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Leila Stein

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In Celebs

Best dressed royal wedding guests

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Royal weddings are all about who is who and what they are wearing. While the bride is the main event, royal wedding guests are also judged for the beautiful, tailored outfits (and hats!) they show off on the day.

Here are some of the best dressed royal wedding guests throughout history.

Meghan Markle 

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The newest entry into the British royal family Megan has fit right in among the royals and their incredible, sophisticated fashion. One of her best looks was shown off when she attended the wedding of  Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. In a nod to her own wedding, the outfit was designed by her wedding dress designer, Givenchy.

Kitty Spencer 

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Diana was known for her beauty and it seems it runs in the family. Kitty Spencer, her niece, wore a beautiful emerald green dress with flowers a painted long the front from Dolce and Gabbana to Meghan and Harry’s wedding . Simply elegant.

Kate Middleton 

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Kate Middleton has been praised for her sophisticated style and this is never more on show than at the royal weddings. For Princess Eugenie’s royal nuptials she, like Meghan, also wore a dress from her wedding dress designer- Alexander McQueen. The pink outfit and matching fascinator were fun but not too eccentric.

Priyanka Chopra

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Looking like she was about to board the Titanic, Priyanka Chopra was a showstopper at Meghan and Harry’s wedding. With the custom lavender suit from Vivienne Westwood to the Philip Treacy hat, she caught many cameras attention.

Cara Delevingne

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Never one to go with tradition, Cara Delevingne shocked some and delighted others with her fitted tuxedo ensemble at Princess Eugenie’s wedding. Quite out of the ordinary, but Delevingne owned it as only she could. 

Amal Clooney 

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Amal Clooney has always turned high class looks. Her a honey yellow midi dress with side drape detail in silk by Stella McCartney and head dress by Stephen Jones made her among the bold and brightest at Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

Nancy Regan 

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Heads of state and their spouses are often invited to royal weddings, especially one of the biggest of all time, that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s. Her simple outfit may not turn heads but it’s timeless and occasion appropriate.

David Beckham 

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It is not often men make as much of a splash as David Beckham did at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. The ray Dior Homme custom-made morning suit fit perfectly and had Beckham stealing the spotlight from his wife.

Beatrice Borromeo

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Bucking the tradition and going with a tailored pantsuit was an inspired look by Beatrice as she attended Prince Felix Of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher’s wedding. She could have stopped there but instead decided to really bowl everyone over by topping it with the perfect, unique headpiece.

Serena Williams 

Known recently for her controversial outfits on the court, Serena Williams looked royal perfection in the pink Versace dress and matching pink heels as she arrived at Harry and Meghan’s wedding.

Princess Diana 

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Diana was nothing if not a fashion icon and always stood out. Her polka dot ensemble to the wedding of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew was quintessentially 80s but proves that she was a fashion icon unafraid of taking risks.

Karl Lagerfeld 

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He is a fashion designer so this isn’t a huge surprise. He amped up the standard male suit ensemble when we attended Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene’s weddings by adding studded gloves and a brooch to give the formal suit a more fashionable feel.

Queen Rania of Jordan 

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Queen Rania is one of the most beautiful royals in the world and she dresses accordingly. This white blouse tucked into a lavender skirt combination she wore to Crown Prince Felipe Of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano’s  wedding is typical 2000s dynamic sophistication.

Image: Pinterest

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In Weddings

10 of the first legal LGBT weddings from around the world

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Same-sex marriage hasn’t been legal worldwide for very long. Many partners lived together and held ceremonies but as the world has changed more and more countries strive for marriage equality.

Here are some of the first couples to marry in their country once they were allowed. These are the first legal marriages, people had been living together, in civil unions and holding unofficial ceremonies for years.

Netherlands, 2000 

@Onthisday/Twitter

The Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage. The law was signed in December and four couples simultaneously  became the first to be legally married.

According to BBC, the four couples responded to an advert in Gay Krant, the magazine that led the campaign for equal marriage in the company.

They were married the moment the law came into effect, cementing them as the first.

