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    The legality of Zoom weddings in SA

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    Globally, the popularity of Zoom weddings is increasing by the day. With the coronavirus pandemic essentially ensuring that no physical ceremony can take place, couples have limited options and therefore opt for online nuptials. However, the question of legality never seems to be brought up.

    There are certain requirements for a legal and valid marriage in South Africa. Some of these include:

    1. You must ensure you are both legally allowed to marry, and must understand the legal consequences of marriage
    2. You have to present all the required documents (including ID documents of both partners, divorce orders from previous marriages or death certificates if applicable) to the officiant
    3. Your marriage officer must be authorised in terms of Act No. 25 of 1961
    4. Your marriage must be conducted in the presence of at least two witnesses
    5. The witnesses and the marriage officer must sign the marriage register after the solemnisation of the marriage, and you as the newly-weds should be given a handwritten marriage certificate

    If we consider the last two points, we might notice that these are more difficult to fulfil while self-isolating.

    When the nationwide lockdown began, Minister Aaron Motssoaledi of Home Affairs said that no marriage certificates would be issued during the lockdown. He said that those who want to get married should wait until the lockdown is over, and in fact even joked about it saying that “maybe the 21 days will also give you time to think whether you want to get married or not.”

    With marriage certificates not being issued, point number 5 is pretty much impossible to fufill with a Zoom wedding. Point number 4 may be equally difficult if you don’t live with at least two additional roommates (which most couples don’t).

    Point 4 talks about being in the presence of two witnesses. This does not specify that the witnesses have to be there physically, although it might make the most sense to assume that is what it means. If we stay on the safe side and assume the witnesses have be there physically, then you’re probably unable to fulfil point 4 too.

    In addition, it may be difficult to find an authorised officiant willing to perform your marriage, since marriage was so clearly warned against by the government when the lockdown started.

    As a result of these stumbling blocks, Zoom weddings may be a bit of a grey area in terms of legality. However, it’s safest (and most likely correct) to assume that Zoom weddings cannot be taken as legally valid in terms of the law.

    Either way though, a zoom wedding may still be worth it for symbolic reasons! It can be used to celebrate what your day would have been, or to simply bring everyone together as you planned to in the first place.

    Here are some zoom weddings for inspiration:

    Image: Twitter / @tarekjpeg

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    In Emotional

    Cancer patient (70) weds partner in hospital nuptials

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    Everything seems quite uncertain right now. One thing remains stable through all of this, however, and that is love. Not even the uncertainty that cancer brings could stop this couple from celebrating their love and making it official.

    70-year-old Roy Wilson, a man with terminal bone cancer, wed his long term partner, Joy Hird, in a hospital wedding. The pair had not seen each other in almost a month. Wilson was admitted to the hospital on April 1 and visiting restrictions were in place as a result of the coronavirus.

    The couple were married by Rev Simon Airey, the chaplain at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital where Wilson was being taken care of.

    Being diagnosed with terminal cancer was a wake up call for Wilson. The frightening news made him realise that there is no time better than the present, and so the pair decided to tie the knot. However, much like many other stories these days, there was a small hiccup surrounding the issue of coronavirus.

    Wilson began showing symptoms of COVID-19, and was concerned that this would be the end of his upcoming wedding. After a negative test result on Friday, April 24, everyone was relieved and things were back on track for the ceremony on Monday, April 27.

    According to a post by The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, the staff “pulled out all the stops to make the day as special as possible for the couple, creating handmade decorations and sourcing food.” They even ensured that a professional photographer was there on the day.

    Apparently, Rev Airey went out of his way to make sure the wedding could take place. Since the coronavirus pandemic has essentially halted all wedding ceremonies, it was difficult for him to provide a legal marriage. However, he managed to get special permission from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

    For all the efforts of the hospital staff, the newlyweds are tremendously grateful. “This has been a long time coming. It’s been a really special but emotional day. I’m absolutely exhausted but it’s been wonderful. We can’t thank the staff and chaplain enough for making this happen for us,” said Wilson.

    “What a day. It’s been absolutely lovely from start to finish, it’s certainly been a day to remember for us both. A big thank you to the wonderful hospital staff for all that they’ve done for us,” said Hird.

    Watch the sweet nuptials below:

    Image: Screenshot from video

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    In Bridal Shower

    Gracious grooms and their famous groomsmen

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    A gracious groom knows that the attention is not only on him. He has to share it with his glowing bride, of course! However, would the groom be happy to share more of the spotlight with his famous groomsman?

    Yes, apparently. At least in the instances we’ve seen, grooms are quite happy to share their special day with their famous friends! If you’re struggling to believe it, then we’re here to ensure you’re convinced.

    Here are some of our favourite famous groomsmen:

    David and Brooklyn Beckham 

    The father-son pair are perfect for the role of groomsmen. Their fun and positive personalities surely brought a lightness to Victorica’s brother Christian Adams and his partner Emma Strafford’s wedding in 2017.

