Bold Bollywood meets the best of classic wedding tradition.
After Covid-19 forced Kiwi couple Ash and Ampz to postpone their first wedding date with 130 guests from around the world, it was finally their time to make some spectacular personal history. They share their experience of pulling off the perfect wedding with under 100 guests during level 2 recently.
Describe your love story in 100 words.
Ash and I met while working at the same store as part-timers. Our friendship developed pretty quickly. We kept in touch even after I moved down to Dunedin for University. Overtime, our friendship evolved into feelings and we started dating a year later. We’ve been inseperable since, despite many challenges, and we’ve always vowed to face life together. We share similar values and we’ve known from very early on that we aren’t complete without each other.
What were the priorities for your wedding day?
Our initial wedding plan was to host 130 guests from around New Zealand and the world and it was completely disrupted by COVID-19.
We quickly had to downsize our numbers, accept that our family from overseas couldn’t be with us physically and that plans could change in the blink of any eye.
Therefore, our main priority was to be grateful every step of the way for what we could achieve and not be let down by things out of our control.
Our biggest priority therefore was ensuring that we had a photographer and videographer we absolutely loved to capture our day so that we could cherish the day for years to come but also share with our family and friends who couldn’t be there.
We also wanted to make sure our guests had a fun time experiencing a blend of two cultures that came together effortlessly.
Describe how you wove together your New Zealand and Indian traditions.
For our family, our faith is a very important part of our lives and we knew that the ceremony was always going to happen in the format of a traditional nuptial Mass. However, we were lucky enough to have a priest who also practises the Indian Catholic Rite. We incorporated “the thali” and “the manthrakodi” - two very special items that hold so much meaning and depth in signifying unity and the coming together of two humans.
We wore classic outfits to the ceremony- I wore a beautiful champagne lace dress and ash wore a vibrant blue suit.
We then got changed into our extravagant Indian outfits for the wedding reception. We also wanted our guests to experience the vibrancy and colour that Indian outfits bring to a Bollywood wedding and therefore, got everyone to dress up for the reception. Everybody looked so stunning!
Can you share your thoughts on the photography experience?
I have been in love with Eva’s photos for a very long time and have enjoyed the way she captures all the feelings experienced on a wedding day with her amazing photography skills- the warmth, love, joy, and tears were all wonderfully photographed by Eva and Andrew on the day and we couldn’t be more grateful to have these photos to treasure what was without doubt the best day of our lives!
What were the highlights of the wedding day?
The whole day exceeded our expectations beyond belief. Some very treasured moments from our day include:
Commiting to each other for eternity in front of God and our loved ones
Having Ash’s family overseas join in via livestream.
Having my brother walk me down the aisle, with my Dad watching down on us from heaven.
Having our loved ones who could make it give us their blessings, prayers and love.
And last but not least, the Bollywood performances at the reception (it really amped up the energy and got everyone in the right mood to continue the party!)
What advice would you give to couples planning their weddings in these uncertain times?
Just be ready to have plans changed and ideas transformed as part of the process. Brides can be very picky with details and I totally understand being a control freak myself but COVID-19 has really made us appreciate how wonderful it is to celebrate love, family, and great friendships.
A huge thanks to Ash and Ampz for sharing their images and thoughts on their Hawke’s Bay wedding with us. And thanks to, to all those that contributed to making these photos look amazing and the day work so well:
Venue: The Mission Estate Winery, Napier, Hawke’s Bay.
Photographers: Eva Bradley & Andrew Caldwell.
Florist - Kerin Greville.
Styling - A Touch of Elegance.
Video - Grant Mayer.
Make up- Candice Dear, Josie Brenstrum.
Hair - Abby Schofield, Debbie Pearce.
Priest - Father Robin Kurian.
Music- Friends, Noelle Faka’osi and Fitree Fadzullah.
Wedding dress: Bridal Brilliance (Auckland)
Ampz’s Indian outfit: Lulu Celebrate, Kerala, India.
Rings: Michael Hill (Ash), Saya Jewellers, Delhi, India (Ampz).
Ash’s suit - Barkers.
Ash’s indian outfit- Roopdarshan in Auckland.
Wedding jewellery - Swarovski.
Indian jewellery - Batra Jewellers, Auckland.
Nails- Jerilee.nailstylist.
Cake - themadbatterynz.
MC- Khemani Chatly.
Stationary- the printing company.
Eyelashes - missdilemma.
Wedding diet and training programme - @bktransformers.
Thali- Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Kerala, India.
Hair extension- superior hair nz.