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Kirsten Jacobs

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Diamonds are forever, but creativity is boss. While anyone can buy an engagement ring, sometimes a handmade gift is even more meaningful.

Here are some people who got creative and thought out of the (ring) box. Using common household items, they crafted unique rings that tell a story.

Fingernails

Yes, really. A Japanese man collected his fingernail clippings for a year, then ground it to a powder and baked it to create a “stone” for an engagement ring.

Hex nuts:

Everyone has nuts and bolts lying around, so why not use them? This crafter transformed this common household appliance into a 1 carat diamond ring!

A coin:

Coins are meant to be good luck, so it seems fitting to make an engagement ring out of them. Here’s how.

A spoon:

Who knew a spoon could be so handy?

3D printing:

When printing was first invented, we never thought it would come this far. This man worked with a local jeweller to create a printed ring out of castable 3D printing resin to pop the question to his love. Here’s the process from start to finish.

Feature image: screenshot from video

They say red is the colour of love and passion, making it a fitting choice for a wedding day.

Red wedding cakes are bright, bold and beautiful. While red wedding cakes work for any kind of wedding, they are especially on theme for Valentines Day weddings. Pair it with white and gold for an ornate look or go romantic with ombré shades. Either way, your guests will fall in love with this colourful choice.

Here are a few red cakes we are raving over:

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Feature image: Unpslash

Although her wedding to SNL writer Dave McCrary was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Emma Stone’s latest appearance has many thinking she secretely tied the knot.

During an interview with Reese Witherspoon and psychiatriatrist Harold S. Koplewicz on the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine YouTube channel, the actresses discussed living with anxiety during the pandemic. Stone appeared wearing a wedding band that looks very different to her pearl engagement ring.

During the interview, Dr Koplewicz, who  speaks of associative mating and says, “If you marry an anxious man, you’re gonna have to know me the rest of my life.” Stone laughingly responds, “Thankfully I didn’t do that.”

Fans immediately began speculating that the pair secretly got married during quarantine.

Stone and McCrary announced thei engagment in December 2019. Stone’s vintage-inspired ring was designed by Tokyo-based designer Kataoka and features an eight-millimeter pearl at its center, surrounded by tiny diamonds.

The pair were originally meant to marry in March 2020.

Feature image: screenshot from video

A year ago, Joe Jonas and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner said ‘I do’ in an impromptu Las Vegas ceremony after the Billboard Music Awards.

The pair married at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas in May 2019, in a ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator. During a video for GQ Magazine’s “Actually Me” series, Jonas reveals that the reason for this wedding was not that romantic.

Jonas explains that the pair needed to legally marry in the States, as they planned to tie the knot in a big wedding in the South of France later in 2019.

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“So we thought it would be really fun to get all of our friends, invite them out (to Vegas), and do an impromptu wedding,” he explained. “And we actually had some people that I didn’t even know that well there.”

“Some people (in attendance) I am now closer with! Khalid was there! That was cool. And Diplo decided to livestream the whole thing.”

Following the spontaneous wedding, Jonas did land in a bit of trouble with his parents.

“My parents called me the next morning and they were like ‘Did you just get married?’ And I realised that I told everybody, but forgot to tell my parents. So, kids, make sure you tell your parents when you’re getting legally married!”

Feature image: Instagram/ Sophie Turner

While their marriage was not a fairytale, one of the most iconic weddings to date is that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. From those puffy sleeves to that trailing train, Princess Diana made many memorable fashion moments with her bridal attire, influencing brides for decades to come.

In 1981, Lady Diana Spencer said “I do” to Prince Charles, making her a princess, both officially and in people hearts. The shoes she wore to walk down the aisle had a surpringly sweet hidden meaning.

For her big day, Princess Diana opted to wear flats. Celebrity accessories designer Clive Shilton explains that she did this so that she would not appear taller than her future husband, as they were the exact same height.