    Credit: Instagram

    Joe and Kevin Jonas 

    While all three brothers are famous (for the same thing), Nick ensured his brothers Joe and Kevin (and Frankie) were by his side on his big day when he married actress Priyanka Chopra. Their nuptials included a Christian ceremony and a Hindu ceremony.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGBYwKFqM0/

    Prince Harry and Prince William 

    Each brother played the role of groomsman when the other got married. The Duke of Cambridge provided the utmost support for Prince Harry on his royal wedding day in 2018. Harry took on the same role 7 years earlier, when Prince William wed Kate Middleton.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BsL2lLilzzU/

    Ed Westwick 

    Best known for his role as Chuck Bass, from the popular teen drama Gossip Girl, Ed Westwick looked dapper as he stood as a groomsman at his friends wedding in 2016.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BKlZxNZg3Nu/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Joe Manganiello 

    Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello was the groomsman at a wedding in Malibu in June 2017.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVLknpdFkLj/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVLmicmlBPr/

    Derek Hough 

    Professional dancer popular for Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) was the best man for his friend, Mark Ballas who also appears on DWTS. He joined a fairly large group of groomsman at the 2016 wedding.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BN23szlggXd/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BNh_K97AMSF/

    Nsync 

    When Nysnc member Chris Kirkpatrick said his “I do’s” in 2013, his band members (Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and JC Chasez) stood by his side, despite the fact that the boyband was no longer going. The group looked happy as ever being by the grooms side.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BOiP0aYgo2T/

    Image: Instagram / Nick Jonas

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    In Engagements

    Baby octopus retrieves woman’s engagement ring

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    If you lose your ring in the ocean, you most likely would be sad but accept that you’ve lost it forever, right? It seems impossible for a mere human to scour the ocean floor in search of one ring, no matter how big the diamond. But for creatures who are native to the sea, it may be a bit easier.

    Annika Parkinson-Dow was swimming in Howe Sound off Bower Island in British Columbia, Canada on Friday evening, April 26. The shining bioluminescence was visible, and this led her to run her hands through the water. Little did she know that her  engagement ring had fallen off in the ocean.

    When she eventually realised, she was already back on dry land. Of course, she was upset. The ring was an heirloom from the 1930’s. “I was pretty sure that there was absolutely no chance [they’d find] it, a needle in the haystack. I wasn’t even sure of the exact spot that I lost it,” she said to CBC News.

    The ring. Credit: CBC news / Annika Parkinson-Dow

    Trying her luck, she asked a few divers to have a look in the ocean. They searched for an hour, but gave up as the water conditions were unfavourable.

    As they decided they would call it quits, they caught sight of a baby octopus and as unbelievable as it may sound… the little octopus led the divers to the ring!

    Scientists have reported that octopuses have a keen interest in shiny objects. So, it may be possible that the baby octopus found the ring and intended to keep it as part of a little collection of rocks and shells.

    It would be nice to think that the octopus intentionally led the divers to the ring, knowing that’s what they were looking for. However, it’s more likely that it was a massive coincidence. Either way though, it’s an amazing story for Parkinson-Dow to tell for the rest of her life!

    Image: Unsplash

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    In Bridal Shower

    Celebs on the side: Famous bridesmaids

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    You’d assume that a bride and groom would want to be the centre of attention on their wedding day. It would be difficult for this to be the case if you have a celebrity in your bridal party, right?

    Maybe not. Throughout the years, quite a few celebrities have been bridesmaids for the special people in their lives (both famous and not). They seem to always understand that the day should not revolve around them!

    Whether you’re shocked by this or not, you’re probably curious to see some celebs who have been happy on the sidelines. Here are some of our favourites:

    – Beyonce

    BEYONCE?! Yes, the extremely popular singer, Beyonce Gisslle Knowles-Carter, stood up next to her little sister, Solange, on her special day. Of course, Beyonce would never steal the show at her own sister’s wedding, because as we all know… Solange can fight!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/vfFjnTPwxH/

    – Rihanna

    RiRi is something else! The ‘Love on the Brain’ singer’s assistant, Jennifer Morales got married in Honolulu in 2015. Naturally, Rihanna was a bridesmaid in the wedding.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ5XDdwDiVC/

    – Sofia Vergara 

    Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara wore a yellow bridesmaid dress for her friend Chi’s wedding, in 2015. She was escorted to the wedding by her fiancée Joe Manganiello.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BaxFb3CDTEr/

    – Rachel Bilson 

    Not the first time Bilson has been a bridesmaid, the actress played the role again for her Hart of Dixie costumer Gelareh Khalioun.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BSJM6VrA60M/

