stunning and hadn’t seen many brides wear this. I also wanted the entire outfit to have small embroidery everywhere. The reason for going traditional was because it’s timeless, and I wanted to look back at photos and be happy with the choice I made.
Reception outfit – As my wedding look was traditional, I wanted my reception look to be modern and fun which is why I went with a midnight blue, fully embroidery lehenga. The detailing on this was insane, the tonal sequins, pipes, crystals and cutdana hand embroidery drew me to this outfit instantly. It was so glam, I loved it! The designer killed this one!
I was fortunate to travel to India a year before the wedding with my mom, aunty, cousin and best friend to get my wedding shopping done. I had the best experience in Mumbai, and I’d love to do it all over again ☺
LOCATION Lower Hutt Events Centre, @lheventscentre PHOTOGRAPHER Wedding & Reception – Patina Photo, @patina_photo; Pre-Wedding Events (Mehndi, Haldi & Satank) – August and Vine, @augustandvinephotos FLORIST Wedding and Pre-Wedding Events – Gira Patel; Mandap and Reception Table Centre Pieces – Red Pebble, @redpebbleeventdesign DECORATOR Red Pebble, @redpebbleeventdesign VIDEOGRAPHER V Visual, @vvisual_weddings CELEBRANT Remela Ranchhod Patel DJ DJ4You, @dj4younz ENTERTAINMENT Music by Rei, @musicbyrei PERFORMANCES Tajh World, @tajh.world CATERING & FOOD SIGNAGE Lower Hutt Events Centre, @lheventscentre CAKE Stiletto Studios, @stilettostudiocakes STATIONERY Reception Menus and Name Tags – By the Bride; Wedding and Reception Signage and Seating Chart – Red Pebble, @redpebbleeventdesign; Pre-Wedding Signage – My talented cousin, Priyal, @preeepreeeative RINGS Village Goldsmiths, @thevillagegoldsmith BRIDE’S CEREMONY OUTFIT Custom Made in Mumbai, India BRIDE’S SHOE Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings, Tikka and Necklace – Anayah Jewellery, @anayah_jewellery; Bangles and Statement Ring – Purchased in Mumbai, India; Reception Earrings – Dyrbergkern, @dyrbergkern_official MAKEUP The Official Hox-Me-Up, @theofficialhoxmeup HAIR Dollhouse ‘Do, @dollhousedo BRIDE’S RECEPTION OUTFIT Pernias Pop Up Shop by designer Angad Singh, @perniaspopupshop GROOM’S CEREMONY OUTFIT & SHOES Custom Made in Mumbai, India HAIR Wayne: Cuba Street Social, @cubastsocial GROOM’S RECEPTION OUTFIT & SHOES Custom Made – Working Style, @workingstylenz GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Watch – Gucci, @gucci GROOMSMEN OUTFITS & SHOES Purchased from Mumbai, India BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Seasons in India, @seasonsmumbai
