Modern Indian Wedding In Canberra

The blistering summer heat did nothing to dull the sense of celebration, of joy when Tanve and Matt tied the knot in Canberra. Steeped in rich tradition, the couple immersed themselves fully into the rituals and moments that not only made their story their own but echoed what was important lives of those they love and adore that surround them.

And it is this, as well as the beautiful photography of course, by Corinna & Dylan Photography, that makes this story so worthy of a read. “It was so special that we got to marry each other” remarks Tanve, “but also that our family and friends (who were actually able to be there!) got to witness a massive part of Indian culture.”

Their story begins at work. Tanve was a front-of-house team member, while Matt was the head chef “. What started with arguments over the pass turned into attraction after almost 10 months!”.

And aren’t we lucky it did, because sometime later, a week before the second lockdown in 2021, the pair escaped to the Hunter Valley. Tanve reminisced, “we were walking through the vineyards after a gorgeous afternoon tasting wines and eating charcuterie and cheese, Matt stopped me bang in the middle of acres and acres of vineyards, stopped and started speaking about the journey so far in our relationship. He got down on one knee and before he even finished speaking I was a blubbering mess and screaming yes!”

Tanve wore a golden lehenga and layers of red and gold jewellery for the day from Seema Gujral ((including special jewels of her grandmothers). She tells “I chose to wear an Indian lehenga – traditional Indian wedding attire. However this is usually red, but I decided to go with a cream and light gold colour.
It was heavy and hot in February but felt amazing. I loved organizing and picking my dress. You always have a picture in your mind of your wedding dress and to have that come to life was so satisfying! ” Her henna done days before by Henna Art By Farzana. “We loved the Mendhi night. Such a nice ice breaker and was nice to see our worlds collide.”

The bride walked into the wedding to a Hindu song called Hindi Song called “Kanda Kacheya Ne”. She explains “In a traditional Indian wedding, you don’t walk down with anyone. I also walked with my bridesmaids. Your brothers are meant to hold a red scarf over your head as you walk. I did this with my brothers in law and my uncle as I don’t have siblings of my own. It was so special and we decided to have Matt come up and meet me in the middle and go down together.”

Matt’s outfit (a traditional Indian sherwani) was by Aza Fashions and played to the gold colour scheme that matched Tanve’s lehenga. Tanve noted “It was also with a little twist – the shape being asymmetrical which is not the usual attire. The material was comfortable and light. “

Tanve and Matt chose Hindu Temple Cultural Centre. “The Hindu temple was important for me (Tanve) particularly. Being of Hindu religion, there was a certain aspect of the ceremonies that were important to have happened in front of God for me.”

As traditional as it was, the couple did add their special touch to the day. “My ceremony was a traditional North Indian ceremony with a priest who says a few prayers throughout the ceremony. I wanted it to feel like I was back in India with my closest friends and family. Simple, fun, but most of all pay respect to my culture.

We also ensured, that our priest was translating as much as possible back into English, as Matt is Australian, and so are a lot of our family and friends. We also decided last minute to have live streaming with We Are One Films, for our family and friends who couldn’t make it. This was fabulous as it was also recorded and saved. So we now have the full wedding video as well.” Catch the live stream for yourself here.

Tanve and Matt included all the traditional elements of the ceremony. “We had welcoming of the couple in the temple. You do an aarti. It’s a blessing before you start anything. We had garlands, the kanyadaan. (The parents giving their daughter over to the new family) and the walking around the fire. Matt, being Australian really kept up with all the cultural traditions and didn’t blink twice. The effort from him and his family to immerse themselves so fully into the ceremony was something I will never forget.

Adds Matt “The ceremony was the highlight. Western ceremonies are usually very straightforward, so experiencing Indian culture was an eye-opening experience and made it so much more emotional. Parts of the ceremony were also so family-focused, so it made it really evident that it wasn’t just us getting married, our whole families were joining as one.”

Despite the beautiful ceremony, the favourite part of the day for these two was actually when they got one on one time together. “The best part of the day was to have ample time for our portraits. We communicated with our photographers Corinna & Dylan that we wanted something a little bit edgy, as our outfits were so traditional. It definitely added a bit of ‘flavour’ to the photos.

Corinna & Dylan were AH-MAZING! We are so glad we chose them for our wedding day. They were perfect in the lead up the wedding and asked as many questions as possible to ensure we got the vibe we wanted.

The biggest thing for us was to have someone experienced with Indian weddings, so they would know what is happening throughout the 2-hour ceremony and not miss anything. Dylan did exactly that. He also directed us through the photos, so we didn’t feel awkward. The result is bananas great!”

Tanve’s advice to you? “TAKE ALL THE TIME FOR YOUR PORTRAITS! It can be so fun and such a bonding experience with your partner. Also, don’t stress the tiny details. Once you see your partner down that aisle, nothing else matters.”

“The photos were honestly the best of the day. Matt and I got to spend time together, take a breather from a hectic day” remembers Tanve. “Dylan made it so fun and relaxing. He asked what music we wanted to listen to, so we played Dr Dre and boogied our way through the photos. Which made for some fun memories for sure.
We also continued this back at Park Hyatt Canberra, where we were staying for the night. Popped a bottle of champagne and danced on the bed.”