    – Taylor Swift 

    For her childhood friend, she would do anything. The award-winning singer stood beside her friend Britany Maack as she said her vows. Swift was the maid of honour at this wedding, performing all duties from train carrying to posing for photos.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BCEGFImDbl8/

    – Margot Robbie 

    Robbie was a bridesmaid at her friend Juilia Koenig’s wedding in Kauai, Hawaii. At the time she was a newly-wed herself.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BeRW3rtjYJM/

    – Victoria Beckham 

    Victorial Beckham does it all! No we’re not talking about in her personal life. For her friend actress Eva Longoria’s  wedding, she was not only the bridesmaid, but also designed the wedding gown and assisted the bride with her shoes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BPLmVSwhrjx/

    – Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen 

    The twins were bridesmaids in New Zealand in their friends wedding. The all-black attire devotees seem to have gotten their way for their outfits too!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BRf-td4gBTb/

    – Emma Roberts 

    Emma Roberts was a bridesmaid in the wedding of her friends Kara Elkin, a designer, and Nick Walker, a photographer.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BFJQrAXoxGX/

    – Kelly Rowland and Lala Anthony 

    Ciara’s wedding was star studded, not only in its guestlist, but in the bridal party too. The two most famous bridesmaids are songstress and Destiny’s Child legend, Kelly Rowland, and actress Lala Anthony. The bridesmaids also included a well-known choreographer, and a celebrity make-up artist.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BTHVqPTD_B5/

    Image: Instagram / Ciara

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    In Celebs

    Working with royals: Meghan Markle’s dress designer speaks

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    Clare Waight Keller, Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer, took to Instagram to talk about her experience working with the royal. She also detailed the days as they approached the iconic ceremony.

    Keller, a British stylist, fashion designer and the current Artistic director of Givenchy, was – as could be expected – over the moon to be a part of the royal wedding two years ago. After the special wedding day, she showed her excitement and gratitude on Instagram. She detailed what she did at at each moment, and gushed over the experience.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAIZ5PjVsT/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-aVw4jkAs/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BjA1kaPjcqT/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BjC85XNjQya/

    Now, two years later, Keller has taken to Instagram again to share more insights on how the famous wedding dress came to be.

    “Two years ago today I was in the final fittings for a very secret dress. So many emotions were running through me during those months leading up to the big day,” she wrote. “A wedding dress is one of the most exquisite and beautiful moments for a designer, but also personally as a woman artist, creator there is a lot of sensitivity that flows through the process from the knowledge and understanding of the feelings that you have as a bride.”

    She said that in order to ensure that Markle’s dream dress was made a reality, she had to put herself in Markle’s shoes. “Learning to let go of my emotions and embrace the feelings of someone you are designing for brings about an incredibly beautiful relationship of trust and intimacy. Through hours of conversation, meetings together, and research, slowly all the pieces of that story came together,” she said.

    According to Keller, the guiding principles given to her were “purity and simplicity”.  About the design, she also said that she weaved “a narrative of nature through the 53 florals of the Commonwealth to bring the world into the journey of the ceremony and subtlety bringing the lines of Givenchy and the history of the Maison to capture the classical timeless beauty I knew she wanted to achieve”.

    Keller thought the wedding was a very special day, and she was in awe. “It was obvious the significance of this occasion was more than any other, it would be a very personal ceremony with so many choices that would reflect both the bride and grooms heritage and their unique way of being incredibly inclusive, genuine and generous,” she wrote.

    Image: Facebook / Mamamia

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    In Engagements

    Love, laughs, and lockdown: The funniest tweets about marriage

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    Quarantine and social distancing has brought out the creatives and comedians in everyone. With little to no chance of going outside, many turn to Twitter for social interaction and some laughs.

    Married couples seem to be a bit stir-crazy, as they’re getting absolutely no time apart. Of course, the love remains stronger than ever but everyone needs some breathing room every now and then.

    As a result, many comical situations are taking place in the households of married couples spending more time than ever together as they’re stuck inside.

    Here are some of our favourite tweets, documenting the silly situations:

     

     

     

    Image: Unsplash

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    In News

    Couple celebrates their ‘not wedding day’

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    As the coronavirus pandemic continues to turn wedding ceremonies across the world upside down, some couples are having fun with the circumstances and doing the best they can to lighten up the situation. This Falkrik based couple decided to celebrate their “not wedding day”.

    Laura McKinlay and Ruaridh Macmillan were set to be wed on Saturday. Of course, their plans fell through as a result of a national lockdown. Instead of letting the uncontrollable circumstances get them down, the pair celebrated what should have been their wedding day by holding a mock wedding.

    To keep things light, they called it their “not wedding day” and wore silly outfits for the ceremony. McKinlay sported a bed sheet for a veil while Macmillin strutted his stuff in his pyjamas. Like many other couples these days, they hosted on online ceremony for their loved ones to join in on their celebration.