‘Her main concern was that she wouldn’t appear taller than Prince Charles, and because she was very tall – 5ft 10in – the shoes would have to have a low heel.’

The shoes were adorned with 500 sequins, over 100 seed pearls, satin and lace. The suede arches featured a sweet, romantic detail painted on them: the letters ‘C’ for Charles and ‘D’ for Diana, with a heart between them.

Credit: Pinterest

Other royals must have taken inspiration from Princess Diana since then. Megan Markle had fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry sewn onto her wedding gown, and her veil was embroidered with 53 flour and fauna to represent the Commonwealth countries. Kate Middleton’s wedding dress sleeves featuring floral embroidery representing the national emblems of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Feature image: Pinterest

Des Codona has always wanted to marry his partner and mother of his kids, Christine Meaney. The timing was just never right. When Codona was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April and given weeks to live, however, he knew that now was the time.

Due to lockdown restrictions in the UK, however, Codona and Meaney did not think their dream was attainable. No weddings are allowed at the moment to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Des and Christine. Credit: Facebook / Middlesbrough Council

Codona’s daughter Suzi contacted the Middlesbrough Council in the hopes that they could be granted special permission to marry in their home. The council first weighed a risk assessment, and decided to use their emergency powers to allow the wedding despite regulations.

“In this instance, having spoken to the family and carried out a risk assessment, we felt it was something we could do for them,” said Registrar Dawn Galloway.

“They are a lovely family and a lovely couple and we are really pleased that we were able to grant this wish and make it happen for them.”

The pair wed on April 30 in their home. Of course, safety precautions were put in place. Registrar Dawn Galloway and her deputy Sarah Teece wore personal protective equipment (PPE) as they married the couple.

Registrar Dawn Galloway and her deputy Sarah Teece in their PPE. Credit: Facebook / Middlesbrough Council

The day was a meaningful one for the couple.

“Des is absolutely buzzing, it has really given him a lift. It has really picked him up and that has made me feel a lot better. It’s given him a real boost,” said newlywed Meaney.

“He had been talking to our children Suzi, Michael and Katie… and Suzi got in touch with Dawn and it spiralled pretty quickly – that was on Tuesday and on Thursday we were married. It was very surreal.”

Feature image: Facebook / Middlebrough Council

If you’re a colourful person, why not have your engagement ring to reflect that? Instead of opting for the standard diamond, go for something unique and unexpected. Colourful stones have been trending in the wedding world for a few years now.

While rubies, sapphire and tanzanite are popular alternative choices, how about something less popular but equally beautiful? Aquamarine is slowly growing in popularity as an engagement ring stone. Here’s why.

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Aquamarine is a light blue stone reminiscent of crystal clear ocean waters, making it a fitting option for your ‘something blue’. This stone falls in the beryl family, calling morganite and emerald sisters. It’s name comes from the latin aqua marinu, meaning “water of the sea”.

Aquamarine scores 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, making it less durable than a diamond, but is more suited for everyday wear.

The stone is typically a light greenish-blue, but can range in shades and colour saturation. The more vivid the colour, the more expensive the stone. Instead of size, the price of the stone is dependent on clarity, depth of colour, and to a lesser extent the purity of colour.

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Speaking to Brides.com, jewelry expert Lauren McCawley explains the interesting legend of this dazzling stone.

“Legend has it that the aquamarine gemstone originated in the treasure chests of mermaids,” said McCawley. “Mariners have long carried the stone for protection against the wrath of the sea.”

As such, aquamarine makes for an amazing gift for anyone with a deep love for the ocean. It is also the birthstone for March, so anyone born in that month will appreciate this stone.

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Picture: Pexels

Your guests need to know where to sit at your reception, so you might as well guide them in style. Seating charts have gotten much more elaborate over the years. If you’ve got a creative eye and some time on your hands, why not try making your own?

Using everyday items like glass bottles, cheese boards, plant leaves and mirrors, you can easily create a stunning seating chart that will impress your guests.

