Amid the coronavirus pandemic, people the world over are being forced to change their plans. A number of celebrities like Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Princess Beatrice and fiance Edoardo, and Emma Stone and fiance Dave McCary have had to either postpone or cancel their big day.
While Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriquez have always been vague about their wedding since they got engaged in March 2019, they have announced that they are re-evaluating their plans. With the uncertainty of the current time, the couple has planned out various scenarios of how their big day can go forward.
“We had a meeting on Zoom with our core group of people,” Rodriguez told Entertainment Tonight. “Kind of just going over what the next 12 months look like and we have three or four different variations of how that can look. It’s such a fluid world. Usually when you underwrite a year – whether in terms of scheduling or financially – you never think that it’s going to just stop like this. So, we’re having to be very fluid, think on our feet and just think very proactively.
“At the same time, I think the most important thing for everybody is to practice great discipline and stay at home. We have to do this together and every person counts. The way we’re going to beat this thing is together,” he added.
Diamonds are forever, yes, but they’re also a bit…expected. If you want to make a statement with your engagement ring, why not opt for a unique stone? From ruby to sapphire, there is no end to colourful stones to say yes to.
Another unique option is onyx, perfect for someone wanting to take a walk on the darker side of life.
Onyx is a semi-precious gemstone, a sub-variety of the microcrystalline quartz called chalcedony. This gemstone is typically black with white lines, although can sometimes also be green or reddish-brown. The stone is perfect for fans of the art deco or Victorian style as that’s when it was most popular.
The name is derived from the ancient Greek word for claw. Speaking to Brides, New York City-based fine jeweler Ashley Zhang explains the mythology.
“The story is that while Venus slept, her fingernails were trimmed, and the gods turned these clippings into the stone known as onyx,” she says.
Its beautiful striped appearance symbolises the various phases of the planet. Black represents the night, gray is dawn and white is day. Together, these colours stand for the interconnectedness of the world and the yin-yang of the universe, helping to restore balance to life.
The transformative power of onyx is what makes it perfect for an engagement ring. Onyx is said to stamp out fear by absorbing and transforming negative energy, thus helping to prevent the drain of personal energy. Onyx also helps develop emotional and physical strength and stamina, especially when support is needed during times of stress, confusion or grief.
Seems like the perfect stone to have on hand, literally.
As time goes on, people are becoming much more aware of the products they use and its impact on the world. The call for more ethical practices in the fashion and beauty industry is one that is quickly gaining momentum.
If you’re on a journey of lessening your harmful impact on the world, an easy way to start is with the makeup products you use.
What is cruelty-free makeup?
Cruelty-free makeup brands don’t test on animals at any stage of their development. They also don’t contract other parties to test on their behalf and, in most cases, don’t sell their products in countries that require animal testing. If a brand is sold in China, for example, its most likely not cruelty-free because of the country’s policies.
Cruelty-free products are tested through a variety of alternative methods like using human and animal cell cultures that have been grown in laboratories, human tissue that has been donated to science, or through computer modelling.
You can easily spot if a makeup brand is cruelty free. The makeup components will typically have a logo of a bunny printed on it somewhere close to the ingredients list.
If the brand is vegan, that means there are no animal products included in the items either. A brand can thus be cruelty-free but not vegan. If you’re vegan, look out for non-vegan ingredients like lanolin, beeswax, glycerin, elastin and squalene to find out its status.
Where can I find it?
In South Africa, there are a number of popular brands that are also cruelty-free, like Wet n Wild, Urban Decay, NYX, Catrice, Smashbox, Essence, LA Girl, Oh so Heavenly and Physicians Formula.
Brands that still employ animal testing or employ third parties to test on animals include Maybelline, Benefit, Clinique, MAC and L’Oreal.
The man, the myth, the legend – Nicolas Cage is a Hollywood icon for reasons far beyond his acting abilities. His meme-able face and unique film choices have cemented him in pop culture as a truly memorable character.
One aspect of Cage very few have turned to? His love life. Nicolas Cage has actually been married a whopping 4 times. Let’s take a look at his past relationships.
Patricia Arquette:
Credit: Pinterest
The story of how Cage and Arquette met is a wild ride. Back in the late 80s, Cage and fellow actor Crispin Glover met Arquette at a deli in Los Angeles. Both of them told her they wanted to marry her, naturally.
To prove himself and his commitment, Cage tasked Arquette with creating a list of tasks for him to complete. Arquette had quite a bit of fun with the list, selecting seemingly impossible finds like J.D. Salinger’s autograph (a rare occurrence throughout his career), a black orchid (which doesn’t exist), a Lisu tribe wedding costume, and a Bob’s Big Boy statue.
