We’ve all got some extra mirrors laying around somewhere in the house. This easily accessible and affordable item works wonders as DIY wedding decor, all you need is a sharp eye for detail.
Mirrors can be repurposed as wedding decor in a number of ways. Use a large mirror as a seating chart by writing your table information in permanent marker, or use smaller mirrors as escort cards.
They can also be used as table numbers and table decor, or even as a table runner! Depending on the size and shape, its uses are endless.
Here are some magical ways to give old mirrors new life:
Michelle and Barack Obama are a powerhouse. The former President of the United States and former First Lady have always leaned on each other throughout their marriage, and rise to power – Michelle has opened up about the difficulties they faced along the way.
In an Instagram post, the former First Lady shared a brand new image from their 1992 wedding, along with a few wise words on marriage.
“Last week on The #MichelleObamaPodcast, Conan and I reflected on our marriages. This relationship can be one of the most foundational pieces of our identities—bringing us so much joy, meaning, and support every single day,” she wrote.
“But one thing is for sure: It also takes a lot of work; a lot of honesty with ourselves and our partners. That’s one thing I’ve learned.”
The Obama’s tied the knot on October 3, 1992 at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Almost three decades later, the pair have built an incredible empire and expanded their family with daughters Malia (22) and Sacha (19).
Speaking on the podcast, Michelle explains that their marriage has not always been easy.
“There were times that I wanted to push Barack out of the window. And I say that because it’s like, you’ve got to know the feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you quit. And these periods can last a long time. They can last years,” she said.
“Young couples, they face these challenges and they’re ready to give up because they think they’re broken. And I just want to say, look, if that breaks a marriage, then Barack and I have been broken off and on, throughout our marriage, but we have a very strong marriage.
“And if I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would’ve missed all the beauty that was there as well.”
The Constitutional court of South Africa will meet later in September to discuss the legislative issue related to marriages between black couples that took place before 1988 in which they married out of community of property.
In the late 1980s, Apartheid was still formally in effect and this legislation on marriage fell under the Black Administration Act (BAA). This legislative anomaly goes against South African law that stipulates couples automatically enter into a marriage contract in community of property, unless another option is chosen.
The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) is bringing this issue to Concourt on behalf of 72-year-old Agnes Sithole, a housewife in Kwazulu-Natal. Sithole is in a dire situation and faces a major financial loss.
Sithole married in 1972, and only discovered their marriage contract was out of community of property in 2018, reports IOL. Her husband is now threatening to sell their family home, and the law is technically on his side because of their marriage contract.
The LRC is taking the matter to court to have the legislation struck down for being unfairly discriminatory towards women, specifically women of colour. They also want all marriages entered into under the BAA to be declared in community of property. Those who want to remain out of community of property should be given the opportunity to opt out.
For many who married out of community of property under the BAA, the women were adversely affected. The LRC argues that black women in particular were unfairly discriminated against in comparison with other women through this.
“The BAA unfairly discriminated against black women compared with other women,” said the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in papers it filed at the apex court for the matter.
“Under Section 22(6), the default position for black couples was marriage out of community of property. By contrast, the law regulating civil marriages between couples of all other races provided that the default position was marriage in community of property,” they wrote in court papers filed on the matter.
“The BAA had the result that black women were afforded less protection than other women.”
They estimate that 400 000 other African women married before 1988 could be in a similar situation to Sithole.
“It also discriminates on the grounds of age against elderly black women who were married before 1988. The consequences are illustrated by Ms Sithole’s position. She is in danger of losing her marital home and has been compelled to interdict her husband so that he does not dispose of it prior to this application,” the centre said.
“She has spent her adult life contributing to the joint household and raising the children, yet she cannot enjoy the fruits of her labour.”
In 1988, matrimonial law was amended and black couples were given two years to change their marriage contracts. However, the Commission for Gender Equality argues this dispensation period did nothing for the couples affected.
“The amendments have failed to bring real, effective or meaningful relief to black women married subject to Section 22(6) of the BAA,” the LRC said.
Spring has officially begun in the Western Cape. All across the province, the floral kingdom is coming alive and bringing stunning scenery along with it.
This season is a beautiful time for weddings. Bridal parties should reflect the vibrant season and go bold with floral fabrics and fun hues.
Pinks, blues and greens are the perfect colours to complement this theme. Opting for mismatched bridesmaid dresses adds even more to the aesthetic, turning your beautiful bridesmaids into the flowers they are.
Here are some delightful dresses to inspire your own:
South Africans intending to tie the knot automatically enter into marriage in community of property when they say ‘I do’.
This marriage contract is all about sharing, with ‘what’s mine is yours’ as the motto. If the marriage end in divorce, all assets are split 50/50. Couples in this marriage contract also assume their partner’s debt.
While this is the most popular marriage contract in the country, many experts advise against it. If, for some reason you decide you no longer want to be married in community of property, you’re in luck. Couples may change their marital regime after they are married, although it is a costly process that should be avoided if possible.