Canada, 2003 

@GCNmag

In Canada, same-sex marriage was legalised in different provinces at different times but was made universal in 2005. In Ontario, it has became legal in 2003.

Michael Stark and Michael Leshner became the first couple to be married in June 2003 after the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling to legally allow such marriages.

Spain, 2005 

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Spain has a documented same-sex marriage from 1901, and it was legal. This was only because one of the women pretended to be her partners male cousin.

Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sánchez Loriga, were married in  A Coruña (Galicia, Spain). Elisa took on the false name and male identity Mario Sánchez, which was listed on the marriage certificate.

However, the first legal marriage after a change in the laws was between Emilio Menendez and Carlos Baturin. The two had been together for thirty years before they got hitched.

According to Business Insider, Menendez’s 88-year-old mother Marina was so happy about the wedding she paid for their honeymoon.

South Africa, 2006

South Africa Travel Online

Despite having it in the constitution that South Africans can’t be discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality, same-sex marriage was only legalised in 2006.

The first couple to marry under this new law were Vernon Gibbs and Tony Halls who exchanged vows at the Home Affairs in George, Western Cape.

The occasion was joyous, despite the two death threats the couple received before the wedding.

Argentina, 2010 

@InfoVelozCom/ Twitter

Alex Freyre and José María Di Bello were not only the first to be married but were actually legally married before same-sex marriage became legal across the country.

Their marriage sparked much debate as they were originally given permission to marry by a judge in Buenos Aires gave them permission to marry on November 20 2009, but that decision was overturned by a national judge on November 23. This was then again overturned by the Buenos Aires judge the next day.

Eventually they were given permission by the governor of Ushuaia.

The next year in 2010, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner officially signed equal gay marriage rights into law for the entire country.

England and Wales, 2014 

@globaltimesnews/Twitter

England and Wales legalised same-sex marriage in March 2014.

Sarah Keith and Emma Powell were among the first couples to take advantage of this change and get married. They had been together for 11 years after meeting at university in 2003.

United States, 2015 

@promuzi/Twitter

The different states in the United States legalised same-sex marriage at different times.

The first legal same-sex marriage happened in 2004 in Massachusetts after the state’s Supreme Court overturned its ban. Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey married a year after this ban was overturned.

However, it was only in 2015 that same-sex marriage was legalised across the country after a landmark legal case.

Many took the opportunity across the country to get married on the same day as the ruling passed.

Germany, 2017 

@PopCrave/Twitter

Germany legalised same-sex marriage in 2017, with the first same-sex wedding took place in the same month.

Karl Kreile and Bodo Mende, who had been together for 38 years, got married in the town hall of Schöneberg, Berlin.

Australia, 2017

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Australia legalised same-sex marriage in 2017 after a voluntary postal survey of all Australians resulted in 61.6% of respondents supporting legalisation of same-sex marriage.

The first same-sex wedding was held on 15 December 2017 when Jill Kindt and Jo Grant tied the knot. Sadly, they were only married for 48 days as Jo had been terminally ill with cancer and died in January 2018. The two had been together eight years before their wedding.

Taiwan, 2019 

@__StreetCulture/Twitter

In 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage. Hundreds of couples got married a week after parliament passed the new law but Marc Yuan and Shane Lin were the ones to sign the first wedding certificate.

Feature Image: @promuzi/Twitter

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In Weddings

12 of the best low-key celebrity weddings

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Celebrities are known for all-out weddings. Why not? They have the money to pull them off and it’s sort-of become expected. However, not everyone bought into the expectation, with some famous couples keeping it very low-key over the years.

Without the glitz and glamour, weddings often become more about the people getting married than those attending.

Here are our favourite low-key weddings to inspire you.

Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn 

 

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The ‘Perfect’ singer married his longtime love Cherry Seaborn, though no one is quite sure when. The secret ceremony is reported to have been a small affair on Sheeran’s estate though no one has ever managed to confirm an exact date or details.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth 

This spur-of-the-moment wedding took place on Cyrus’ Nashville farmhouse after a very tumultuous relationship between the two. Sadly, the amazing Christmastime intimate ceremony didn’t end in happily ever after as the two have since divorced.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

 

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January 14 ,1954 ⚾️?????❤️#marilynandjoe #marilynmonroe

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It wasn’t a long wedding, much like the ceremony. The couple wed in Judge Charles Perry’s chambers in a ceremony that was kept secret till the last minute.

Beyoncé and Jay Z

 

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This mega-star couple tied the knot at Jay Z’s New York apartment with just a couple of friends in attendance. Very little has been revealed about this intimate ceremony. In the few snippets shared by the couple since, the ceremony looked lavish, even though it was small, because that’s what low-key is when you’re Beyonce.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin

This couple who are not unfamiliar with the spotlight had fans confused by first denying and then confirming their courthouse wedding. They have since splashed out with a major ceremony and even a Yotube series about their big nuptuals. But first they did it all by themselves.

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart  

 

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These two took it so low-key they didn’t even have a proper venue. They got married in a passageway of a farmhouse in Ohio.

Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig

James Bond might be lavish but the actor who plays him clearly is not. These two got married in a ceremony which only had four people in attendance. They have kept tight-lipped ever since, only announcing that the wedding had indeed happened.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas 

 

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Who says you’ll regret getting married in Vegas? Again, this couple did hold a larger, more formal ceremony, but first they decided to get hitched in the City of Sin just before the Billboard Music Awards. Talk about spontaneous.

Amanda Seyfried and Thomas Sadoski 

 

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Amanda Seyfried married her husband Thomas Sadoksi with nothing but an officiant and the countryside. The two took off to elope in an extremely private ceremony. No fuss at all.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard 

 

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Another simple courthouse wedding. These two kept a super tight budget of $142 (around R2600) for their wedding with both in simple ensembles.

Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra 

 

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#miafarrow #franksinatra ??#thesixties #photography #vintagephoto

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This short and quick ceremony between the iconic Frank Sinatra and angelic Mia Farrow was controversial because of their age gap, Sinatra was 30 years her senior. This could be why they opted for a private small ceremony at a friends instead of a big show.

Keira Knightley and James Righton

 

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These two married on a hilltop in Southern France. While they did have another ceremony with more guests, it was also a quiet affair.

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In Planning

No marriage certificates issued during lockdown

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Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi announced that no marriage certificates will be issued during South Africa’s 21-day lockdown.

From midnight tonight [Thursday, March 26], South Africans are required to stay in their homes, with all social events prohibited. This includes weddings, which have already been a struggle as a result of social distancing rules.

Motsoaledi was outlining what his department will still be able to do during the lockdown, which includes no processing of new documents.

“We won’t issue any marriage certificates, new or old, because there won’t be any emergency [requiring marriage]. You can wait until the 21 days,” said Motsoaledi.

While that could have been the end of the announcement, Motsoaledi took the opportunity to offer some advice to those who might be disappointed by the news.

“Maybe the 21 days will also give you time to think whether you want to get married or not. It will be a good time to reflect,” he said.

Many vendors and wedding venues have already closed, meaning many weddings were put on hold anyways. While the Minister might have sounded flippent about your marriage, maybe use the 21 days to iron out those small details that were bugging you and take extra time to connect to your partner.

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In Advice

Don’t cancel your wedding, live stream it

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The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in countries getting locked down and many others placing restrictions on gatherings. Unfortunately this means many weddings have to be cancelled. If you’re considering cancelling your wedding, why not live stream the service instead?

Previously, live streaming was used at weddings for relatives who couldn’t make it but wanted to be part of the ceremony all the same. Here is how you can adapt your wedding for these quarantined times.

-Decide what to live stream 

It is considered best practice to only live stream the ceremony as the reception is not as important or interesting to those who aren’t there. This especially applies if you are going to have very few people in attendance so keep the camera rolling until the end of the I do’s only.

-Where should I live stream? 

