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Kirsten Jacobs

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A ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment, so why not have a special one? Men’s wedding bands have a tendency to lean towards bland. However, there are so many small touches that can elevate a ring while still being understated. If you’re on the market for a wedding band, check out these unique offerings.

American Swiss

This 9ct yellow gold and sterling silver ring, coined the Johnny ring, features a bold design of heat-treated black diamonds. Perfect for the man not afraid of a little shine.

Price: R3 299

Shimansky

This 5mm half-round band features a hammered finish crafted in Palladium, creating a subtle design for understated uniqueness.

Price: upon request

Wolf Bros

This ring is made in white gold with a combination of rope and polished edges. They can be made up in 9ct or 18ct yellow gold or white gold, as well as in platinum.

Price: material dependant

Sterns

This 9ct yellow gold men’s ring, named the Midnight Magic ring, reveals a bold design of heat-treated black diamonds in a rectangular shape.

Price: R 4 289

NWJ

This ring features Silver, Gold Diamond and White Sapphire in a unique design reminiscent of ocean waves. A true statement ring for the bold groom.

Price: R5 230

Arthur Kaplan

If you’re not one for gold, this Titanium d-shape wedding band with wild olive wood inlay is the perfect blend of rugged design and modernity.

Price: R3,199.00

Image: Unsplash

Weddings in 2020 will definitely be featuring something blue. Pantone has just announced their 2020 colour of year, and it’s a brilliant blue loaded with beautiful meaning.

For 2020, Pantone has selected PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue as their Colour of the year.

“A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity,” explains the company. “Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”

“Imprinted in our psyches as a restful colour, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser like clarity, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue re-centres our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.”

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With such beautiful symbolism, this hue works perfectly for weddings. Here’s how to bring on the blue on your big day.

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Image: Unsplash

Celebrities have been feeling the love this year, and we can’t get enough. From a romantic star-studded event in the South of France to a three-day extravaganza in Marrakesh, these famous couples went big for their 2019 nuptials.

Justin and Hailey Bieber

The most exciting, star studded wedding of the year goes to the Biebers, who wed in Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina on September 30. With a stunning off-white gown designed by Virgil Abloh and a statement veil with the words ’till death do us part” stitched onto it in white block lettering, Hailey’s look was absolutely iconic. But she didn’t stop there. She had two reception looks: a Ralph & Russo halterneck and a Vera Wang slip dress that she paired with sneakers.

Their second nuptials (they had a small courthouse wedding in 2018) were attended by their many famous friends, including Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Justine Sky, Jaden Smith, Joan Smalls, and Justin’s manager Scooter Braun.

Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner

Following a host of pre-wedding activities, this loved up-couple said ‘I do’  at the Château de Tourreau in the South of France with their closest family and friends around them. Of course, Kevin and Nick Jonas were there, as well as sister-in-law Priyanka Chopra, Maisie Williams and Ashley Graham.  Turner wore a stunning long-sleeve gown designed by Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière.

This is their second wedding. The couple famously wed at a Las Vegas chapel after the Billboard Music Awards, and their nuptials were broadcast to the world via Diplo’s Instagram Live.

Zoe Kravitz & Karl Glusman

The last weekend in June was a pretty eventful week in France. Joining Joe and Sophie, Big Little Lies star Zoe Kravitz also said ‘I do’ to actor Karl Glusman in the city of love. The location was particularly special to them as it is where they met back in 2016.

The couple is very private, and haven’t shared any official images from their nuptials. However, we do know it was a fun-filled affair. According to W Magazine, dad Lenny Kravitz’s 18th-century mansion acted as wedding venue. In an interesting fashion statement, the bride-to-be wore bridal biker shorts and an embellished fishnet cover for their rehearsal dinner.

Their wedding had an A-list attendance, including Zoe’s parents Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, step-father Jason Mamoa, Cara Delevigne and the cast of Big Little Lies.

Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre had a stunning three-day extravaganza in Marrakesh back in April. The location was chosen as Sabrina’s family is originally from East Africa and Idris’s is from West Africa, so they wanted to meet somewhere in between.  In a tribute to their cultures, they wove Ghanaian and Somalian traditions into their big day.

Sabrina wore an A-line crêpe dress with delicate Chantilly lace train for the ceremony, and a figure-hugging shimmery number for the reception. Both were designed by Vera Wang.

Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling

The ‘Lights’ musician said ‘I do’ to her art-dealer boyfriend, Caspar Jopling, at the York Minster Cathedral in England back in August. Goulding stunned with five beautiful bridal looks for their festivities. For the ceremony, she donned a bespoke Chloé gown and a delicate silk tulle veil with an organza collar featuring her and Caspar’s initials. Her other gowns include a sleek off-the-shoulder silk Stella McCartney creation, a beaded Ralph & Russo number, a short Balmain number featuring semi-sheer puffed sleeves and she ended the evening in a simple strapless black gown with a full skirt.

The wedding was a royal affair, with Sarah, Duchess of York and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in attendance. Other notable guests include Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom and Ed Sheeran.

Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz

The German model and her Tokio Hotel singer beau had a romantic ceremony off the coast of Capri in August. They tied the knot onboard the famous Christina O,  following in the footsteps of Princess Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who also chose this yacht for their respective receptions.

The pair legally married back in February, using this extravagant affair as an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends.

Image: Instagram / Hailey Bieber

You won’t be seeing any images from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ 2012 nuptials on Pinterest and The Knot anymore. The prominent websites joined other platforms taking a stand by placing a shadow ban on all images relating to plantation weddings.