Under Section 21(1) of the Matrimonial Property Act, spouses may apply to the court for leave to change the marital property system if:
– There is sound reason for the change
The best reason to give is that you were unaware that marriage in community of property is the default, and you had not intended to enter into this contract.
– All creditors of the spouse are given sufficient notice of the proposed change
All creditors must be notified by certified post, and notice must be given to the Registrar of Deeds, must be published in the Government Gazette and two local newspapers at least two weeks before your application is heard in court.
– The court is satisfied that no other person will be disadvantaged by the proposed change
The court will decide if the change may occur, and will consider your assets and liabilities to determine whether the rights of any creditors will be affected by the change.
If all these requirements have been met, the Court may authorise the change.
Actor Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka recently celebrated six years of marriage.
The loved-up couple took to Instagram to write sweet messages of devotion to one another on their special day.
“Six years ago. Perhaps the happiest day of my life. Since then, thousands of memories. No regrets. Thank you, David, for both creating and rocking my world. I am forever #grateful,” wrote Harris.
Burtka brought the love with his own sweet words: “Six years ago today @nph and I got hitched. Thanks for dancing into my heart. I can’t believe you stuck around after all these years of me annoying you. ? You have made my heart complete. Thank you for the best times of my life.”
The pair met in 2004 and quickly became friends. Burtka eventually called it quits with his long-distance partner and the pair went on their first date to see Taking Lives starring Angelina Jolie. Thereafter, they quickly became inseparable.
Burtka proposed to Harris in 2007 on the street corner where they met for the first time. “We were on our way to an event at an Indian casino 45 minutes out of town in a limousine, and David wanted to stop for some reason that I didn’t quite get … And then he got on one knee and proposed, and I was so freaked out by it that I said, ‘Yes,’ but I didn’t know what it meant. Then I got the ring and loved it,” Harris told Out Magazine.
Since they hadn’t yet married, Harris proposed to Burtka the next year on Valentines Day. After two years of being engaged, the pair welcomed their twins, son Gideon Scott and daughter Harper Grace.
They finally tied the knot in a wedding ceremony in Perugia, Italy in 2014. Elton John performed, and both grooms wore looked amazing in Tom Ford tuxedos.
The California wildfires left devastation as it burned through various parts of the state. In San Francisco, a couple and their children lost everything when flames taller than trees engulfed their home in August. However all was not lost, as they recently discovered their engagement rings survived the fire.
Jason and Chloe Caroll were forced to evacuate their Vacaville home with their two young sons as the LNU Lightning Complex fires ravaged the area. In their haste, they left their wedding rings behind in a basket in their bathroom. When they returned to retrieve the rings two days later, they found their home had burnt down to the ground.
They thought they lost all their possessions but while sifting through the rubble, Chloe’s aunt Denise discovered their rings exactly where the bathroom once stood.
“I didn’t imagine something can be discovered, and I believed if it was discovered, it would be melted to nothing,” Jason told LadBible.
“I thought for sure they’d be gone. I thought they’d be melted,” added Chloe. “I acquired one thing that I believed was utterly gone. It offers you a bit of ‘we can do this’. It offers you a bit of hope.”
Sometimes, a bit of self love is all you need. A bride called off her wedding to “marry herself” in a move to boost her self-confidence. Now, years later, she has married the same man she was originally engaged to.
Nicole Russo (39) became engaged to Paulo de Souza (35) in October 2013, after two-and-a-half years of dating. However, the wellness centre boss struggled with many insecurities that eventually lead to her ending their engagement.
“I remember at one point looking at that ring on my finger and thinking to myself, ‘wow how could I have gotten so far along in myself and almost committed to this other person before I had committed to myself and my own needs and listened to who I really needed to be inside’,” Nicole told Metro UK.
She called the wedding off and married herself instead, reciting her vows in her mirror on October 14, 2014. Years later, the pair reconnected and fell in love once again. This time, Nicole already had love for herself and was able to accept Paulo’s love.
The pair tied the knot of October 12, 2019, just a few days before her fifth wedding anniversary to herself. Nicole sees the two as very different weddings.
“My marriage to myself is not the same as my one to Paulo. It’s not a legal marriage, nor a traditional one with a church and big white dress. Rather, it’s a way of committing to and loving myself.”
Some may find the idea of self-marriage strange, but Nicole believes it changed her life for the better.
“As women, the old-fashioned view of marriage can feel like you are giving part of yourself up to your husband, but we should value ourselves and a self-marriage ceremony is a great way to do that.
“I’d encourage people to give it a go, even if it does feel a bit silly. There were times where I thought I was nuts and that nobody else in the world did this sort of thing. But once you learn to love yourself, it ripples out, and makes being kind to others come naturally.”
“Marrying yourself isn’t easy. There are a lot of tears and forgiveness involved, but it’ll also be the most fulfilling thing you ever do.”
Planning your big day is an exciting time, filled with a number of moving parts. Beyond your wedding flowers and seating chart, it’s important to give lots of thought to the legal side of getting married.
