It definitely makes things esier when your parents and parents-in-law get along, but what if they’re a bit too close? Unfortunately, one couple learnt the bad side of this when they had to postpone their wedding after their parents ran off together.
A young couple from Gujarat, India had to postpone their wedding a month before their big day because the groom’s father and bride’s mother disappeared, and its seems they did so together. The father was reportedly last seen leaving his home in the Katargam area of Surat city, while the mother was last seen leaving her house in Navsari.
According to a relative, the father of the groom and mother of the bride once dated when they were younger. They believe that the pair must have rekindled their romance and eloped.
From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, accessories can make or break a look. Have some fun with a few well-placed pins to take your hair from drab to fab.
Here are some ideas to make sure your hair game is on point on your big day.
For all its faults and fears, social media gets one thing right: it brings us together. Yes, the internet is vast and scary but it can also be the site of true love and happiness. We’ve seen couples from different parts of the globe meet and fall in love all from behind a tiny phonescreen. It’s a truly modern world we live in, and Sandhya and Dylan’s love story exemplifies that.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
Sandhya and Dylan’s worlds were brought together through online dating app Bumble. At the time, Sandhya was living in Australia but had come to South Africa to visit family. They met at the Fire and Ice bar in Melrose Arch for milkshakes and haven’t gone a day without speaking since. Living in different countries, Sandhya and Dylan agreed to remain friends but that didn’t last long.
“It was a spark like none I had previously experienced… it was a romance with a strong emotional and intellectual connection. We always felt like we were learning things from one another and it almost didn’t matter that we were physically apart.”
In August 2018, Sandhya and Dylan decided to close the gap when Sandhya moved to South Africa. It was a difficult decision: in Australia she was an ambitious career woman in a high-paced corporate field, one that was still in its infancy stages in South Africa. Meaningful advice from her mother, however, remedied her torn mind.
“If you miss out on your dream job, you’ll regret it for a couple of years… but if you miss out on your true love, you’ll regret it forever. Find your courage and go see.”
The move was worth it. The couple soon became engaged at Nambiti Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal whilst on a romantic private game drive at sunset.
“The ranger said Dylan had booked a romantic package that included private sunset drinks and photos in a romantic location. We hopped out and another ranger picked us up and drove us to a viewpoint overlooking the entire Nambiti reserve and valley. It was stunning… we could see elephants wandering below us and the Drakensburg mountain range in the distance… Our ranger started to take photos of us, and while I was busy posing, I turned around to find Dylan on one knee with a ring box in his hand!”
The engagement ring was in the shape of a Protea flower, so that Sandhya will always have a piece of Africa with her wherever they go next.
In December 2019, Sandhya and Dylan said ‘I do’ in a stunning ceremony fusing South African, Indian and Irish Catholic traditions, held at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton.
With an an ‘enchanted garden’ feel, their decor was more focused on understated elegance over the traditional colourful Indian decor. Even the traditional Pandal, a canopy under which the ceremony is held, was draped in white chiffon fabric with rustic white flowers and greenery instead of the usual gold decor.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
For their nuptials, Sandhya wore a beautiful bridal sari in burnt orange made from raw silk and embellished with gold thread, gifted to her from her aunt who had recently travelled to India. The sari even had to be draped by a professional dresser to ensure it was pleated correctly. She accessorised with ‘jimki’ earrings, a heavy choker and necklace, as well as a belt – all of which were gold with touches of cerise. Her hair was styled in a traditional South Indian plait decorated with jewels and lots of white flowers. She had a waist-length plait attached to her hair, and it was so heavy she has to take painkillers to offset the pain! Dylan impressed in a traditional cream military-style suit jacket and burgundy pants.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
The wedding, however, did not go as smoothly as expected. First, the driver was late to pick Sandhya and her sister up due to a flat tire then when he did arrive, the car wouldn’t start! As the car was being fixed, Sandhya’s father called to say he had left the thali, a small golden necklace that the groom ties around the bride’s neck to conclude the wedding, at home. The tying of the thali is the most important and sacred part of a South Indian wedding, and without it there could be no wedding. Luckily the car was still stuck and Sandhya was able to get it.
In another crisis, Sandhya’s written vows, a tradition to honour Dylan’s Irish Catholic heritage, was literally gone with the wind.
