Guys Archives | Wedding ETC

In Advice

8 Romantic engagement ideas to help you pop the question!

August 3, 2022 No Comments

You’ve gathered all the necessary ingredients for the perfect proposal: a gorgeous engagement ring, a heart-tugging engagement speech, but oh, how to pop the question in a way that will make her heart flutter?

Going down on one knee and asking your soulmate to marry you is a stressful affair, and if all that stress has you feeling overwhelmed and confused about your perfect wedding proposal, try a few of these engagement ideas on for size.

Make sure to add your own personal and creative twist:

Loud and proud, for everyone to see:

These are for those brave souls out there who don’t care a hoot about who is watching!

Have a caricaturist at your side

It’s the stuff rom-coms are made of! There are a number of caricaturists and artists in South Africa that will make the perfect accomplice to your wedding proposal. Hire them on the day and have them sketch the words: “Will you marry me?” And voila!

A favourite landmark

This doesn’t have to be everyone’s favourite landmark, but just you and your soon-to-be betrothed. It can be anything from a mountain, fountain, hotel to shopping mall, as long as it’s a place that’s special to both of you!

Keep it close to home

Who needs to be amongst people? If you and your future bride are both homebodies, here are home wedding proposals.

Re-create your first date

This can be both out and about or at home – you decide. However, nothing is more romantic than re-enacting your first date before creating a beautiful new memory by popping the question.

A custom jigsaw puzzle

This is the perfect proposal idea if you both love board games or it’s a rainy day. Make sure to get a custom-made jigsaw puzzle with your picture and the words: “Will you marry me?” If you’ve completed the puzzle enough that you can clearly see your picture and the words, it’s time to go down on one knee.

Embrace Mother Nature

If you love the great outdoors then check out a few of these ideas.

Hot Air Balloon

There’s nothing like letting your love soar to new heights, and popping the question while doing just that is a fantastic idea! Well, as long as a fear of heights is not on the table.

Message in a bottle

If you’re looking for a unique beach proposal, then why not add a cute little message to a bottle? Write a heartwarming poem or letter on a piece of parchment and add it to the bottle with cork before burying it in a designated spot under the sand. Don’t forget them to find the bottle, but make sure you have the ring ready to go!

Adorable proposal ideas

You’re looking for fun. You’re looking for excitement. You’re looking for unique, here are a few ideas:

Escape Room

Escape rooms are all the rage right now, so why not add your own wedding proposal spin on things? Contact your favourite escape and try and work on a way that will allow you to incorporate your wedding proposal into the adventure of trying to escape the room!

Gift Delivery

You were looking for cute? Why not get a box that’s tall enough for you (a refrigerator box is a great start) and add a little note for your soon-to-be fiance that may allude to what’s really inside the box.

Feature Image: Adventure for Love

In Accessories

Steampunk wedding inspo

August 20, 2020 No Comments

Steampunk is a subset of science fiction that successfully marries retro-future design sensibilities with the alternative. It poses an alternate reality where the history of the 19th century Victorian era has modern machines that are powered by steam.

These stories were often set in dystopian London, but can also be the setting of your dream wedding. Think rich gold, bronze metal work and lots of leather (or faux leather, if you are so inclined).

Take a look below for some steampunk wedding inspo:

Wedding dresses:

Grooms suits:

Cakes:

Cake toppers:

Feature image: Pexels

In Advice

Common engagement ring mistakes to avoid

June 24, 2020 No Comments

Choosing the right engagement ring can be tough. This piece of jewellery should speak to your personality and your lifestyle.

While there are many things to look out for when engagement ring shopping, there are a few things to avoid. If you’re shopping around for your future sparkler, make sure to miss making these mistakes:

Going alone:

If you’re not of the modern types who shop for the ring together, make sure to have another person close to your partner on hand. It’s like the buddy system – there is safety in numbers. Having a friend along for the ride gives you a second opinion, and is especially great if they have a deeper insight into your partner’s style and the type of ring they want.

Not doing your research beforehand:

Clarity, pavé setting, prong… Engagement ring shopping can be overwhelming with all the jargon experts throw at you. To avoid getting confused, make sure to read up on the types of settings and stones. This also helps you narrow down on how the ring will look because you can determine what your partner will like and what they won’t like.

