It’s the weekend baby! And this Carnival themed wedding is  just the right thing to put you in a festive mood. Nadim and his lovely bride Tamalin said their vows in March this year. These two chose a vintage carnival theme. Tamalin says that the mix of crazy carnival and vintage elegance allowed them to have a laid-back and fun wedding which still felt magical and timeless.

Nadim and Tamalin planned their big day around the people they love. Tamalin says. “What better way to celebrate who you are as a couple than to show your loved ones how cherished they are and how much their support of your relationship has meant to you? Every decision had to be something that reflected us completely and not something that seemed right just because it was traditional. “

For example she had both her parents walk her down the aisle and changed the traditional response to the question ‘who gives this woman to marry this man’ from ‘we do’ to ‘she comes of her own accord with the full support of her parents. For Tamalin having both of her parents “give her away” was one of the best decisions she has ever made.

Lauren Kriedemann was there to snap away at all the gorgeous details.

Tell us your love story?

We met online (it really is a lot more romantic than it sounds). E-mailing and texting turned into hot chocolate and dinner and then dinner turned to dating and after one particularly magical kiss we realised what we had known all along… we were crazy in love. After two and a bit years of dating Nadim got down on one knee, in my bedroom, while the rain poured outside and surprised me with an incredibly gorgeous ring he and a friend had designed and made for me (inspired by sneaky visits to my Pinterest page). After complete shock and tears of happiness I said YES!

What were the highlights of your wedding day?

Walking with my Mom and Dad towards everyone I love and seeing my incredible husband-to-be waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

Any advice for brides-to-be?

Start your planning early and take everything one day at a time. Decide on a cut-off time for adding more ideas to your vision for the day – I was still adding ideas the week before the wedding and it caused such unnecessary stress and drama. Take a slow walk down the aisle – it is likely that you will want to race towards the man you are about to marry, but I so enjoyed walking slowly toward Nadim.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Yes – I would have tried to budget for a videographer, even if just for the ceremony and speeches. I also wish I had bought a cocktail dress for dancing.

Did anything unexpected happen?

One thing that really stands out is a last minute change in wedding transport. My parents, my sister, my bridesmaids and I had planned to travel to the ceremony together in my father’s car, but when we arrived at the venue I saw this big tractor waiting for us. My mom then explained that she had arranged a tractor for us to go through to the ceremony in.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome while organising your dream wedding?

Sticking to a budget was very difficult.

Any time saving or organising tips?

Delegate!

What song did you choose for your opening dance and why?

Bill Withers – Lovely Day

Did your wedding preparations include any DIY projects?

All the stationery (including our magnetic save the dates) was DIY. My Mom made our burlap aisle runner and organised for someone to make the templates for our lawn twister so we could spray-paint the coloured circles on the grass. My bridesmaids and Mom helped make my bunting and the cover for our photobooth and a friend of the family made our chalk board speech bubbles.