Instead of a black orchid, Cage showed up at Arquette’s home and spraypainted a purple one black. “She wouldn’t come out, but I could see her peeking down from the top floor. In my very showy way, I whipped the orchid out of my pocket. Then I whipped out the paint can and started spray-painting the orchid black. She was freaked out. I rang the doorbell again and she came down. I just gave it to her and got back on my motorcycle and left,” he told Playboy in ’96.
Cage’s intensity made Arquette wary and the relationship fizzled out. Years later in 1995, the pair met again at the exact same deli. It was love at first sight again, and Arquette quickly proposed while dressed head to toe in black vinyl, carrying a big purple wedding cake. Two weeks later, they married atop a cliff in Carmel, California with only Carmel’s former police chief and a pod of sea otters as their witnesses. Seriously.
However, the marriage was not meant to be. The pair officially split in 2000 after 5 years.
Lisa-Marie Presley
Credit: Pinterest
Soon after his split from Arquette, Cage began dating Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley in 2000. Presley had just come out of her marriage to Michael Jackson. They married in August 2002 after two years of dating. However, by November 2002, a mere 3 and half months later, they filed for divorce.
Presley explains that the pair were kindred spirits but they were like “tyrannical pirates”, which caused the end of their marriage.
“It was kind of one of those things where you marry someone hoping — I mean we’d already had — we’d been together for two years before we got married, so — it was one of those things where you’re marrying hoping that you’re going to either stabilise it or it’s going to, you know, accentuate all that was going on prior to what was problematic,” she said in an interview with Larry King. “So it kind of did the latter, that’s all.”
Alice Kim:
Credit: Pinterest
In 2004, Cage walked down the aisle yet again, this time with a fan of his. He married waitress Alice Kim two months after meeting her at the restaurant she worked at. The pair were married for 11 years and share a son together. They divorced in 2016.
Erika Koike:
Credit: Pinterest
The shortest marriage Cage had was also his last. He wed makeup artist Erika Koike in Las Vegas in 2019 after a year of dating but filed for annulment after 4 days. He claimed that he was too drunk to comprehend that they were getting married, and was also unaware of Koike’s criminal history. The makeup artist has appeared in court for three DUI’s and domestic violence against her previous husband.
While we can’t leave our homes right now, there’s no harm in dreaming right? We expect outdoor weddings will be majorly popular in 2021 once the coronavirus pandemic has wound down and people can once again enjoy the beauty of the outside world.
Lovers of the outdoors will be right at home in a forest setting. With this kind of location, there really isn’t that much you have to do in terms of decor. A few twinkly fairy lights, candles (safely monitored) and draping will go a long way in transforming the space into a romantic venue.
If you’re planning a wedding, now is the perfect time to do your research. Here is some dreamy decor to inspire you:
Amid the conoravirus pandemic, celebrations of any kind have been altered. As a result, people have had to get creative to show their love and appreciation for one another in a safe way. This family did just that when they threw a street parade to honour the 75th wedding anniversary of their matriatch and patriarch.
Laura, 93, and Billie Mays, 94, have been married for over seven decades. Since this is a pretty momentous occasion, it deserves a celebration. However, quarantine stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic meant that they couldn’t physically be with their family during this time. So, their family brought the party to them.
As Laura and Billie sat on their lawn, 33 family members and close friends drove their cars slowly drove past and and waved homemade signs expressing their love. They also gathered in a wide circle around the couples to sing them an anniversary song.
“The thing we’re most proud of is our family. We love them all so much,” said Laura.
Of their secret to a long, happy marriage, Billie said, “Living a clean life. Christian life. And staying busy.”
With lockdown in full effect, no one is able to do much recreational shopping. Just because the shops are closed, however, doesn’t mean you can skip out on an anniversary gift!
If you’re celebrating an anniversary under lockdown, now is the time to get creative. Receiving an apple might not be your partner’s ideal anniversary gift. Instead, why not show them how much you care by making them something?
Hardware stores are now open under new lockdown regulations, and stores like Game still sell paint and other craft supplies. Now, all you need is a good idea. Here are a few that will make your partner fall in love you all over again:
A care package:
Put together a care package with a few of your partner’s favourite things. A good mix of things is key. Some snacks like dark chocolate and biscuits paired with bubble bath, bath bombs, essential oils and a good magazine work perfectly together. You can easily DIY you own bath bombs and bubble bath, making this gift even better because you can customise it to fit your partner’s favourite smells.
A photo album:
Let’s be honest, millennials don’t own photo albums. However, how sweet is it to page through a physical album full of memories? It’s definitely more romantic than scrolling through an Instagram feed. Grab a scrapbook and get busy! All you need is a printer, some glue, and scissors. To make this gift even more sentimental, write down little paragraphs explaining why each picture is special to you.
