K A T R I N A + G A U R A V

Katrina and Gaurav believe that you know you've found 'the one' when you can't imagine life with anyone else. Just like this simple but beautiful philosophy, their day was refined, romantic and radiant. Their minimalist wedding decor consisted of hanging foliage, a generous scattering of white blooms and a couple of Moroccan-style chandeliers.

F R O M T H E B R I D E

We first met...

We met at university over 10 years ago. We had a lot of common subjects in the first year and somehow always ended up running into each other.

We knew it was love...

When you can't imagine spending the rest of your life with anyone else.

The proposal...

We got engaged on our 9 year anniversary. For every anniversary, Gaurav always organises a surprise dinner so I didn't suspect anything unusual on the day. For this occasion, he took me to Palm Beach and said we would be heading to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. After trekking the beach in heels and in the rain, we reached the bottom of a cliff with the Lighthouse right on top of it. Gaurav quickly realised there was no way we would be climbing our way to the top so he proposed on the beach. It was the perfect proposal with no-one around and something I will treasure forever.

T H E W E D D I N G

Our dream wedding...

Gaurav and I have always had clean, minimalistic tastes and always envisaged a classic wedding with lots of green and white flora and accents of blush.

Our wedding photographer...

Katie Grant was our photographer. We fell in love with her timeless and romantic photography style and loved that she shoots in film. Her photos are breathtaking.

Ceremony location...

St Thomas Church, North Sydney.

Reception venue...

Opera Point Marquee at the Opera House.

Pre-wedding celebrations...

I had a kitchen tea with my closest female friends and family then had a night out of dinner and dancing a couple of weeks before the wedding. Gaurav had his bucks night in London - I still have no details of what happened that night.

The bridal party...

What was their relation to you? We had 4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen which consisted of both our dearest friends and family members.

The bridesmaids wore...

The bridesmaids wore Zimmerman. I chose the dresses as I loved the dusty pink colour and felt it suited our theme perfectly.

The groomsmen wore...

The groomsmen wore navy Suit Shop suits.

The groom wore...

Gaurav wore a two toned navy and black suit by Patrick Johnson.

The dress...

I wore a strapless Monique Lhuillier for my wedding ceremony and changed into a Grace Loves Lace gown for the evening reception.

For my wedding ceremony dress, I wanted something timeless but also modern at the same time. The dress I ended up choosing was actually the second dress I tried on. I originally envisaged having a dress with straps however when I tried the strapless dress on with the intricate lace details and perfect train length, I knew it was the one.

I purchased a second dress for the reception a month before the wedding as I wanted to wear something more free and easier to dance to. I fell in love with the back detail of this Grace Loves Lace dress and thought it would be the perfect addition.

Wedding flowers...

Lush greens and white flora with pops of blush.

Reception décor...

The team at Honey Lane styled our wedding for us. Our theme was fresh and minimalistic, so our reception flowers were all white and green and we kept our table settings simple, with a soft grey table runner, a generous scattering of white blooms (Dahlias, Hydrangeas and Roses) in bud vases, individual guest name tags and menus, timber table numbers and of course our chocolate gem wedding favours.

We wanted to add a touch of minimalist glamour to the bridal table to lift the elegance within the venue and ensure it stood out from the guest tables. The florals by Chanele Rose and lighting from Chandeliers to die for is what helped us achieve this look. We added larger floral arrangements lining the front of the bridal table, two tall arrangements sitting on plinths at either end of the bridal table, a stunning crystal chandelier was installed above the bridal table, topped off by a beautiful, hanging floral installation featuring opulent white orchids cascading down towards the dance floor.

On the menu...

We had a sit down meal including a cocktail hour. The delicious food at our wedding was catered by Aria. The highlight of the menu was a vanilla parfait with caramel and macadamia praline.

Bomboniere...

Gaurav and I have a big sweet tooth so we thought chocolate bombonieres would be the perfect gift. The chocolates were made by Unbirthday Bakery. I loved their gemstone design and the touch of rose gold added for a pop of colour.

Memorable moments...

I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, however Gaurav is the exact opposite so was against having her music at the wedding. I thought it would be a shame if we didn't have at least ONE Taylor Swift song on our day so organised to have Shake It Off played for our reception entrance. I told him just before we went on and he was surprisingly a really good sport about it. I never thought I'd see Gaurav dancing to Taylor Swift and I got to witness it on my wedding day!

Wedding soundtrack...

Gaurav and I have quite polarising tastes in music - Gaurav is into hip hop and R&B whilst I love acoustic and pop. Our wedding dance song was a perfect mesh of our musical tastes - John Mayer's cover of Beyonce's song XO. Also our acoustic duo, Paper Hearts, were fantastic and had our guests dancing all night.

M A R R I E D L I F E

The honeymoon...

We're looking forward to kicking back and enjoying the Italian coast in the European summer. On the list of places to visit are the Amalfi Coast, Positano and Cinque Terre.

Future plans...

Prior to the wedding, we have been doing long distance for a year and a half with Gaurav based in New York and myself back in Sydney. Post wedding, I have since relocated to New York City to begin our next chapter and anticipate spending the rest of our lives exploring, travelling and eating desserts together.

In 40 years you hope to...

Be retired, living in a chateau in the French countryside.

W E D D I N G W I S D O M

The engagement...

Tell your closest friends and family first - social media can wait! Having an engagement shoot would also be a great way to capture this special period which you can use to decorate in your wedding reception venue.

Planning...

Don't sweat the small stuff! Keep in sight of the overall significance of the day - your guests are there for you and the decision on whether to have the white or off-white napkins will go unnoticed and will not detract from the overall experience of the day.

On the day...

The day goes by so quickly so just enjoy every single moment. Make sure to have a private moment with your partner to take it all in and appreciate your surroundings.

Photography: Katie Grant / Styling and props: Honey Lane / Flowers: Chanele Rose / Chandeliers: Chandeliers To Die For / Cake: All Things Sweet by Carissa / Additional outdoor furniture: Decorative Events / Videography: Onsight Films / Wedding band: Paper Hearts / Hair and Makeup: Zoe Zhu Hair and Makeup / Bride's dress: Monique Lhuillier (ceremony) and Grace Loves Lace (reception) / Bridesmaids' dresses: Zimmermann / Groom's suit: Patrick Johnson / Groomsmen's suits: Suit Shop / Bride's shoes: Aquazurra / Catering: Events by Aria / Stationery: Stitch Press / Wedding Rings: Cartier