A Celebration Close to Home: Jaya & Chirag in Wānaka
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Time to read 1 min
Jaya and Chirag chose Wanaka as their wedding destination, not because of the stunning landscape or the picturesque blue lake, but because it is their own backyard. Being based in Dunedin, Central Otago was always going to be a natural fit, somewhere that would create the perfect backdrop to their multi-day wedding, and what could only be described as a celebration of love, culture and colour.
As a floral designer, it's always such an honour to be entrusted to create the feeling of a day, even more so when you're intertwining a couple's traditions, family and style throughout the florals. The two days were distinctly different worlds. Friday was the Mehndi Ceremony, right on the lake front, a vibrant celebration filled with bright pinks and oranges, turmeric and dancing. The day was oozing with florals, like an explosion of fireworks had gone off in the most beautiful way, blooms spilling from the arch, colour layered upon colour, until the whole space felt alive with movement and celebration. The wedding day itself shifted into something softer and calmer, pastel tones were gathered for the Mandap and aisle with garlands draped around their necks. And then an entrance I will never forget, I watched in awe as Chirag was greeted and danced onto Rippon in a convertible. The tone of the day was set.
Beneath the beauty of it all was something even more powerful, the people gathered to celebrate the love. Jaya described looking back on the days as surreal, watching every small detail unfold and fall into place exactly as they had imagined. Breathing life into a dream they had carried together for so long, and it taking shape in front of their eyes. What made it truly unforgettable though, was having every person they love in a space created especially for this moment, everyone one place, family and friends who had travelled from near and far to be part of something so deeply personal. The florals, the styling, the carefully considered details, all of it existed to hold that gathering, to wrap around the people who mattered most and make them feel it too.
