“Our wedding was not only about us but bringing our two families and friends groups together.” Natasha and Darshan had not only one ceremony – they had two! And let us tell you from the deep rich hues to the laid-back style, whatever you dream of, you’ll find inspo in this story!

Beautifully captured by Patina Photo just outside of Wellington, the day began with a traditional Hindu Indian ceremony, that was packed to the brim with tradition before they honoured Natasha’s dream of marrying in her parent’s backyard with a civil ceremony. With delicious food, live streaming and all the trimmings, the couple beautifully meshed all that is important to them and hold true, to the very advice they give “Make it what you want it to be”.

The proposal? A surprise! “To keep a long story short Natasha always wanted to get married in her parent’s backyard and so Darsh planned a special moment involving just us two to celebrate our relationship from early days to the moment he proposed.”

For the first ceremony, Natasha wore traditional attire, telling “I wanted to go red and velvet. I didn’t want anything too out there, but I love a well-done blouse and Indian jewellery. I wanted something traditional and I’m not a person who likes super fancy stuff so went with a simple skirt and a heavier blouse. Due to COVID, we couldn’t travel to India to do wedding shopping so had to do it all through FaceTime. My aunty did all the hard work in India to find me what I wanted and I loved it!”

Darshan chose a simple cream sherwani and churidar with a deep red scarf. He explains  “I wanted something really simple. Usually, the bride and groom outfits are beautifully detailed, but I like subtlety. So I went for a classic outfit that was cream in a colour that had subtle details throughout that matched Natasha’s outfit. I got this done in India.”

The couple chose Wellington venue Lower Hutt Events Centre to host their traditional ceremony, explaining  “In Wellington, there are limited venues that will let you have an open fire, which is part of the Hindu Indian ceremony. Lower Hutt Event Centre hall has a glass wall opening out into the garden which helped bring nature in; their team were also incredibly helpful and made the most delicious food for us!”

The fresh flowers for the weddings were styled by the bride’s aunty. “Natasha’s aunty is a really talented florist” explain the newlyweds. “She did all the flowers for us, we just had to tell her the colours and the vibe we were going for.”

Natasha’s mother walked Darshan down the aisle, while Natasha walked down the aisle in the arms of both of her parents.

The symbolism and joy of the sheet dropping between the couple remains one of Darshan’s favourite moments.

“For both ceremonies, we tried to keep things simple and elegant. We had outdoor elements in both and just focused more on creating a relaxed and inviting event. Our wedding was not only about us but bringing our two families and friends groups together. That’s the general vibe we went for!”

The wedding party wore custom-designed outfits in tones of blue and white. “Darshan designed his ones for his groomsmen with the help of some incredible people over in India and Natasha’s aunty in India and mum scoped out the outfits for the bridesmaids.”

For the at-home ceremony, Natasha switched into a white Showpo dress. “My civil ceremony outfit was equally hard to find!” she explains. “Lots of wedding outfits had lace in it but again I just wanted something simple that I was comfortable in that fit in with the backyard wedding we were to have. I ended up purchasing my dress from Showpo, it was exactly what I wanted and fit well.”

The afternoon celebration kicked off with an intimate ceremony in the backyard of Natasha’s parents’ home. “Natasha has always wanted to have an intimate wedding ceremony in her family home’s backyard so that was easy to choose!”

The backyard ceremony began with Natasha walking down the aisle with her brother to “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson.

The civil ceremony was officiated by Natasha’s best friend, this remaining one of the most special moments of the day. “She did an amazing personalised civil ceremony” explains Natasha. “Huge shout out to Patricia Wine Celebrant Tauranga.”

And then it was time for sunset portraits! Tell the newlyweds of their photographers “Hemi and Michelle were great. They made us feel comfortable and at ease with the whole process. I (Darsh) struggle to pose for photos or being in front of a camera in general. It’s just awkward. But they did a great job of making us laugh, and reminding us to enjoy the moment. They also just had some fantastic ideas about what photos to capture and what we were trying to capture ourselves. Simply put they are awesome at what they do.”

 

Congratulations on your marriage Natasha and Darshan. Thank you so much for sharing so many beautiful moments of your day with us. Thank you also to Patina Photo for today’s beautiful images.