A ‘love box’:
Over the course of your relationship, you’ve probably amassed a lot of meaningful items. Why not give them a special place to live? To make a memory box for your relationship, take a simple box and decorate it with pictures and inside joke references special to your couple. Fill it with items that mean something to you and your relationship. It can be anything like ticket stubs from your date nights at the movies, love letters you used to write to each other, or an old t-shirt you would always borrow when you first started dating.
On your anniversary, spend time going through each individual item and talking about that point in your relationship. We guarantee you’ll be feeling all the love.
A scavenger hunt:
Another gift idea that also helps fill your time in lockdown is a scavenger hunt. Using memories from your relationship, create riddles that your partner has to figure out to move to the next station and eventually the end of the hunt. At the end, have a sweet dinner all laid out to end the evening. Set up a homemade-teepee and hang fairy lights from trees and bushes in your garden for an extra-romantic feel.
Get crafty:
if you’re blessed with artistic skills, this makes gift giving so much easier. Drawor paint a picture of your partner or a special memory that they can hang in your home. You could also write a personal song or poem, and even design an item of clothing for them.
If you’re not that artistic but still want to get your creative juices flowing, here are some DIY tutorials to inspire you:
With the coronavirus pandemic, weddings as we know them are put on hold. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t tie the knot.
Creative couples across the globe have decided the downsize their weddings, opting to say their I do’s from the comfort of their homes. If you’re still keen on getting married, you’ll need a dress.
While South Africa is currently under lockdown, there are many clothing retailers that are still allowing people to order and will deliver once the lockdown ends. Online shopping is the best solution at the moment, so get clicking away to find your perfect fit.
Here are some casual options for your paired-down big day:
Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late husband Kobe, a few months after his tragic passing. Bryant took to Instagram to write a tribute to her late husband on their 19th wedding anniversary.
“My king, my heart, my best friend. Happy 19th wedding anniversary baby. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. I love you. ❤️” she wrote.
Synonymous with celebrations and a must at every wedding, everyone enjoys a glass of bubbly on the odd occasion. Feminine, sophisticated and classy, Prosecco is popular not only in South Africa where sales are up 24%. Globally 325 million bottles of this premium Italian sparkling wine are sold per year: that’s a lot more than the ‘odd occasion’. So why is Prosecco so popular? And where does Sparkling Wine fit in?
Here are some pointers from Rowan Leibbrandt, founding owner of Cape Town-based premium drinks company, Truman & Orange:
Prosecco is crisper, slightly sweeter and more delicate than Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) and both have a subtler fizz and softer bubble than sparkling wine.
While MCC, Champagne and Prosecco are all double-fermented to produce their unique fizziness, Prosecco’s second fermentation is according to the “Italian Charmant” method and involves fermenting in tanks, resulting in a crisp taste.
Prosecco is made to be drunk fresh and derives its delicate floral and lively fruity notes from the Glera grapes used to produce it, characteristic of the rolling hills they’re grown on in Northern Italy, in a relatively small area protected by the surrounding Alps, called Prosecco DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata).
Recommendation: Try Mionetto Prosecco – as the world’s best-selling international Prosecco, its R200 a bottle price tag answers the call for a premium, exceptionally-made, genuine Italian Prosecco fit for any occasion. Its affordability makes it possible to enjoy an imported glass of bubbly as an everyday luxury and is certainly a great option for a wedding celebration.
Sparkling wine is created by carbonating wine, resulting in a large, even bubble and a distinctly different – and perhaps even more celebratory – drinking experience. While MCC and Prosecco offer more refined effervescence, many people enjoy the more exciting fizz of sparkling wines and the sweetness created when bubbles pop on the palate.
Recommendation: Using grapes chosen for their balance of sweetness and acidity and harvested at night to maintain their freshness, Grace du Roi sparkling wines offer a lively bubble, and a refreshing green apple and pear character, while the Rose variants offer a hint of raspberry and cream. Naturally cold-fermented, the clean, delicate character of the Grace du Roi sparkling wines is gently fruity as a result of their Chenin Blanc base and the use of the cuvee (first press) of the grapes. The wines in the blend are kept separate to allow flavour to develop first before marrying achieving a ‘state of Grace’: lighter, more delicate flavours. Retailing at only R95 a bottle, we’d recommend having each of the 3 variants – White Gold, Rose Gold and White Sapphire – on offer at your wedding. That way you have something to suit every palate!
Still battling to decide which to choose? This might help: a glass of Prosecco contains only about 80 calories, while a glass of MCC or Champagne contains around 130 calories and a glass of sparkling wine can contain up to 200 calories!