Here are some creative ideas to inspire you:

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Feature image: Pexels

Some rules are meant to be broken. While tradition states that men are meant to propose to their future brides, many modern women are taking back the power and popping the question themselves.

Here are a few stars that popped the big question to their male partners:

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is no stranger to marriage. Out of her eight marriages, she popped the question once to British actor Michael Wilding.

Throughout the course of their five-year marriage, the pair had two children: Michael and Christopher. They divorced in 1957.

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Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell and partner Dax Shepard would not marry until same-sex marriage was legal in the US. In 2013, the Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage in California and Bell immediately took to Twitter to pop the question.

“.@daxshepard1 will you marry me? Xo #marriageequality #loveislove,” she tweeted.

“F*** yes!!!!!!!!!!!”, he replied excitedly.

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Judge Judy

She’s a no-nonsense judge on our TV screens, so its no surprise Judy Sheindlin, more famously known as Judge Judy, would propose to her husband.

“I did propose to him,” Sheindlin told DuJour. “I said to him, ‘Where is this relationship going?’ And he tried to weasel out of it, with his, ‘Well, you know, why do we have to get married?’ Whatever. He finally capitulated. I told him to pick a date. He picked Flag Day.”

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Britney Spears:

Spears randomly popped the question to baby daddy Kevin Federline while aboard a flight from Ireland to New York.

“I’d finished the European part of my tour and I was going home. I was ready to get back to the States. I was really happy. Kevin was with me, so I’d had a lot of fun on the tour,” she told People back in 2004. “We were a couple hours into the flight, and we’d been talking the whole time, stuff about life, wanting to have kids, the future and everything like that. It was an intimate conversation. And we’d always talked about how some people don’t have to get married when they’re in love. Then all of a sudden I said, ‘What if you want to get married?’ And I kind of went from there to asking him if he would marry me. I asked him… He said no because he thought it wasn’t the right way to do it,” she said.

Federline initially turned the proposal down, then asked Spears to marry him a few minutes later. The pair were married for 3 years before divorcing in 2007.

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Pink

Pink had an exciting proposal up her sleeve for partner Carey Hart. Back in 2005, she asked Hart for his hand in marriage while he competed in a motorcross competition. As he entered his third lap, Pink held up a board that read “Will You Marry Me?”. When Hart failed to pull over and respond, Pink added the word “Serious!” to the bottom of the board. Finally, Hart hopped off his bike and said yes.

The pair married 6 months later and have been together ever since.

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Diane von Furstenberg

Fashion designer and creator of the iconic wrap dress, Diane von Furstenberg asked now-husband American media mogul Barry Diller to marry her after turning down his many proposals.

“One year I didn’t know what to give him for his birthday, and I called him and said, ‘You know, if you want, for your birthday I’ll marry you,’ she told O Magazine. He replied with “Let me see if I can arrange it.”

The pair married in 2001.

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Jennifer Hudson:

Jennifer Hudson was already engaged to WWE wrestler David Otunga, who proposed on her birthday, but she decided to reciprocate and ask him to marry her. Five months after their engagement, Hudson went down on one knee to propose to Otunga on his birthday. She didn’t come empty handed, her proposal featured a 5-carat engagement ring.

The pair were engaged for 10 years before splitting. They share a son together.

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Feature image: Pinterest

When guests toast to the newlyweds, it should be in style. It’s easy to pour some bubbly in a glass, but where’s the fun in that?

Since signature drinks have grown in popularity over the years, many couples are opting for creative, aesthetically pleasing ways to serve up their beverages. If you’ve got a particular wedding theme, extending it to your drinks is a great way to make your wedding even more cohesive.

Here are some fun and creative ways to serve up your drinks and give your guests liquid courage.

A champagne tower:

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Cotton candy dreams:

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Wall of wonder:

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Floral fancy:

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One tequila, two tequila:

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Go coco-nutty:

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DIY:

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Popping prosecco popsicles:

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Tutti-frutti:

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When life hands you lemons:

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