Dilip and I are both doctors, he in respiratory, and I in general surgery. I was born in China and grew up in Auckland. Dilip is Malaysian Indian, and came here for medical school. We can both be workaholics, so it’s important to encourage each other’s hobbies. I love the outdoors and Dilip loves board games.
Dilip– I have come to enjoy going on hikes, mainly because of her company and the laughs we have. We both can get quite competitive playing board games though…
Rennie–We met eleven years ago at a Model United Nations conference during the first year of uni. I was representing the US and he was representing Vietnam, so we didn’t get off on the right foot — each thought the other was snobby. Even though we were classmates at medical school, we didn’t talk much for the first few years.
Dilip– Rennie was an eloquent speaker and stood out at the conference, but we hung out in different circles.
Rennie– We started taking the same bus to the hospital during the fourth year of medical school. We realised we had a lot in common and liked each other, although we were both too shy to make the first move.
Dilip– Catching the bus to the hospital became the highlight of my day.
Rennie– He had spare tickets to The National, which is our mutual favourite band. We went to the concert as friends, but it became our first date. I knew straight away that I had found my soulmate.
Dilip– Being around Rennie made me feel at ease and truly happy. She has a penchant for bad jokes but so do I. No one in my life has challenged me or brought out the best in me like she has.
Rennie– We shared a lot — moving to Hamilton, graduation, starting work, and buying a house. Dilip surprised me with the proposal. We went to Hahei for the weekend. I thought he seemed really nervous and a bit off. It turned out that it wasn’t just the October swim at Cathedral Cove. We were rock hopping and climbing trees when suddenly, he jumped off a tree branch and got on one knee.
Dilip– When Covid hit, our plan of a wedding in Bali was curtailed. We have a lot of family and friends all around the world, but 18 months into the pandemic, we just wanted to get married. We were initially going to have a registry wedding and a dinner, but we started planning and the concept snowballed.
Rennie– Choosing our cake flavour at The Caker was our favourite part of the planning process. We fought over the samples. Most of the planning happened within three weeks of the wedding. It has been a really busy year for us both career-wise — but we just didn’t want to wait any longer to get married. The beauty of a winter wedding was that we could secure some great vendors at the last minute. Although our last-minute approach raised eyebrows, it helped us to focus on what really matters.
Photographer: Skye Carter Photography | Venue + Catering: Bracu Estate | Bride’s dress: Ingrid Starnes | Veil + Earrings: Hera Couture | Groom’s suit: Rembrandt | Flora: Leaf + Honey | Registry: Honeymoon Registry (a ski honeymoon in the South Island) | Bride’s Shoes: Chaos + Harmony | Groom’s Shoes: Florsheim Shoes | Hair: Inside Hair Design | Celebrant: Nina Henderson | Rings: Naveya & Sloane | Fragrance: Ingrid Starnes | Cake: The Caker