“The priest announced “the bride and groom have written vows which they will read”, and I looked to my sister to pass them to me. She looked back at me wide-eyed and motioned to the very empty chair she was sitting on, before mouthing “the vows have flown away”. They unfortunately had to cut this part of the ceremony out, but everyone was able to laugh about it later.
Sandhya’s top advice for couples planning their wedding is to not sweat the small stuff, and that there is no need to break the bank. “At the end of it all, people come to your wedding to celebrate the love you have for each other, not to ogle the décor or to comment on the colour choice of your flowers. ”
Her final words of wisdom are “less stress, more champagne! If you are stressed, your guests will be stressed, and if you are worrying about things on your wedding day, your guests will also get that negative vibe. Have fun, drink some wine, dance a lot, and don’t get wound up about small things going wrong…Laugh it off and enjoy it! You’ll wake up the next day and it will seem like a dream.”
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
All images were amazingly captured by Margaux Cronje. You can view her website HERE.
Congratulations are in order for Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow! The beautiful couple tied the knot in a stunning sunset ceremony in Franschhoek, South Africa.
Following an exciting few days of pre-wedding activities, Demi-Leigh and Tim finally said ‘I do’ at the La Paris Estate. According to PEOPLE, their ceremony lasted 30 minutes and was attended by 260 guests. The couple wrote their own vows.
Speaking to PEOPLE the night before the wedding, Tim said, “I want the vows to be perfect. I’m leaving in the traditional things like ’till death do us part,’ but I’m also adding some of my own things to it.”
Demi-Leigh wore a beautiful custom gown by Davids Bridal and Tim wore a tuxedo by Antar Levar.
The wedding blended South African and American wedding traditions, because their cultures are very important to the couple.
“We’re both very traditional,” Nel-Peters told PEOPLE. “We wanted to look back at the wedding and see that it was intimate, elegant, and traditional. We definitely wanted it to be something that we could look back on and know that nothing was dated. We want to remember this day for the rest of our lives.”
The day could not have come soon enough for this loved-up pair.
“I’ve been looking forward to three things,” said Tebow to PEOPLE. “The first moment I see her in her wedding dress, the first kiss, and the first dance together as man and wife. It’s such a special night.”
He continued, “I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone special, who I can spend the rest of my life with. I was waiting for the right person to come along. And now I’m marrying Demi. I can’t wait to see what our future holds. All of my dreams have come true. It was 100 percent worth the wait.”
People get married all the time, so you want to make sure your wedding stands out from the crowd. Adding a personal touch to parts of your wedding makes the day memorable not only for the betrothed couple but also for the guests. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Small touches can make a big difference if done well.
There are a multitude of ways to add personal touches to your big day. Here are a few ideas:
Located on the shores of Nusa Dua, Bali’s prestigious resort enclave, the Meliá Bali beachfront resort is a unique sanctuary of exotic beauty and comfort for those who seek a dream vacation.
Image: supplied
Meliá Bali offers a selection of excellent arrangements for weddings and honeymoons. They undertake all the details of a perfect ceremony to create your dream wedding come true. Celebrate your wedding on the beach; enjoy the gentle sea breeze under the shades of the garden canopy or in a beautiful pavilion designed for traditional Balinese ceremonies while Meliá Bali creates the perfect setting for you to exchange your vows.
Image: supplied
To plan your perfect wedding, contact Meliá Bali’s wedding specialist: [email protected]
Address: Kawasan Wisata ITDC Lot. 1, Nusa Dua 80363, Bali, Indonesia
The pre-wedding festivities have been thriving this past week for former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow. The couple gathered their closest friends and family for a weekend of celebrations in Cape Town.
Their weekend started with a ‘Welcome to Africa’ cocktail dinner in the winelands to introduce Tebow to South African culture. Nel-Peters wore a stunning white dress by Gert Johan-Coetzee featuring a criss-cross neckline and cut-out detail, while Tebow wore a blush-toned suit.
The following day, the couple held a stunning rehearsal dinner. The couple went for a sophisticated colour scheme, opting for rich purples, reds and black. Nel-Peters stunned in a strapless wine-coloured dress with beading by Anel Botha. The couple’s weekend events are all planned by celebrity planner Zavion Khotze.
On your wedding day, you want to look and feel your best. However, getting here requires work that often starts months before your big day. Here are some tips to make sure you are looking and feeling your best come wedding day.
