This wedding in Australia moved from a Sydney church to a countryside mandap

“I was bar hopping with my girlfriends on a cold Saturday night, and just as the bar was about to close, Luca built up the courage to come talk to us. It’s been more than six years, and that moment still feels like a page from a novel,” says Brisbane-born Manchal Singh. Last year, she married Sydney-born Luca Monk—he with Lebanese and Italian roots, she with Indian heritage. The couple always knew their wedding would reflect every side of their ancestry.

The proposal came during a completely ordinary evening. They were getting ready to go out for dinner when Monk asked her to hold something while he tied his shoes. It was a small box with Natasha Schweitzer on the lid. “It takes me a moment to realise what’s happening. I look down at Luca, and he’s on one knee. It was everything I ever wanted.”

In mid-2024, they held a Lebanese–Italian Catholic wedding at the Holy Name of Mary Church in Hunters Hill, a quiet corner of Sydney that feels like a postcard. The day began at the church and unfolded into a joyful reception.

Stylist Nisha Kundnani of Bridelan worked with the couple throughout the wedding journey, helping them put together looks that felt authentic to them. At the church, Singh wore a Kyha Studios gown with soft sleeves and an old-school charm she’d always imagined for herself. Later, for the reception and first dance, she switched into a handwoven Ekaya silk sari that her mother draped for her. Monk wore a custom InStitchu tux from George Street.

Seven months later came the Indian wedding in Australia, spread across four days at her parents’ country estate in Queensland. “We wanted to stay true to the country theme,” Singh said. The plan was open-air everything, with a big Sperry Tent and the Australian countryside as the backdrop.

The mehendi was held at night, with acoustic versions of classic Hindi wedding songs floating across the lawn. “I had a very clear idea of what looks I wanted,” shared Singh. Inspired by late-80s and early-90s Indian fashion and the glamour of Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, she chose a Manish Malhotra sharara. Monk matched her in an embroidered Anamika Khanna kurta.