A month after their wedding in India, Kavya Vunnam and Bharath Gadiparthi are about to toast another landmark in their lives together - graduating with EIT's Graduate Diploma in Wine Business.
From Chennai in the south of India, the couple met at university and completed their Bachelor in Biotechnology degrees in 2013.
As undergraduates, they shared an interest in the production of alcoholic beverages. Recognising the potential for developing that as the basis for a joint career path, Kavya researched further study options.
She pinpointed New Zealand, attracted by its rapidly growing wine industry, and EIT, as the only tertiary educator in this country offering a short graduate study programme in wine business.
Bharath was excited by her findings, but the pair didn't pursue the idea at the time. While he progressed to Master in Biotechnology studies, she worked in branding and marketing management for different companies in India.
It was shortly after announcing their engagement that Kavya's father - a wine enthusiast who keeps up-to-date on industry developments - surprised the couple by suggesting further studies with a view to them eventually establishing a wine business in India.
There were, however, some potential fishhooks in progressing the proposal.