We wanted to have a summer wedding and wanted it to be outdoors.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
I grew up here in New Zealand, while Reyan grew up in America – worlds apart, yet somehow life brought us together. Reyan moved to NZ just before the wedding, so we’ve been loving exploring NZ. From spontaneous road trips to weekends spent outdoors, it’s been really special sharing the landscapes I grew up with and watching him experience this for the first time. We love chasing sunsets, wandering through small towns, and getting lost on scenic drives. So it’s been really special creating these memories together.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Reyan is American, and I was born and raised in Auckland, NZ. Our families have been family friends for years, but we officially met in 2020 when I was on holiday in the States. We kept in touch since then, and he came for a visit to NZ in 2023 – that’s when it all started! We started wedding planning in February 2024, and a year later, we were married!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
The vision we had for our wedding was elegant and timeless. We wanted to have a summer wedding and wanted it to be outdoors. So when we came across the venue, it was so perfect and we instantly knew this was where we would want to get married. We planned the mood and styling around the venue. The Estate had a beautiful conservatory with a chandelier, which became the focal point in our planning. We chose sage green as the wedding accent colour, and this was reflected in the bridal party’s attire, adding a soft touch to the day.
We are both Muslim, so it was important for us to plan our wedding in accordance with Islamic principles. We had our Nikkah Ceremony (Islamic Marriage) outdoors in the garden, with white pews lining the aisles and florals leading up to the pavilion. At the heart of the space stood a floral arrangement wall, which created a delicate partitioning. This was really meaningful to us, as during the Nikkah ceremony, men and women are seated separately, and the bride and groom come together once the marriage has been solemnised.
We wanted to incorporate Western details into our wedding as well. This came through in wearing ‘white’ on the wedding day, having bridesmaids, and hosting a mocktail hour after the Nikkah to mingle with our guests. On the day, I wore a dupaPa over my head along with a white veil, blending tradition with a classic bridal look. The overall venue, a stunning outdoor estate overlooking the farms, also felt like a heartfelt homage to my New Zealand upbringing.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
The venue itself was so beautiful that we didn’t need to do too much work with the decor. My bridesmaids and I did all the tablescaping the morning of the wedding. I found a local florist who created my wedding bouquet, and we had 100 roses delivered, which we cut and arranged on the tables ourselves. My sister has her own business – so she did my wedding stationery and signage, which was perfect! We had a bar table outside, which my grandad had built himself for the wedding, which was super special. So we were able to use that for our ‘mocktail’ hour.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
I loved every aspect of wedding planning. One of my favourite things was creating our wedding invites. I worked on it with my sister, and it was so special. We did a hand drawing of the venue on it and DIY’d the entire invite suites. It was really special sending hard copies out to family and friends and seeing them so excited for the wedding. The colours and tones on the invite really reflected the mood we wanted the guests to experience.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
All my vendors were great! But a special mention to the venue hosts, they were so lovely and worked with us to create such a beautiful day. It was a dry venue, so it allowed me to really work with all external vendors, which was perfect as I could pick and choose who I wanted. My photographer was exceptional and captured all the moments from the day.
A lot of the day was DIY and a lot of planning, so my family and friends really helped out on the day to make sure the vision came to life. My food vendors were incredible – people say that one of the main things guests remember from the wedding is the food, and the food was so delicious.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
I had an idea of what I wanted for my wedding dress, but it was so hard to translate this into an actual design. In the end, I collated multiple Inspo pictures and worked with a designer in Pakistan to create my dream dress. It was important to me to have a ‘white’ toned dress, but I also wanted a cultural dress. So I went with a cream colour way, but the beading and the work on the dress were traditional. The groom had a traditional sherwani in a cream colour way to match the dress, and it turned out so nice. He did initially do suit try-ons to see if he wanted a more western look, but decided that he looked better in a sherwani.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
Bride’s ring: We had gone ring shopping, so Reyan had an idea of what I wanted for the ring. He worked with a jeweller back in the States to custom-design the ring for me.
Groom’s ring: I had an idea of the metal tones that the Reyan likes, and so I ended up going to Walker and Hall to find his ring. I found one that I loved, and he loved it too.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
The first thing that I was happy to spend on was the photographer; photos are the only thing you really have from the wedding day apart from the beautiful memories, so I knew that this was something I would be willing to spend more on. Adding onto this, we also got a videographer as part of our package – this was a splurge, but again, so worth it. The venue would be the other thing that we were willing to splurge on. Our venue was so beautiful that everything was an extension of that – from the decor, the ambience, the way the day was planned out, to photo locations and our outfits. It all came together so perfectly.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
After our Nikkah Ceremony, we had an hour or so in the garden to mingle with our guests. We walked around, met with our favourite people, and the photographer followed us to take some candid photos. The sun was shining, we had waiters bringing out canapés and drinks, so the vibe was really nice. Wedding days go by so quickly, and so we look back at this and are so glad we did that. Definitely one of our favourite moments.
BRIDE Hebah, @hebahbahadur GROOM Reyan LOCATION Hedges Estate, Waiuku, Auckland, New Zealand PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER The HP Collective, @thehpcollective FLORIST Smithies The Plantsmith, @smithiestheplantsmith CELEBRANT Family Friend HIRE DIYed CATERING Chaahat Indian Cuisine, @chahaat_indian_cuisine; Auckland Indian Sweets & Snacks, @indiansweetsnzl CAKE Shugar Coat, @shugarcoat__ STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Amirah Bahadur of Brush Letter Co., @brushletterco RINGS Walker & Hall, @walkerandhall BRIDE’S OUTFIT Custom Made in Pakistan BRIDE’S SHOES Mi Piaci, @mi_piaci MAKEUP By the bride HAIR Shergill Beauty, @shergillbeauty BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Jo Malone, @jomalonelondon GROOM’S OUTFIT Custom Made GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Illicit – Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo
