Nantes Estate Wedding

Carmen and Clinton tied the knot at the end of last year at Nantes Estate in Paarl. Photographer Will Punt of Peartree Photography was there to capture their special day and all the happy moments. There were so many great portraits and interesting bridal party photos in this one.

I loved the marsala and blush pink palette, the chosen wedding colours for 2015. We ended up struggling a lot, especially because we were not in Cape Town, to get the exact marsala we wanted so my aunt, Belinda from Passion4decor in Kuilsriver, who also did our décor and flowers, put only touches of Marsala in the mostly blush wedding. Also our make up artist, Razana Omar did an awesome job of adding a touch of marsala by doing a marsala lip on my bridesmaids.

The couple met through a mutual friend who worked with Carmen, who just happened to be Clinton’s neighbor. She showed Carmen Clinton’s profile picture on Facebook so she had a peek or two. In the meantime, and later admitted, it would seem that Clinton was peeking a while already living in a small community where everyone knows everyone. One night they both left comments on the status of a mutual Facebook friend, ended up having a discussion with each other in the status and Clinton ended up asking her cell number on the status for everyone to see! A few weeks, a few chats and a few phone calls later the first date happened and the rest is history.

Tell us more about the proposal
Clinton took me out to a local resort in Upington, The Riva Resort, on the banks of the mighty Orange River. I thought I was going to have a lovely picnic next to the river with my boyfriend. After lunch he got up and went to the car. I asked him what he was going to do and I got a strange respond that he forgot the dessert in the car. When he returned, I was surprised with a large plate, embossed in gold on the plate and surrounded by different sweet treats and a little gold box were the words, “Carmen, will you marry me”. I was totally dumbstruck and he had to remind me to give an answer and obviously it was a resounding yes!

DIY details
Clinton and I decided that GOD must reflect in our wedding and we wanted to honor Him by doing something to say thank you. We decided to have boxes with our favorite scriptures as favors to our guests. I bought some cute silver boxes from a local shop, Clinton and I took time to get our favorite scriptures from the Bible, we bought our own paper with colours that matched our wedding theme and had our scriptures printed at Suneldo Printers in Upington and inserted in the boxes. Our guests loved it!

Do you have any advice for other couples planning their wedding?

1. Do not procrastinate! For some reason we think couples always think they still have time. Not true. Most vendors and venues get booked long in advance. Sometimes more than a year in advance. We were lucky to have some of the best vendors in the business but many other smaller things like the programs for the day was done at the very end. Another reason couples should not procrastinate is because a month or two before the time, you may feel drowned and overwhelmed from months of planning and you may lose focus and not pay as much attention to the finer details of the wedding as you might have wanted to in the beginning when you still had enough energy and excitement. The excitement doesn’t wear off at the end, couples just become tired.
2. One thing that couples should definitely invest in is a good photographer and videographer! You can have the most expensive wedding and the best vendors but if the photographer and videographer cannot capture these beautiful moments perfectly, it definitely dampens the magic and memories. I was so lucky to have Peartree Photography and Jubilani Videography.
3. Lastly a bride must feel the most beautiful she has ever felt in her life on the day of the wedding. Brides should get the dress they want! For my wedding I wanted to support a South African designer. I wore a dress bought at Calegra in Cape Town by Kobus Dippenaar from the Anna Georgina range that made me feel like I was a Hollywood star! I couldn’t wait for Clinton and my guests to see me! Get that dress!

Other lovilees that made the day possible include
Venue: Nantes Estate in Paarl, Western Cape
Catering: Ebony and Ivory Catering
Photography: Will Punt of Peartree Photography
Dress: Kobus Dippenaar purchased from Calegra Bridal
Videography: Jubilani Videography
Décor & Flowers: Belinda Olifant from Passion 4 decor
Stationary: Suneldo
Hair & Make-up: Zar Hair and Makeup
Chair Hire: Ayjay Hiring & Chairs4u
Décor Hire: Function Hiring4u
Rings: L& E Goudsmith
Groom and groomsmen attire: Markham
Bridesmaids attire: Forever New

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