    “So…yesterday should have been mine and @rua2 wedding day. But #covid19 had other ideas. However, thanks to the immense skill, generosity, kindness and love from everyone in our lives, we had the most amazing NOT Wedding yesterday, hosted online”, wrote McKinlay in a post on Instagram.

    “We wore formal casual – Pjs and bedsheets for a veil! We set up a make-shift altar in the living room with our Christmas tree lights round it, I carried an orchid in a jar from @marksandspencer as my flowers,” she added.

    McKinlay said they spent the rest of the evening having a drink with their neighbours through the fence, and were spoiled with some Chinese takeway from their neighbours too!

    “True it wasn’t the original day we had planned, but it will stick in our memories as one of the happiest days we’ve ever had. Stay safe people, this isn’t forever,” wrote McKinlay.

    Of course, a day like this deserved a breakfast for champions! Macmillian posted a picture of their “not wedding day” breakfast to Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Hqe70h0oX/

    Images: Facebook / Laura McKinlay – Violinist

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    In Engagements

    Why we wear diamond engagement rings

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    When you hear the words “diamond ring”, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably an engagement ring, right? These days, the gems are closely connected to love and romance. However, as with many wedding traditions, it has a not-so-romantic beginning.

    According to Marie Claire, the first recorded bride to have received the sparkling surprise for her engagement was Archduke Maximillian of Austria’s bride-to-be in 1477. However, this was not the inception of the diamond ring proposal.

    That achievement is attributed to the jewellery giant, De Beers. Insider reports that diamonds have become the world’s most popular choice for engagement rings as a result of a marketing ploy by De Beers.

    Early in the 1900s, diamond production was low. Engagement rings were often given to women for the purpose of marriage, however for the most part the gem was not a diamond. By 1938, the diamond had become more popular for this purpose. But, as its value dropped with the Great Depression, their popularity dropped once again.

    In 1947, De Beers launched a clever advertising campaign. The slogan for the campaign was “a diamond is forever”.  De Beers built their marketing around the idea that diamonds – with their brilliance, unbreakable character, and everlasting nature – are symbolic of the commitment of marriage, which is forever.

    De Beers’ tactics were elaborate, as they targeted the psychology of human beings. In 1982, an investigating journalist named Edward Jay Epstein wrote an exposé in The Atlantic about the campaign.

    In this tell-all, 20 000 word piece, Epstein revealed shocking truths about the advertising campaign. “Even though diamonds can in fact be shattered, chipped, discolored, or incinerated to ash, the concept of eternity perfectly captured the magical qualities that the advertising agency wanted to attribute to diamonds,” he wrote.

    According to Epstein, part of the advertising strategy included sending lecturers to schools to ensure children knew the value of diamonds. He said that they also created a weekly service called “Hollywood personalities” which  “provided 125 leading newspapers with descriptions of the diamonds worn by movie stars.”

    The campaign was so rigorous and aggressive that it spread across the ocean to other countries. It may, however, not be that surprising as they had spent millions a year on the campaign which even reached Japan, a country that had not included engagement rings in their traditions prior to this. The campaign lasted about 4 decades, and remnants of it can still be seen today in some advertisements.

    These days, however, diamonds are falling in popularity. Many refuse to participate in the diamond business for ethical reasons. De Beers is a massive, powerful company though. Who knows what their next ad campaign will achieve.

    Feature image: Unsplash

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    In News

    91-year-old couple marries amid coronavirus

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    It’s never too late for more love, and once you find it nothing will stop you from keeping it! This 91-year-old couple proved just that as they tied the knot in the middle of the coronavius pandemic.

    Jeanine Sprague and Don Sandin made it official on Easter Sunday, (which also happened to be Sprague’s birthday) despite the worldwide health crisis. The St. Petersburg couple told the Tampa Bay Times that they wanted to ensure they were legally married in the event that one of them needs to be hospitalised.

    “We just decided a couple of weeks ago. Because of the circumstances that are going on in society, we just felt that we should legalise our relationship, so we would be protected,” said Sandin to the Tampa Bay Times.

    The couple had their first date on New Years Eve 2018. It was a five course meal, after which they viewed the fireworks over Tampa Bay from Spragues apartment. For their Easter Sunday wedding, Sprague wore the same outfit that she did on their first date.

    Of course the wedding was kept small. They held their nuptials in their pastor’s St. Pete Beach backyard. The announcement of their wedding however, was much bigger. Along with a photograph of the couple which was sent out, was a recording of Sandin singing ‘I’m getting married in the morning’ from My Fair Lady.

    “I had been singing it ever since we decided we would get married,” said Sandin.

    Both previously widowed, the couple believe they have a good understanding of each other. They said they have the same beliefs and have lived in the same times. “It’s a very easy relationship. We have the same stories. We lived in the same time,” said Sprague.

    Image: Twitter / garner pete

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