Pinterest, The Knot Worldwide, Brides and Zola recently announced that they would be making changes to their platform that would restrict all references to plantations, as well as any language attempting to romanticise these locations as wedding venues.

Those searching for such content will receive a notification that the images may violate Pinterest’s policies. The sites will no longer work with vendors that are plantations or attempt to romantacise such locations.

This means that images from Ryan Reynold’s and Blake Lively’s 2012 wedding held at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, have now been shadow banned from these popular sites.

This move is in response to a campaign led by racial justice organization, Color of Change, who argued that the weddng industry was glamorising and capatalising sites of human rights atrocities.

“The decision to glorify plantations as nostalgic sites of celebration is not an empowering one for the Black women and justice-minded people who use your site,” Color of Change wrote to the Knot Worldwide executives. “Plantations are physical reminders of one of the most horrific human rights abuses the world has ever seen. The wedding industry routinely denies the violent conditions Black people faced under chattel slavery by promoting plantations as romantic places to marry.”

Many plantations in America thrived off slave labour and became places of human rights abuse for the people forced into these demeaning positions. As such, they’ve become painful reminders of a dark and sordid history for many African Americans who descended from such slaves.

“Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Plantations represent none of those things,” said a Pinterest spokesperson. “We are working to limit the distribution of this content and accounts across our platform, and continue to not accept advertisements for them.”

“We want to make sure we’re serving all our couples and that they don’t feel in any way discriminated against,” The Knot’s chief marketing officer Dhanusha Sivajee told Buzzfeed News.

Image: Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

We’ve heard of couples being in sync, but this one takes the cake. This beautiful couple both felt it was time to get hitched, and ended up proposing to each other at the same time!

Caitlin Mullins and Annie Fox from Georgia have been together for years, and each spent weeks planning separate proposals for the other without their partner knowing. During a romantic hike to the highest peak in Georgia, Brasstown Bald, Caitlin got down on one knee to propose to her girlfriend. Little did she know, Annie had the same exact idea.

“I had absolutely no idea,” Caitlin told Metro UK. “I’d been planning the proposal for a while. I thought I was been sneaky, going out on a hike to see the sunset. I was incredibly shocked when Annie pulled out a ring too. She had no idea.”

They plan on saying ‘I do’ in 2020 at the same place they got engaged. Congrats to the happy couple!

Image: Metro UK

We are on the brink of entering the new 20s so it’s only right we take a look back at the glamorous style that epitomised the Jazz Age. A time of decadent fashion, the roaring 20s was extravagant, over-the-top and exciting. Fashion featured art deco-inspired geometrical prints, stunning embroidery and beading galore.

It’s almost a century later and these styles are still just as relevant and timeless today. If you want to channel your inner Daisy Buchanan, take notes from these glamorous gowns.

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Picture: Pexels

One of Hollywood’s favourite actresses, Emma Stone, is ending the decade an engaged woman. The Oscar-winning actress recently said yes to her Saturday Night Live (SNL) writer boyfriend, Dave McCrary.

The pair first met on set of SNL when Emma was hosting the show back in 2016. They have been together for about two years. The couple is quite private, keeping their relationship under wraps from the beginning, and have been spotted together publicly only a handful of times.

Taking to Instagram, Dave announced their engagement. Stone’s antique-style engagement ring, one of 2020s biggest ring trends, is in full view.

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Congrats to the happy couple!

Image: Instagram / Dave McCrary

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While they may not be for everyone, abandoned buildings and structures have been trending in the wedding world recently. Couples have been opting for outdoor venues featuring crumbling walls, open ceilings and overgrown bushes for a memorable venue guests are sure to marvel at.

While it may seem macabre and weird at first, these venues offer their own kind of romance. There is something special about a place left behind. Venues like these have a history, a story to tell.

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Take, for example, this ancient convent in the Amalfi Coast. The stunning architecture still stands, giving a glimpse into a time once lived. You barely need any decor: the venue itself is the masterpiece.

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The spaces don’t have to be abandoned, they just need to give off an old world spirit. It’s even better if they’ve existed for decades and once had a different use. This stunning venue was originally an icehouse.

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This building is reminiscent of a rundown castle that once existed. You can almost hear the clipping of horse hooves, the rustling of trailing medieval gowns.

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These wedding venues are timeless, unique spots to say ‘I do’. If you want your wedding day to stand out, this just might be the type of venue for you.

Image: Instagra / Emily Battles

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…groom? This groom’s head was in the clouds, literally, on his wedding day. Instead of walking down the aisle, he decided to make a grand entrance by skydiving to his wedding venue.

Akaash Yadav married his bride Gaganpreet in spectacular fashion at their Los Cabos, Mexico wedding. A video of the groom skydiving into his wedding was posted to Instagram page ‘wedmegood’, and quickly went viral. It currently has over 11 000 likes.

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Talk about taking a leap of faith! Yadav shared a video on his personal account, writing, “It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s me. On 11/25/19, I skydived into my baraat and into hundreds of screaming people. It ended up going viral and getting shared all over the world, which is insane in itself. But more importantly, it ended up being one of the craziest, most amazing experiences in my life.⁣”

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Image: Instagram / Akaash Yadav

Crowns have made a resurgence in the wedding industry. As royal brides walk down the aisle with their crowning glory, we cannot help but covet this regal accessory. Crowns, however, can seem a bit…dated. Instead of the traditional glitzy headpiece, todays brides are opting for accessories lined with crystals, celestial shapes and unique stones. Here’s how to modernise this traditional accessory.

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Also read: Stunning bridal hair pieces

Image: Unsplash