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Tell us a little about yourselves- how did you and your partner meet?
Teli and I both grew up on opposite sides of Johannesburg, and although our paths had crossed many times before, we had only formally met in 2016 through an introduction of a mutual friend. We immediately started speaking over the phone for hours a day until one day, 7 months later (because he needed to put in the work, duh), we met for lunch on cozy winters day in July and the rest is history.

Spill the details on your proposal story...
We had gone away for the weekend to the Cape winelands to celebrate my birthday. Little did I know that our intimate lunch at Le Residence in Franschhoek would turn into Teli nervously dropping his knee and asking me to spend forever with him. Later that evening he had surprised me with a beautiful stay on a wine farm with all our best friends. We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating with our nearest and dearest. Still get goosebumps thinking about it.

Tell us about the vision you had for your special day, was there a specific theme/style and aspects that were important to you?
We wanted our wedding to feel like an intimate family celebration with a very homely feel, in the same city that our forever started. With my Spanish heritage, and Teli's greek heritage - we wanted to focus on a Mediterranean inspired celebration with good food, music and very organic decor. The most important aspect for us was quality time with our family and friends in a cozy setting, with food, music and decor that spoke to our backgrounds.

Tell us a little about the location, the food, the styling and some of your favourite details.
Our venue was a private home in Franschhoek, that reminded me so much of my grandmothers home that I spent many weekends at as a little girl. Chef Ollie from Annalize Catering helped us create a gorgeous family style harvest table for our canapé hour, with handmade burrata station and a spread of various Italian, Spanish and Greek food. For our seated dinner, we served an option of my Grandmothers famous rigatoni vodka as well as Greek lamb Kleftiko- dishes that tasted like Sunday afternoon lunches at home. Our decor was done by the insanely talented Heike from Fleur Le Cordeur. We focused on flowy linens, stone pots and pastel florals to complete our Mediterranean celebration. We had the most wonderful planner, Anna Marcelle, who has the best taste and a super calm demeanour, who made sure that all our elements came together seamlessly. It was a dream.

How did you spend the morning of your wedding? How did you cope with the pre-wedding nerves?
I spent the morning of my wedding in a cozy private villa that was on the grounds of our venue. I was woken up by my 2 year old niece and flower girl, who jumped into my bed, teddy in hand, and joined me for cuddles and tea before the big day. My best friends started arriving at 8 am and we changed into our linen getting ready outfits that were made by my brand, Top Drawer Collection. We had a slow morning doing our hair and make up. A cute girly playlist was on, the flower girl's laughter filled the air, bubbly in hand and I was surprisingly super calm. My Mom and Dad were also with me, lending a sense of unconditional love and support. Our wonderful photographer, Nina Buys, made the atmosphere even calmer as she captured every little detail in the most beautiful way. I did leave my vows to the morning of, which of course gave lots of emotion to the vows, but did add an element of stress. Would not recommend. lol

What drew you to Top Drawer Collection for your getting ready outfits?
I got to combine my baby, Top Drawer Collection, into the best day of my life. Designing my getting ready outfits through my brand really made me feel so proud and fulfilled in a way that I have never felt before. I am so used to making other women feel their best on their wedding way that little did I realize, that I was going to feel the love that so many other women feel through our brand. There were many moments during the morning of that I took a step back and thought "wow, your brand, on the biggest day of your life, the little me would be so proud". A moment I will never forget. I chose our Ivory Linen Le Petite Robe for my girls and my Mom, which went so well with our Mediterranean theme - perfect for the timeless bride. I then designed a custom bridal look that comprised of a linen slip dress with lace cut out detail, as well as our new Contessa Le Robe for me. It was such a gorgeous bridal look and our instagram DM's have been filled with questions about it ever since. Soon girls, promise!

What advice would you give future brides?
Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of love on your big day. All of your favourite people are together in one place, on one day. The chances of that happening again is so small, so enjoy every second. I always said that I would be so upset if it was a windy day on my wedding, well guess what, we had gale-force wind on the day and I literally didn't care. I was marrying my best friend, with all of our favourite people. Everything is going to be perfect, and the little girl inside of you has waited all her life for this day- take in every moment for her.

Browse Top Drawer Collection Bridal looks here.
Bride & Groom: Carla Frankel & Pantelis Karpathakis (@carla_frankel & @iamteli) | Getting ready outfits: Top Drawer Collection (@topdrawer_collection) | Gown: Vesselina Pentcheva Bunce (@vesselinap) | Accessories: my grandmothers pearl earrings | Planner: Anna Marcelle Weddings (@annamarcelle_wed) | Venue: Sandstone House (@sandstone.house) | Photography: Nina Buys Photography (@ninabuysphotography) | Videography: Other Half Films (@otherhalffilms) | Floral: Heike Hayward & Fleur Le Cordeur (@fleurlecordeur) | Hair: Hair Luxe (@_hairluxe_sa) | Makeup: Rebeca Da Fonseca (@rebeca_artistry) | Catering: Annalize Catering & Ollie Swart (@annalizecatering & @chefollie) | Furniture & Lighting: Palm Event Hire & In and Out Events (@palmeventhire & @inandoutevents)