As you join hearts with your partner, you also enter into a legal agreement that can have serious repurcussions later on in life. As such, this might be the most important decision you make in the lead up to your big day.
Couples intending to marry will have to sign a marriage contract. South Africa has three main matrimonial property systems, and each option will largely impact on the couple if they decide to divorce later on in life.
Marriage in community of property:
Legal Wize explains that marriage in community of property essentially combines the estates of the married couple. Property and debts acquired prior to or during the marriage are shared equally in undivided shares (50%). Both spouses are jointly liable to creditors.
South African law automatically opts for this marital regime unless another regime is selected. This is the most popular agreement in the country, although it’s not the advisable option for many reasons.
This contract makes you responsible for all debt incurred by your spouse, including debt incurred before your marriage. Your financial position could thus be weakened by your partner. In the event your assets are seized by a court order to pay creditors for money owed to them, all of your assets can be taken because your estates are joined.
Beyond this, if your spouse dies without a will in place, the surviving spouse is only entitled to half of the assets. The other half are automatically granted to any dependents like children, or the deceased’s nearest relations in the absence of kids.
Of course, if the marriage ends in divorce then all assets will be split equally, regardless of what you came into the marriage with.
This option makes the most sense for couples who enter into the marriage with little assets. However, you cannot predict the future. You might hit it big later on in life and your relationship with your partner may turn sour, but you will still have to share your assets equally in the event of divorce.
Marriage out of community of property with accrual:
Another option is to marry out of community of property with accrual. The accrual system is a formula that is used to calculate how much the larger estate must pay the smaller estate if the marriage comes to an end through death or divorce.
Only property acquired during the marriage can be considered when calculating the accrual. The accrual system does not automatically apply and must be included in an ante-nuptial contract.
An ante-nuptial contract is a contract entered into to regulate whether a marriage will be out of community of property with/without the accrual system. It must be signed by the persons entering into a marriage, two witnesses and a notary public, and it must be registered in the Deeds Registries office within the prescribed time period.
Marriage out of community of property without accrual:
If a couple decides to marry out of community of property without the accrual system, the spouses have their own estates which contain property and debts acquired prior to and during the marriage (“what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours”). Each spouse is separately liable to his/her creditors. Prior to the marriage, an ante-nuptial contract must be entered into to indicate that the marriage will be out of community of property.
This marriage contract protects your individual assets, but disadvantages the spouse who earns less. The breadwinner of the relationship will end up with greater assets because they likely paid for it, disadvantaging the other spouse and all of their unpaid efforts in the marriage. This is especially damaging for those who stop working to raise their children while their partners work, as their reproductive labour goes unrecognised by the law.
As part of the winning team in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe is no stranger to competition. Luckily, his love life has been an easy ride.
Cheslin and wife Layla, a chartered accountant, have been together since 2013. They met at the DHL Newlands stadium, and the connection was instant.
“We had played a Currie Cup game against the Xerox Golden Lions, and after the match I noticed a beautiful girl in a red hoodie coming down Boundary Road outside DHL Newlands,” Chelsin said in a statement.
“She stopped myself and Kurt Coleman, because her friend wanted to take a photo with us, and I have been in love with her ever since,” he said.
They soon began dating, and Cheslin knew Layla was the one for him. He popped the question in September 2016, after his team’s victory over the Boland Cavaliers at DHL Newlands. The location was extra special because it’s where they first met.
Take a look at their proposal:
WATCH: Cheslin Kolbe proposed to his girlfriend Layla Cupido at #DHLNewlands, and she said yes! #cheslinjoulekkerding
The pair tied the knot in 2018 at Webersburg in the Stellenbosch winelands. Fellow rugby stars Siya Kolisi and Justin Geduld acted as groomsmen, and Rachel Kolisi served as a bridesmaid.
The couple’s daughter Kylah, who was nine-months old at the time, came down the aisle in a custom-made cart with a board that read: ‘Daddy just wait til you see mommy’. Their godchild, Siya and Rachel Kolisi’s son Nicholas acted as pageboy. He carried a sign that read, ‘no stepping this now Uncle Chessy’.
Layla walked down the aisle to ‘The Prayer’ by Celine Dion, a live duet sung by Vernice Platje and Danelle Lewin from the Hillsong church in Cape Town the couple belong to. For her big day, Layla wore a fit-and-flare Robyn Roberts dress covered in beaded lace with long sleeves, a detachable tulle skirt and a low open back.
They had an unconventional navy blue four-tier wedding cake with gold printed leafing and orchids flowing down, and a personalised hand-made topper figurine of Cheslin running with a rugby ball and Layla catching him/falling for him- depicting their love story.
South African comedian Siv Ngesi was the MC for the reception. Later in the evening, the wedding party was entertained by fire dancers.
Their wedding day was captured in all its glory by Top Billing, take a look:
The couple now live in France with their two-year-old daughter Kylah, and Cheslin plays for French rugby team Toulouse. They are expecting the birth of their second child very soon.
