These two are “based in sunny Singapore” but got married in their hometown of Melbourne in this glorious Hindu wedding. Can you even deal with all the colour?! We love it and are thanking our lucky stars one of our faves, Jess Nicholls, was the photographer capturing all the love and culture on camera. Scroll down for all the details and incredible pics…
THE VENUE “It’s the temple Ruben’s family goes to so it was always going to be there when we decided to have a Hindu wedding. Planning a wedding from overseas is always tricky but it was even harder since we didn’t know much about what was required for a traditional Hindu wedding! Luckily Rubens parents and extended family did most of the organising for us!”
THE INSPO “No theme, just went with the South Indian Hindu wedding traditions. We weren’t actually sure when and how our legal ceremony would take place until the day. The Hindu ceremony takes about three hours and then the bridal party goes to the temple next door afterwards. When we headed over to the temple, lunch was served so once we were done we grabbed our immediate families and the celebrant and quickly did the legal stuff outside in the sunny garden!”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “I loved the colours and the crazy chaos of it all! A Hindu wedding is the very opposite of stuffy! I also loved our garlands, made from jasmine and roses. They were so fragrant and stunningly beautiful. Jasmine has always been my favourite flower and it’s the meaning of our newborn daughter’s name (Mali).”
THE DRESS “Finding a wedding Sari was quite the process! Ruben’s Mum, Sumi, flew from Melbourne and us from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We spent a weekend going around to all the bridal Sari shops where they wrap the saris around you as a way to try them on. I knew I wanted a red sari (the traditional colour for a bridal Sari) as that’s what Ruben had always talked about for our wedding.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “There is a moment during the ceremony where the groom ties a thali, a sacred gold necklace, around the bride’s neck. It happens at a certain auspicious time which is worked out by the priest beforehand, based on the couples birth dates and times, and the whole wedding is planned around it. It’s sort of the pinnacle of the ceremony, where the priests are chanting mantras, the musicians get very loud and lots of people come up on the stage and bless the couple by showering them in petals and rice. It was a crazy and surreal, but very magical, moment.”
WE WISH WE… “If I’m honest, I wish I’d gotten a videographer – specifically Humdrum Films. It would have cost a bit but I just love the way they tell couples’ stories.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Jess Nicholls Ceremony, Reception & Catering Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple Celebrant Shamini Marriage Celebrant Rings Vrai THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Chennai Silk Palace Makeup Claire Vyverberg THE GROOM Suit Chennai Silk Palace Watch Tsovet