Nature-lovers can infuse the beauty of the outdoors into their big day in many ways. From your decor to your dress, Mother Nature can be your most special guest.
One’s bridal hairstyle is an aspect people often forget can help in extending a wedding theme. If you’re going for a relaxed boho feel, pull it off by incorporating some flowers. The blooms you choose depend on your wedding colours and the flowers you include in your bridal bouquet.
Here are some ways to add blooming beauties to your bridal hairstyle:
Want an engagement ring that is as bright as the sun? Instead of opting for a yellow diamond, a citrine stone might just be the perfect choice.
The bright yellow or intense orange stone is a type of quartz and gets its colouring from traces of iron. The stone has been symbolic of the sun for centuries, and many associate it with health and happiness. Citrine was considered the ‘sun stone’ for years, and believed to hold sunlight and to be able to protect against snakebites, heartbreak and evil.
Citrine’s name is believed to have a number of sources that relate to citrus in ode to its colouring, including the French word ‘citron’ which means ‘lemon’.
Natural citrine can be found in the Ural Mountains of Russia and in Madagascar, while the majority of heat-treated citrine comes from Brazil.
Many confused citrine and topaz because of their similar colourings. However, they differ in that topaz is heavier and harder with a higher refractive index than citrine.
Citrine is the November birthstone and has good durability that makes it great for an engagement ring. It ranks a 7 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness. However, it is still prone to scratching and damage, so wearers are advised to never wear two gemstones side by side. To clean it, simply use warm water, mild soap and a gentle brush.
Like a diamond, a citrine’s value is based on the Four Cs: colour, cut, clarity, and carat. The more saturated its colour, the more expensive the stone.
Winter is upon us, bringing with it chilly temperatures and unpredictable weather. Winter can be an incredibly romantic and practical time to have a wedding, it just requires some forward planning.
Brides planning to tie the knot in the wintertime must take caution to prevent catching a chill on the big day. Long sleeve wedding dresses made of heavier fabrics like velvet and silk allow for greater insulation against the cold. Add flair with lace detail or embellishments, and you’re all set. You can even add a stunning matching jacket for extra warmth.
Alex Guarnaschelli, the no-nonsense chef and Food Network star who rose to fame as a judge on cooking competition Chopped, is newly engaged to partner Michael Castellon.
Castellon, who is also a chef, prosed on Guarnaschelli’s 48th birthday. They were having a socially distanced get-together with some friends to celebrate, and the pair drove to the store for more supplies. On their way back, Castellon suddenly pulled the car over.
“So we were right by my house and he just pulled over on the side of the road anxiously. And he said, ‘I see a dog running around’,” Guarnaschelli tells People. “There’s this little park with a windmill. He like, ‘I see a dog running around in there without a leash.’ ”
He got out the car to inspect, then came back to tell Guarnaschelli it’s a baby deer and she needs to see it.
“So he’s like, ‘Shh. Come see it. It’s so cute.’ And I’m like, ‘We’re going to have to do something. We’re going to have to call the animal welfare.’ I’m already rolodexing the situation,” Guarnaschelli explains to People. “We tiptoe out, full-on tiptoe, and he goes, ‘It’s right around the windmill.’ So I look and he’s like, ‘Do you see it?’ And I’m like, ‘No, where’s the baby? You promised me a baby deer’.”
“And he goes, ‘There’s no deer.’ I turn, and I look and he’s on one knee. He’s like, ‘This is why I have to marry you because you just believe me every time.’ He said, ‘Will you marry me?’ and he gave me the ring.”
The ring, featuring a stunning emerald rock, is a family heirloom.
The pair have been together for four years. The professional chef and TV personality took to Instagram on Saturday, June 20, to announce the big news.
Not one for big designs and loud colours? You might just be a minimalist. This design aesthetic focuses on living with only the things you need and that support your purpose. By removing the distractions of loud design, it allows you to focus on what matters most.
Extending this aesthetic to your wedding day produces a simplified yet stunning finish. Your wedding cake can echo this style by only focusing on one crucial design element, be it a simple bow or a subtle deckle edge. A minimalist cake will never overtake the day, only enhance it.
In lockdown and dreaming about your future wedding day? Netflix has you covered with more wedding inspiration. The popular streaming service’s latest offering ‘Say I Do’, promises to be a tearjerker.
The show is by the creators of ‘Queer Eye’ and follows a team of experts, including interior designer Jeremiah Brent, fashion designer Thai Nguyen and chef Gabriele Bertaccini, who work together to help make eight unique couple’s dream weddings come to life. The experts assit the groom in planning a surprise proposal as well as the big day, all in the space of less than a week.
Each couple featured on the show have wanted to marry for a long time but were never able to make it happen, for various reasons. Their love story is explored in depth to showcase what love means to them and what’s most important to them on their big day.
Take a look at the trailer below:
This show follows the success of Netflix hit ‘Love is Blind’, and could be another win for the streaming channel’s venture into original reality TV.
Ricky Martin wants to go big to celebrate his marriage with partner Jwan Joseph. The pair already tied the knot in 2018, and are now planning a massive celebration with family and friends that may take place over multiple days.
Speaking to Mexican show Ventaneando, the singer explained that he wants a four-day wedding that will involve all four of the couple’s children. The twins, Matteo and Valentino witnessed their first nuptials but now Martin wants newest additions Renn and Lucía to see their parents marry.
The couple have been together since 2016 and spontaneously tied the knot in 2018.
“Two madmen have gotten together! Months passed and we said, ‘What are we waiting for? This is meant to be,” said Martin in the interview. “It just so happened that my parents were here in Los Angeles, and his parents were as well, so I said, ‘We have no other reason to wait, call the judge!’ It was super improvised.”