Also read: A guide to engagement ring settings

Not considering the four C’s:

A diamond is more than just how big it is. When evaluating this stone, make sure to take the four ‘s into account: cut, colour, clarity, and carat. These refer to the standards by which the quality of diamonds are assessed and allows one to compare diamonds.

Also read: Diamonds: Understanding the 4 C’s

Buying a ring without checking ring size:

If you don’t measure your ring finger before buying your ring, you run the risk of it not fitting. While rings can be resized, it’s best to just get it right the first time to avoid this unnecessary hassle and expense. You should also take into account whether your fingers swell in higher temperatures, as this can make wearing an already tight ring even more uncomfortable.

Going for a trendy setting and/or stone:

Trends come and go, style is eternal. When shopping for your ring, focus on timeless designs that you like, not ones you think you should like because they’re trending. While you can swap out a stone and change your setting, the easiest (and less costly) option is to choose a timeless design from the beginning so that as the years go by, your love for your ring does not lesson.

Going into debt:

This one is a biggie. You need to create a budget and stick to it to avoid spending above your means. Thinking about alternatives to diamonds or expensive precious gemstones can help. For example, lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than natural ones and are the guiltless choice for those concerned about the exploitative diamond industry.

Gemstones are cheaper than diamonds, and also make for unique engagement rings. Some, like aquamarine, closely resemble coloured diamonds and can easily be a dupe for the real thing.

Also read: The guilt-free gem: Lab-grown diamonds

Also read: The perfect engagement ring based on your zodiac sign

Feature image: Unsplash

In Advice

A story of desire: The science of smell

June 10, 2020 No Comments

Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. These senses help us understand and navigate everything around us.

Researchers say humans have 400 smelling receptors and can identify over one-trillion scents. A smell stimulates the olfactory cells in your nose, which sends a message to your brain to help identify that scent and your response to it.

Your olfactory scent can tell you whether there’s freshly baked bread or a newly mowed lawn nearby, without you even seeing it. Some smells create excitement, other evoke a craving, and a few make you turn and run.

Scent goes beyond just identifying your immediate surroundings. It also serves as a form of memory and a message to you and others.

Science historian Diane Ackerman best explained it when she wrote, “A smell can be overwhelmingly nostalgic because it triggers powerful images and emotions before we have time to edit them… When we give perfume to someone, we give them liquid memory. Kipling was right: “Smells are surer than sights and sounds to make your heart-strings crack.”

What wo/men want

Much like how scents can excite or repulse you, the way you smell can encourage those reactions in others. Desire is formed by engaging all the senses, and smell is a key factor.

Scent has been a key element of desire for centuries. It is believed that Cleopatra used cardamom, cinnamon and basil to seduce Mark Antony and Julius Caesar. She would even bathe in a mixture of milk and saffron for its aphrodisiac qualities.

Research shows that people tend to be attracted to certain scents over others. Every person is different and the scent you are drawn to is shaped by a number of external factors. However, there are key aphrodisiac smells said to be particularly potent to humans.

Women are attracted to scents like vanilla, lime, leather, musk and peppermint. Men are drawn to spicier scents like sandalwood, pumpkin pie, citrus, lavender, cinnamon and musk.

Considering this, it’s likely many will revel in Montblanc Legend and Montblanc Explorer, must-haves for the masculine wardrobe. These fragrances are elegant, sophisticated and substantial, perfect for the man who exudes confidence. Legend combines notes of bergamot, lavender, sandalwood and oakmoss to create a contrasting and strong, yet tender, perfume. Bergamot, veviter and patchouli mingle to produce the woody, aromatic and leathery concoction that is MontBlanc Legend.

Beauty is in the (nose) of the beholder

Fragrances smell completely different on everyone. How fragrances mingle with your skin can change based on a number of factors, like your skin’s pH, your hair colour, your hormones and even your diet.

With this is mind, it’s important to remember there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to perfume. Much like a watch or a pair of funky socks, the fragrance you choose is an accessory, an extension of your personality and the image you want to present to the world. Your fragrance can speak volumes to and for you, so take the time to find your perfect perfume and spray away.

