Priya & Himanshu's 3 Day Luxury Wedding in Toowoomba!
Real Weddings
"The proposal was a story that actually made it onto the news!"
Why have one wedding day when you can have a whole wedding weekend?! Say hello to Priya and Himanshu (Manny) who tied the knot with an epic 3 day celebration in Toowoomba and South Brisbane!
One of Queensland's incredible stylists Chandni Events, had the opportunity to design and style this special 3-day event.
Read below to learn about the proposal that went viral, the jam-packed events of their 3 day wedding weekend and all their brilliant wedding vendors that made it happen.
All photography by Prue Franzmann
How did you meet?
Manny and I met at our mutual friend’s 21st birthday party. There was a definite spark and we began dating soon after that initial meeting. 7.5 years later we are finally married!
Venue: Gabbinbar Homestead
How was the question popped?
The proposal was a story that actually made it onto the news! It was a surprise proposal Manny had planned during our trip to Hamilton Island in 2018. He had organised a picnic on a secluded part of the beach. Unfortunately, he accidentally dropped his phone into the ocean during a stand up paddle board adventure the morning of the proposal day. Thankfully he had confirmed time with the picnic organisers and the proposal went according to plan (even without a phone)! It was very emotional and we celebrated all afternoon and evening.
Following our celebratory dinner, Manny checked “Find my iPhone” one more time that evening and to our surprise there was a signal. So on our engagement night, there we were on the beach in our PJs with my iPhone torch looking for his phone! And we found it, fully functioning! It had washed up onto the beach as the tide went out and surprisingly still had a solid battery life considering it had spent over 12 hours in the ocean! It was the icing on the cake to a beautiful and emotional day! It was such a funny proposal story that Manny shared it to his Reddit and it went viral online and a number of newspapers including the New York Post retold the story of “Man planning to propose loses iPhone X at sea, finds it hours later still working.”
Styling by Chandni Events
Where did you get married?
Bridal Mehendi – Bride’s parent’s home in South Brisbane
Haldi, Mehendi & Sangeet – Toowoomba Golf Club, Toowoomba
Wedding & Reception – Gabbinbar Homestead, Toowoomba
Tell us more about your wedding.
Our wedding was a beautiful combination of cultural elements to reflect our Indian and Sri Lankan Heritage. We had 3 main days of events. We had a bridal mehndi night hosted at my parent's home in Brisbane, a Haldi, Mehendi & Sangeet function at the Toowoomba Golf Club and our Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception at Gabbinbar Homestead.
The two main days of functions (Haldi/Sangeet and Wedding/Reception) were in Toowoomba, which is where I grew up.
The Haldi
The Haldi was a very special and emotional ceremony but our entrance to the event was the first time all our guests saw us for the weekend so we wanted it to be special! We had our stylist decorate a little Golf Buggy with Indian umbrellas and colourful marigold flowers and we drove down in the buggy to make our entrance.
The Sangeet
Following the Haldi we changed outfits and commenced the Sangeet, a series of dance performances for all the guests to get to know each other. It was a really fun day and we couldn’t get over how well everyone embraced the event by dressing up and really getting into it.
The Ceremony
On the wedding day we had a Hindu ceremony, a Sri Lankan Poruwa ceremony as well as a Western civil service where we wrote our own vows to each other. It was a big day getting married to each other 3 times in different cultures and religions with their various customs and traditions, but it was so beautiful and unique.
Following the 3 ceremonies we had our reception. We loved that the venues on both days were entirely ours, completely private and that we could have our different ceremonies in different areas, truly utilising the whole space. Both venues were also extremely accommodating to the unique aspects of our day including creating customised menus for us!
What were some of your favourite details of the wedding?
There were so many favourite details!!! From the gorgeous venues which were decorated absolutely breathtakingly by Chandni Events, to the heartwarming multiple ceremonies to the fun dance floors to the incredible outfits we got to wear, the epic vibes and not to mention our amazing wedding cake...it was all absolutely beautiful!
But I have to say, it was an absolute dream come to true to finally be able to wear my Sabyasachi lehenga on the wedding day. I had my first fitting for this beautiful lehenga in India back in March 2019 and it took 9 months to be made. It was entirely handmade and the stunning embroidery, thread and beadwork on the velvet fabric was just exquisite! It took a large suitcase to bring it back to Australia and then sadly sat in it’s box for 1.5 years as we had to postpone our wedding by over a year due to the pandemic. It was a long and stressful wait but I was so excited to finally be able to wear it!
Priya wearing her breathtaking Sabyasachi lehenga
What was most important to you both on your wedding day?
To enjoy every moment, try not to stress and cherish that this weekend had finally arrived for us!
Who were your favourite wedding vendors and why?
All our vendors were exceptional, we cannot pick a favourite. Every single vendor went above and beyond to make our wedding the wonderful, unique and special weekend it was.
Priya & Himansu's Wedding Vendors:
Gabbinbar Homestead – Wedding & Reception venue
Toowoomba Golf Club – Haldi, Mehndi, Sangeet venue
Chandni Events (Aivan) – stylist and decorator for all events
Baker Boys Band – Band for Wedding Reception
Jessica Cook – Celebrant
Poppies for Willow (Bec) – bridal bouquet, hair flowers and buttonholes for Wedding Day
Prue Franzmann – Photographer
Weddings by Butterscotch (Chrissy) – Videographer
Myura Arora – Bride’s Hair & Make-Up Artist
DJ Desi (Praneel) – DJ for Haldi, Mehendi & Sangeet
Roving Studios – light up letters, trees and photobooth for Haldi, Mehendi & Sangeet
Waratah Limos – Groom’s car entrance on Wedding Day
Kumara – Poruwa Ceremony officiant
Ravi Bhatt – Hindu priest
Henna Paradise (Sarala) – Bridal henna artist
Jillicious Cakes (Jill Facer) – Wedding cake
Archara Flowers – Hindu Wedding Garlands
Gather & Stitch Couture - Poruwa Saree
Bride’s & Groom’s outfits & Jewellery by: Sabyasachi, Anita Dongre, Manyavar, Azotiique, Dior, Hugo Boss, Loeffler Randall, SIA Art Jewellery
Take a look at some more Real Wedding features, or alternatively you can start planning your own wedding using the ABIA Wedding Directory to find trustworthy vendors in Australia.