They are now passionate about having a large, public event to showcase their love.
“It’s going to be a great event. And people will be talking about it. We’re a modern family, and I think people need to see, and I want to normalise the beauty of our family. That’s why I’m making it public and I’m going to share my wedding with the world.”
Before she became a style icon and much-loved First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy O’Nassis was Jacqueline Bouvier, a George Washington University graduate, and inquiring photographer.
The course of her life changed when she met then-Congressman John F Kennedy and fell in love. The pair married in a lavish Newport, Rhode Island wedding. For her big day, the future First Lady was a vision in a buffant ivory silk-taffeta gown, which has gone down in history as one of the most iconic wedding dresses.
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Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress has a surprising history and was created by Black seamstress Ann Lowe. Lowe was an incredibly talented designer who opened the door for many other independent designers of colour. As one of the first known black designers, however, she faced constant discrimination as she fought to become one of the most sought-after couturiers for the American elite. Among her customers were famed American families like the du Ponts, the Roosevelts, the Rockefellers, and the Kennedys.
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Lowe was well acquainted with the Bouvier family and was thus commissioned to design Kennedy’s wedding dress in 1953. Julia Faye Smith, author of Ann Lowe’s biography Something to Prove, says it took Lowe and her team of seamstresses two months to complete the ornate creation that utilised over 50 yards of silk taffeta.
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However, a mere 10 days before the big day, everything went wrong. Lowe’s studio was flooded by a broken waterline, which ruined not only the wedding dress but also the bridesmaids’ dresses.
A disaster like this could destroy Lowe’s reputation. So, she swallowed her sadness, purchased more fabric, hired extra help, and completely recreated the gown within a matter of days.
The dress was completed and stunned everyone. However, Lowe came out of the deal losing $2,000 instead of making a profit on what was her biggest wedding gown to date. She never told the family what happened. To make matters even sadder, Lowe never received proper credit for her hard work. When asked who made her famous dress, Kennedy told reporters, “a colored dressmaker did it.”
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Lowe and Kennedy continued to work together on a number of occasions after the wedding. Smith explains that the women developed a mutual respect for one another. When she began losing her eyesight and her business, Lowe was financially saved by a mysterious benefactor. Lowe believed it was the First Lady who secretly stepped in to save her business.
Lowe died at age 82, with her business never truly reaching the degree of fame it should have.
“We need to remember Ann as a woman who, in the face of some of great adversity, persevered,” says Smith to Elle. “She knew what she was capable of doing, and she worked throughout her life to achieve it. From the Jim Crow South to the skyscrapers of New York, there were obstacles placed before her, but she proved that a designer of her race, or of any race, could become a major designer.”
A rustic wedding theme perfectly honours nature, while still providing an intimate feel. Some may picture a farmhouse vibe, while others envision a botanical-inspired beauty.
However you classify rustic, one thing is for sure. This theme uses nature and simple design elements to bring out the beauty of the venue and environment, not overwhelm it. Using stunning lighting, masses of greenery, fruits, and vegetables and candles, you can easily bring the rustic wedding of your dreams to life.
Here are a few ideas on how to decorate your rustic wedding table:
Royal weddings are often the stuff of fairytales, so it seems fitting that a curse would somehow be involved. A real-life curse may be true for one Royal family. According to legend, The Grimaldi Royal Family of Monaco is cursed and will never have a true happily-ever-after.
How the curse came to be is a bit of a mystery. One report of a 13th-century legend tells the tale of a Flemish woman who was raped by Prince Rainier I. In retaliation, she cursed the House, saying that “never will a Grimaldi find true happiness in marriage”.
Another tale says that a witch being burnt at the stake said those immortal words preventing a true happily-ever-after.
Over the course of the family’s 700-year-long rule, they have experienced much heartbreak and tragedy. Here are just a few of the ways the family has been unlucky in love:
Grace Kelly’s death
The Grimaldi family rose to international fame in 1952 when Prince Rainier III married Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly. However, their marriage was not the stuff of fairytales. Kelly reportedly struggled with the intense demand and expectation that comes with being a royal.
In 1982, the superstar actress tragically died in a car accident at the age of 52. She had reportedly suffered a stroke while driving with her daughter Stephanie. Dr. Jean Chatelain, chief surgeon at the hospital where she was treated, says she might have survived had she been at home and not in the car.
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Princess Caroline
Grace Kelly and Prince Renier’s eldest daughter Caroline had a short-lived marriage to French banker Philippe Junot, and also lost her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi, in a tragic accident. Casiraghi, a professional speedboat racer, died in a powerboat crash off the coast of Monaco in 1990 while he was competing in his last race before retiring from the sport. Only weeks earlier, the racer had survived an incident in which his boat exploded.
Her third marriage to Prince Ernst August V of Hanover has had its ups and downs. The Prince is said to have a terrible temper and has faced assault charges in the past. The couple are now estranged.
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Princess Stephanie
Grace Kelly’s other daughter, Princess Stephanie was long considered the wild child of the family and brought even more scandal when she married her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet after having children with him. The relationship ended when his affair with Miss Topless Belgium went public. She was also briefly married to a Portuguese acrobat 10 years her junior.
Prince Albert
Grace Kelly’s son Prince Albert II and wife Charlene Wittstock have also reportedly been unlucky in love. The Prince fathered two illegitimate children, one with a flight attendant from Togo and another with a US estate agent before he married South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock. Reports that he fathered a third love child while he was in a relationship with Wittstock were highly publicised in the lead up to their 2011 wedding.
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Whether it’s the result of a curse or sheer bad luck, one thing is for sure. The House of Grimaldi has been anything but lucky in love.