There are many options when it comes to a live stream. While social media channels offer this as an option, it might be easier to use an “open” platform that anyone can click onto rather than needing a specific account. This means that with a little help Granny and Grandpa can watch too!

A great option is creating a YouTube channel for your wedding and making it private. You can send the link of the channel to your guests via email or WhatsApp specifying the time you will begin the ceremony so they know when to be ready to watch.

– How should I set up the live stream? 

To live stream you will need either a computer with a webcam or a mobile with the YouTube app, whichever you choose will need an internet connection.

A good idea would be sourcing a smartphone with a decent camera and a tripod that you can fix it to, preferably with a charging connection. This means you won’t need someone to hold the camera, thus avoiding the handshakes.

-Tech maid of honour 

While you are trying to keep the number of people in the room down, it would be beneficial to have a designated person who can keep an eye on the live stream and make sure nothing goes wrong. They could also be put in charge of setting it up so you don’t have to worry about it.

-Check with your venue

If you are going to live stream at the venue you originally planned, with a downscaled guest list, confirm that you will be allowed to live stream as some venues have specific rules with regards to their space.

 

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In Engagements

Six of the best wedding reality shows

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While they may not always end in Happily Ever After, these wedding reality shows are guaranteed to keep you entertained in the run up to your big day. They might also make you feel happier about your own wedding plans when you see what a disaster these can be by comparison.

Here are the best wedding reality TV shows we love to watch:

– Love is Blind 

 

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The recently released Netflix series follows a few single people as they enter the ‘experiment.’ In 10 days, they date a host of people from within ‘pods’ that only let them hear each others voices. By the end of the 10 days, six couples came out engaged without ever having seen each other. This might seem wild enough on it’s own but the series goes even further. The couples then move in together and meet each others families before walking down the aisle to be asked whether “love is truly blind” and they commit to the partner they have known for about a month. As expected, the drama is high as the couples find out who the other person really is.

-Married at First Sight 

 

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Married at First Sight has been around since 2014 and is still going strong on TLC. The premise of the show is that couples are chosen and paired up and meet for the first time at the end of the aisle. After getting married, the couple are filmed settling into their new life and after six to eight weeks, they decide whether to stay married or get divorced. Despite being criticised for being a westernised version of arranged marriage for entertainment purposes, it is addictive and keeps you hooked trying to guess who will make it.

– The Wedding Bashers 

 

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Wedding Bashers combines the voting fun of Idols with the high stakes pressure of a wedding. Four wedding experts go to different couples weddings and judge them on the entire event. They vote on the weddings, with their vote counting 50% with the South African audience voting from home. If you’re in the middle of planning your wedding, rewatching the first two seasons might be a great way to pick up some ideas, or realise what not to do.

-Our Perfect Wedding 

 

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Another South African wedding show, Our Perfect Wedding airs on Mzansi Magic and follows a couple planning their  “perfect wedding” as they check off the items on their wish list. It’s a simple show that follows all the drama going into planning a wedding, with the couple declaring at the end whether or not their wedding was truly perfect. On top of being entertaining, watching other couples go through the entire wedding process might help you realise that your wedding will always have some stumbling blocks but in the end can still be perfect.

-Extreme Engagement

 

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Unlike the others, this show doesn’t hop straight into marriage. An engaged couple travels the world to experience marriage customs from a variety of cultures. The main goal is to see whether these extremely differing styles of marriage will bring out the best or the worst in their relationship. While it has been criticised for its problematic depictions of other cultures, it is interesting to witness the ways marriage is different all over the world. It might just give you a little time to think what marriage means for you.

– Kom ons trou, nou! (Let’s get married, now!) 

 

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Although it’s in Afrikaans, this show has subtitles so you can follow on this wild ride. In every episode, a woman who is tired of waiting for her partner to propose secretly plans their wedding and then proposes to them in front of all their surprised guests. There really isn’t much to learn from this series, since you’ve already got the proposal and are planning the wedding but it’s pure reality TV entertainment.

Feature image: Instagram / Love is Blind

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