Real Wedding
Nik & Sobia
Photography by Feature Weddings - Photo + Film
—How did you and your partner meet? "At a friend's engagement! We have a typical Bollywood story: I was a bridesmaid of a friend, my husband was from the groom's side, and we met at a mutual friend's wedding engagement. How we met is my favourite story to share with people. I was casually sitting at the engagement party when this handsome guy came up to me and started having a yarn; little did he know, his friends in the background had a smirk on their faces, praying he didn't bring up his cats - but of course he did, haha. At first, I thought he was cute and didn't think much of it afterwards - until a few weeks later, when we were set up on a double date, and it all began. Our relationship progressed from 0 to 100 real quick, but we wouldn't have had it any other way! We faced many challenges earlier on in the relationship, which strengthened and solidified our bond even further." —What was the proposal like? "Funny story: I planned my own proposal without knowing it. We went to Queenstown for a friend's wedding, which was cancelled due to Covid-19, but we decided to make the most of it. During this trip, we made an impromptu trip to Glenorchy, South Island, where I asked a tourist to take a photo of us at the wharf when Nik said, "Could you please take it again? I would like to change my angle." And little did they know they were about to capture something beautiful! In the middle of the photo, Nik dropped down on one knee, pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him." —What was your wedding budget? " $25,000 (and yes, we were under!)." —How many guests did you have? "60." —Did you include anything non-traditional in your wedding? "Our whole wedding and pre-wedding functions were non-traditional and fusion-based. I'm half Japanese and half Pakistani, while Nik is UK-born Indian, so we had nods to all of our cultures. To name a few non-traditional items, we had shisha at our Mehndi night function. We also didn't have a typical bride and groom 'stage'. To us, the central theme of our wedding was to ensure we, as the bride and groom, had fun, and when we look back, we are filled with joy rather than stress or being on 'show' on a stage. We are grateful to have accomplished what we had in our minds; we let go of all the things that didn't matter to us and refused to do anything traditional for the sake of it. We wanted to celebrate love with our close family and friends. Some words that guests described our wedding as were: wholesome, a room filled with love, positive energy and fun. Overall we wanted to be 100% authentically us and celebrate us as a couple coming together within our means." —What is your favourite memory from the big day? "I enjoyed that it didn't feel formal," said Nik. "Everyone was having a good time; everything flowed. I liked that we incorporated our furbabies onto our custom-made tees at our Haldi Ceremony. My favourite moment was when we finished our flash mob at the reception, and all the guests were getting lit on the dance floor, including the aunties and uncles, who I had never seen busting move! Sobia shared, "Definitely the dance floor! It was amazing to be myself and not care about being a typical shy desi bride. I had a blast at my own wedding, wore sneakers at the altar as I said I do, and had a solo performance. I also remember having moments with every single person at our wedding, and that's what an intimate wedding achieves. It was epic!" —What do you consider the best wedding investment you made? "People and relationships. All our suppliers and vendors or our wedding were people we knew personally or were friends with. A prime example was our wedding photographer, Nayzel, who has been a friend, and we love his work, so it was a no-brainer. It's important to us to invest in the right people that can bring the vision alive. What was a highlight was that at the end of the night, Nayzel took off his photographer hat, joined us on the dance floor, and wowed everyone with his dance moves. This made our wedding so special - not taking things too seriously and having fun with everyone, including our vendors." —Who was your outstanding wedding vendor? "It's really hard to pick one, to be honest. We were very lucky to have the best vendors and wouldn't have changed a single vendor. A massive shout out and big thanks to our superstars." —What is one thing you wish you had known before planning and having your wedding? "During your wedding, you truly discover the quality of relationships you have around you. The amount of love and support you're surrounded with is so overwhelming and something we had not prepared for. The people who stepped up to get you through this felt so heartwarming; it showcased the fantastic people we have around us."
Thanks to all the contributing vendors:
Photography:
Feature Weddings - Photo + Film
Venue:
Turanga Creek Vineyard
DJ: DJ RAAZ
Hair & makeup: Made up by Naeema, Abby Hazreem
Cake: Sanj Nagpal-Daruwalla
Florals: Asmita Mistry
Venue (pre-wedding): Sequoia Lakehouse
Henna: Maiti Henna Art NZ
Celebrant: Married by Bex




































