When Sydney-based couple, intellectual property lawyer Akshaya Sivakumar and fashion designer Ashwin Chari, first met, they didn’t think it would become anything serious. But life had other plans. And their first date in July 2019 eventually led to an engagement last January.
EshantRaju Photography
It was a strange affinity that brought them together, says Sivakumar. Although both grew up in Australia, the Tamils shared a strong bond with their homeland. “We both come from families that have made significant contributions to modern Tamil culture in the fields of literature, India’s freedom movement and politics,” explains the bride. “Our ancestral homes in Tamil Nadu are now museums. We learned about our own families through books, literature and films.” This unexpected sharing of their unique ancestry played a role in bringing them together.
The vision
When they planned their wedding earlier this year, they wanted to celebrate that very heritage. “Both of our grandmothers live in India and wouldn’t have been able to travel to Australia. We wanted them to be there,” says the groom, which led to the decision to marry in their homeland. The couple based many of their creative choices for the Hindu wedding ceremony on a connection to the past and memories of their ancestors. “It was a modern version of a South Indian Hindu village wedding,” they add.
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The destination
They chose the five-acre green estate The Tamarind Tree in Bengaluru for the two-day event, which also included nalangu (haldi), a Hindu wedding ceremony and reception. “It was the only venue we looked at. We loved the historic property with its old-world charm reminiscent of a bygone era,” says the bride. Their friends flew in from Australia, the UK and Europe, some of them visiting India for the first time.
