How often times do you hear the phrase “Age is just a number?” We as a society tend to put a lot of emphasis on age and the stigmas that come with certain ages like “Oh I’m too old to do that” or “I’m 30 and not married” *Cue the Aunties Gasp here* Age also comes into play when we seek our partners and there are numerous topics that come up with too like “What’s an appropriate age gap?” With the newer generations breaking down stereotypes and societal norms, we couldn’t be more pleased to bring you a couple that is embracing this “Age is just a number” Policy! Meet Jeevika and Abeer, our wedding feature of today that we are sure you are all going to love!
How We Met:
Abeer and I met through mutual friends in 2014. You could call it a semi-blind date but with the help of Facebook! A colleague of mine said she’d met a lovely Indian guy though her boyfriend. I asked her to describe him and got the response “young but mature… by the way, he’s brown too”! After laughing about her well-intended racism I instantly said no. I had never dated anyone younger than me, and I had always looked for someone older but after a lot of back and forth, I agreed to meet him.
We started talking and getting to know each other, and shortly after we decided to go on our first date. It was at a chocolate cafe close to both of our work places. I remember him standing there in what is now my favourite blue suit. He was charming, funny and we instantly hit it off. I quickly got over the age gap and here we are today – four years later – married!
About Us:
We have very similar childhoods and are first generation Australians. My husband was born in Bombay, India and I was born in Jaffna, Sri lanka. We both moved to Australia when we were 3 years old and grew up in same suburb. We found out later we went to the same preschool but four years apart. Abeer works as an SMSF Manager at Titan Partners, after studying accounting at Macquarie University, while I studied nursing at the University of Sydney but have found myself working in corporate health banking at the National Australia Bank.
The Wedding:
We were legally married on the 12 November 2016 with our immediate family and close friends. It was going to take some time to plan our wedding and we wanted a date when both our extended families could make it! Our traditional wedding was in the eternal gardens at Curzon Hall on the 20 August 2017.
Being a little older, I already had a good idea of what I wanted and I was lucky that Abeer held similar views. We both like the simple things in life and wanted our wedding to reflect who we are.
One thing I must say is that my husband was very hands on in the process. I’m known for my love of disorder (I was out shopping for bridal jewellery the day before my wedding) but Abeer’s need for structure and dependence on spreadsheets saved our wedding. I used my time on the finer details and rounding up the vendors. Luckily our family and friends were amazing and supported us all throughout the process. For example my koorai saree was specially sent all the way from Canada, from my cousin Sathya.
The biggest challenge was that we are both Hindus but from different countries. So we wanted a fusion wedding where both our backgrounds were celebrated but importantly, complemented each other. We ended up sitting down to go through what was important for the both of us, as well as our families. Despite knowing that it would be impossible to deliver everything our families wanted, the end result surprised us and we were truly amazed with the ceremony and reception. Our wedding was the most perfect day of our lives and we wouldn’t change any of it!
WEDDING IMAGES
Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Eternal Gardens at Curzon Hall
Bride outfit 1: The Saree Shop
Bride Koorai: Aalaya Ethnic Designer Wear
Jewellery: Boutique by Bristina
Groom outfit: Roshan’s Fashion
Make up: Beauty by Vanessa Tang
Saree draping/ Hair: Ratha Aunty
Henna: Henna by Payal
Decor: Decor-a-Shaan
Photographer: Siempre
Videographer: Black and White Colour
Illustrations for Invitations: Uma Jayaseelan
Aaya: Acharya Ram Sivan
Tie The Thali would like to thank this lovely couple for sharing their big day with us and our readers. We wish them nothing but the best for their married life!