Real Weddings
Pearl and Anand
Photography by Perspectives Photo + Cinema
"Anand and I met pretty randomly. We'd both tagged along to the party of a friend of a friend - if that makes sense, haha! His friend knew the host, and my friend knew the host, but the two of us just happened to be there by chance. As we entered our thirties, we discussed settling down. In early 2019, we purchased engagement and wedding rings. He kept it with them, so it ended up being a waiting game for me as to when he'd do it. At the end of 2019, I was flying over to India for a loved one's wedding. I, obviously, had to drop some hints. "Well, all the Indian aunties out there will be asking me if I'm single and make me meet their sons, you know!" I'm not sure if that put any pressure on him, seeing as he still hasn't confessed to this day. Only after he proposed did he let me know about the three times he'd already tried! The first attempt happened at Waipu. I love the beach, so we made a trip there and had some pizza. Afterwards, we walked along the beach. He kept insisting I stay on the grass area on the hill instead of walking on the sand. This kind of annoyed me because he knows how much I love the beach, so I just kept walking. Little did I know, Anand wanted me to stand there so he could get down on one knee and not drop the ring in the sand. It was in his pocket the whole time! The second attempt was during our regular Friday night dates. They're simple things, as neither of us is super into fine dining. That night, when he came to pick me up, he was all dressed up. I was surprised when I saw him, asking, "Where exactly are we going?" I was already in my casual outfit. He shyly replied, "Sky Tower." I thought to myself, this is it! I changed into something much fancier to drop by the revolving restaurant. The whole evening was spent with me digging into my food and dessert in case he'd hidden the ring in them. However, after a three-course meal, I didn't find anything, and we had to call it a night. Looking back on it, he must have lost a bit of hope by the final attempt. By the time he asked me, it was so much closer to the month of my trip to India. It also happened to be my birthday month, which I didn't think he'd propose on. We planned a nice dinner at a lovely restaurant and then headed to one of our favourite spots: Mission Bay. We walked along our usual path and reminisced about how when we first met, this used to be our spot to sit by the beach and talk through the evening along with some ice cream. I happened to be a few steps ahead of him at one point. When I turned to see what was going on, there he was. He had the ring in one hand and was down on a knee! I was over the moon! After I had resigned myself to thinking he might not ask until after I returned, I was ecstatic that he'd popped the question. In the end, the proposal was so unexpected and so perfect. We both wanted a European-style wedding. Anand was born and brought up here, so his thinking is very much Kiwi with a hint of Indian in him, so when it came to our wedding day, he wanted to keep it light and not so traditional. On the other hand, I've always wanted a hint of Indian for my wedding day. We both agreed to meet halfway. Anand and I planned our wedding and added our own touches to the decor, such as the guest favours, the welcome sign and the seating sign. Even the wedding cards were designed by me and printed with our names in rose gold foiling."
Thanks to all the contributing vendors:
Venue: Allely Estate
Photography: Perspectives Photo + Cinema (Amber)
Cake: Paula Jane Cakes
Styling & florals: Envy Events
Dress: Xian Bridal
Suit: Taro Cash