Develop a consistent skincare routine and STICK TO IT!
Hopefully you already have one in place, but it is important to have a skincare routine designed for your particular skin. Maybe you have oily skin, dry skin, or sensitive skin. Maybe you have discolouration, rosacea or fine lines. Regardless, there are many products created to cater for a multitude of skin types and concerns. Now, developing a skincare routine is not easy. It’s mainly just trial-and-error.
While Koreans are famed for their 12-step routines, many dermatologists recommend a simpler skincare routine with three key steps: cleanse, tone, moisturise. Another thing dermatologists agree on is that SPF is the most important skincare product everyone should be using. Sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Many skincare and makeup products contain SPF, which makes it that much easier and leaves you with no excuse not to use it.
Facials:
Treat your skin to a facial with your regular aesthetician every month in the lead up to your wedding. When meeting your aesthetician, highlight what you want to focus on with the facials. It’s also important to speak up about your skin type. If you’ve got sensitive skin, your aesthetician has to be very careful about the types of products they use, and it’s the same for dry and oily skin.
Importantly, make sure not to get a new facial the day before your wedding. Your skin might react weirdly and leave you with a nasty pimple on your big day. Leave yourself a couple of days for your skin to calm down and really reflect the benefits.
Exfoliate:
Get rid of those pesky dried skin cells with a weekly exfoliant that will leave your skin silky smooth. Exfoliants help your skin appear brighter and glowing, which is always a good thing. Be careful when choosing your exfoliant, as some can be too harsh on your skin.
Importantly, over-exfoliating can leave your skin dry, flaky and irritated, so best avoid using this product more than three times a week. Usage will change depending on the strength of your exfoliator.
Manage your stress
I know it’s hard, but this one’s important. With all the wedding planning and small moving parts to keep track of, your skin and body is likely to show your internal stress. You need to keep stress at bay so that it doesn’t show up in your skin through a breakout. A host of other conditions like exzema and psoriasis can be worsened through stress.
Consider sharing the load and delegating jobs to your bridal party to help out so that you don’t carry all the stress of event planning. If you have an event planner, that’s even better! It’s also a great idea to participate in some stress-relieving activities like yoga, painting or reading.
Sometimes, things are better left off social media. Unfortunately, this groom-to-be did not know this, and ended up losing his fiancée over comments he posted on Reddit.
Taking to Reddit, an unnamed man asked fellow users if he is wrong for feeling his fiancée’s wedding dress was too extravagant and for suggesting cheaper alternatives. The couple, who were scheduled to marry in July, were both saving money for the wedding. However, the man is concerned about what the bride wants to spend the money on.
“We jointly put aside 10 k each for the wedding, everything is paid and we have 6 k left over which i think could go towards the honeymoon on top of the honeymoon fund we already had,” writes the groom. “We aren’t the extravagant type at all, then comes the time for Emma to pick her dress. I know everything is more expensive when it has the term wedding attached to it what i wasn’t expecting was an $950 dress plus $120 veil!”
The groom searched for dresses online and was able to find cheaper dupes, but his bride was not interested.
“I tried to show her some dresses i found on a recommended app called wish and others on website’s but she was having none of it…It turned nasty unfortunately because i said i refuse to drop such a large amount of money on a dress and she argued that she is using her own money for the dress. Which isn’t strictly true as we are about to marry and our finances will be joined.”
“I thought she would be ecstatic to learn there are identical dresses for a fraction of the cost but she was really angry and upset,” the groom continues. “Is there something I am seriously missing because after we argued about the dress Emma has been Extremely cold towards me. Then yestersay she said if i want her to cheap out on her wedding dress on her wedding day that she needs to really consider if we are a good match for marriage.”
Following their argument, Emma left the couples home to stay with her parents. She then found this Reddit thread and cancelled the wedding.
Hopefully this groom learns that its best not to air personal grievances online where anyone can read them.
The bold bride does not shy away from a statement look. Go big with dramatic shoulder detail that commands attention. Modern brides are taking more risks with their fashion, and it pays off.
We’ve seen celebrities like Hilary Duff, Princess Eugenie and Caroline Kennedy bring the attention upwards with stunning shoulder detail, so you’ll be following in some iconic footsteps with this trend. With so many ways to add flair to bridal fashion, you’ll be overwhelmed with choice. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
