Wedding | Chandni & Prashant

2 hours ago
5 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’re both born and raised in New Zealand, though life has taken us a few places, most recently nearly two years living in the UK before finding our way back home. We met at a friend’s 21st birthday, where my opening line to Prash was to neck his beer… and he did it. Eight years later, here we are. I work in marketing, Prash in tech.

Both of our worlds move fast, which probably explains how we pulled off replanning two weddings in a day. Our life revolves around food. Most mornings start with a coffee at our favourite local, Chur Bae, and weekends are best spent picnicking, hiking or hunting down a good wine bar. Natural wine, small plates, and tiramisu if it’s on the menu. It’s an unspoken rule, we always have to order the tiramisu.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Well, it’s a long story. We had originally planned to get married at Hillbrook Estate, a beautiful venue overlooking the waters of the Coromandel. But severe weather closed the roads to our venue 24 hours before the wedding, and we had to pivot. Not one but two weddings (Indian and civil), completely replanned in 8 business hours, across Auckland on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th January. At 11am on Thursday 22nd, we made the call to cancel Hillbrook and sent a mass message to 200+ guests across both days that the wedding was moving to Auckland with details to follow. We spent Thursday racing around Auckland, viewing five venues across the city trying to find somewhere that felt right for both days.

For our Indian ceremony, we found a character rich heritage space in Auckland CBD. But the civil wedding was harder. After seeing all five venues, nothing felt right. We knew we couldn’t replicate what we’d originally planned, so we stopped trying to. Instead, we asked ourselves: what do we actually love? Wine bars. So rather than forcing a traditional venue, we started thinking about what spaces in Auckland could give us that same warm, intimate, unpretentious feel. Just not a wedding venue. That’s when Norma Taps came to mind, a quirky bar in Auckland CBD, and the same place we’d had our engagement drinks a few years earlier.

That still left us a little lost on the ceremony front. Then it hit me. I’d always been obsessed with my best friend’s parents’ backyard, so much so that I’d told them to get married there (they didn’t). So we called in a favour and asked if they’d host our wedding ceremony for 40 of our nearest and dearest. We’d spent so many summers there swimming in their pool so it felt very special. Honestly, I think I manifested it haha.

P.S. After the venue change, our cake maker (based in Whangamata) had no way of getting the cake to Auckland. In the grand scheme of everything, we were prepared to forgo it. But she wasn’t! So much so that she arranged for the cake to be helicoptered to Hamilton, where Prash’s cousin picked it up on his way to Auckland! Our cake also made the news, haha.

How many guests did you have?

110 guests at the civil wedding and reception. 200+ at the Indian ceremony.

Tell us about your outfits.

My dress was from Hayes Bridal, a boutique bridal house in Auckland. I knew that I didn’t want something too traditional. I was drawn to the fabric, dupion silk with a beautiful natural texture and subtle sheen. I really wanted a neck scarf/ cape, similar to a dupatta in Indian culture so I landed on a silk tulle fabric which flowed nicely over my dress. I kept the accessories simple: chunky gold earrings from Kirstin Ash, heels from Mi Piaci, and a little sequin clutch from an Indian store that I fell in love with.

Prash’s suit was from Working Style, a local suit store, and shoes from Florsheim. He wanted something classic but a break from his typical darker colour palette. He also thought it’d be fun to wear a bow tie for the first time. The white blazer ended up being the perfect canvas for his buttonhole, a deep coral calla lily with trailing burgundy amaranth.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Great food, an amazing drinks list, and a DJ who could make our wedding feel less like a reception and more like a gig. Our DJ Prerna did not disappoint, she played for a full nine hours (her longest set ever, apparently). After the week we’d had, watching our friends refuse to leave the dance floor was everything. We’re pretty sure people had numb feet for days afterwards.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Our original vision was carefully curated. An outdoor setting overlooking the water, cocktail hour on the lawn, long tables and Mediterranean food under a marquee. The centrepiece was going to be an elaborate moss and flower table with the cake nestled at its heart. When the venue fell through, we held onto everything we loved about that original vision where we could. We wanted the reception to feel like a wine bar. Intimate, characterful, and unpretentious.

We took over the space at Norma Taps and added long tables dressed with individual bud vases of wild, sculptural stems, and a lolly scramble of natural wines lining the bar. Our favourite cocktails (spicy margaritas, espresso martinis, hugo spritzes) were non-negotiable. Food was equally important to us. We love Mediterranean food/ small plates and wanted to move away from the traditional plated wedding meal, the kind of sharing, grazing, pull-it-apart dining experience that actually brings people together at the table.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Don’t stress about the small things on the day. Once you’re there, let it all go and be present because no one’s going to notice the little details except you.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Alice Andre, Floral Centric, Private by BT, Raj Tent Club, Lucy’s Events, Eighty Eight Events, Olive Jay Cakes, & Dream Events. Can’t thank all of these vendors enough for helping us turn this day around in such a short period of time. When everything goes wrong, all you want is an incredible team around you, and every single one of them showed up and hustled for us. We are beyond grateful!

Photographer: Alice Andre Photography @aliceandrephoto | Day-Of-Coordinator: Eighty Eight Events @eightyeightevents_; Dream Events NZ @dreamevents_nz | Flora: Floral Centric @floralcentric | Video-grapher: Harvey Hayes | Ceremony Location: Private Property | Reception Location: Norma Taps @normataps | Celebrant: Amelia McDonald | Hire: Raj’s Tent Club @raj_tent_club_nz; Lucy’s Event Hire @lucyseventhire; Flagship Events @flagship_events | MUA: Sarika @ssarika | Hair: Silvia Pieva @glammed

bysilvia | Catering & Beverages: Whisk Catering @whiskcateringnz | Cake: Olive Jay Cakes @olivejay