Feature image: Pexels

In Announcements

‘I’m Staying’ couple find love on Facebook group

February 28, 2020 No Comments

Who knew a post on a public Facebook page could change your life? For one couple, their love story began from one simple picture on the popular I’m Staying Facebook group.

Isaiah Samoan-Joe Harry and Sinead Gabagas first met online when Isaiah shared a selfie to the I’m Staying Facebook group. Sinead was one of many who responded positively to the image, leaving a nice comment. She must have liked what she saw, because Sinead quickly sent Isiah a friend request, which he happily accepted. Isaiah took it even further by sending her a bold direct message, saying “Your name sounds better with my surname next to it”.

The pair quickly grew close, messaging each other until the early hours of the morning and speaking on the phone. At the time, however, Sinead was in hospital in Pietermaritzburg and Isaiah lived in Pretoria. They decided it was time to meet up in early Februrary, and Sinead travelled down to meet her mystery man for the first time.

Luckily, their first time meeting in person couldn’t have gone better. They were inseparable, and the one-week trip turned into two weeks. When the time came for her Sinead to go back home, Isaiah decided to make a grand romantic gesture. He went down on one knee and proposed, and of course, she said yes!

Isaiah an Sinead plan to marry in September this year. Congrats to the happy couple!

Feature image: Facebook

In Announcements

An out-of-this-world space proposal

February 13, 2020 No Comments

In today’s times, you have to be creative with your proposal. This guy decided to go over-the-top, literally, with his proposal and sent an engagement ring to space.

Capt. Stuart Shippee of the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, popped the big question to his girlfriend Marie Lisman in a very creative way by launching a weather balloon into space with a decoy engagement ring attached to it. Lisman thought they were sending a military challenge coin up with the balloon, but Shippee swopped it for a ring at the last moment.

The ring travelled a far distance, reaching a height of over 90 000 feet, about three times the cruising altitude of a 747, before bursting and plummeting back to Earth. The balloon landed in a nearby cornfield and once the group found the ring, Shippee went down on one knee with the real ring. Of course, Lisman said yes!

“When I first picked up the balloon payload, I did not see the imitation ring until I looked down and [Shippee] was on his knee,” Lisman told Military.com. “I was speechless! After the long day and difficult search for the payload I was very happy to have the ending be so special.”

Watch the video of this amazing proposal below:

Feature image: Youtube

In Advice

How to take your love life to new highs

January 29, 2020 No Comments

Much importance is placed on a healthy sex life within marriage and often times stress, health concerns and a variety of other factors can weigh on this balance and put your marriage and your happiness in flux. A new study, however, has uncovered the miracles of cannabis and its benefits for intimacy and pain relief.

Many people are not aware but the human sexual organs have what is known as cannabinoid receptors which are able to effectively absorb and use cannabis to increase the aphrodisiac effect during intercourse.

The cannabis plant has the ability to increase blood flow to tissues it is exposed to and through this heighten the level of sensitivity and improve an overall intimate experience exponentially.

Researchers at the Saint Louis University in Missouri recently published their paper “The Relationship Between Marijuana Use Prior to Sex and Sexual Function in Women” in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.⁣ The study aimed to determine how much marijuana effected the sexual experience and in which domains.
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A survey of 133 sexually active women was conducted where women used marijuana before sex, 68% reported that sex was more pleasurable, 16% said it ruined their experience and 16% said they were undecided.

Among those who reported enhanced sexual pleasure, 72% said it always did so, while 24% said it sometimes did. Almost 62% said it enhanced the quality of their orgasms and their libidos in general. ⁣
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Interestingly, 16% of these women also disclosed they purposefully use cannabis prior to sex specifically to relieve any potential pain associated with the act.⁣ This could be due to the plant’s CBD and THC compounds.
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⁣CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and is commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of many illnesses and allows patients to cope better with pain. Treating health conditions is only one of its benefits, as CBD can also be useful for overall wellness and can make a positive contribution to a good sex life.

THC on the other hand, is a crystalline compound that is the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis. When THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, is applied directly to any part of the body, it can enhance lubrication, ease discomfort and create a deep, tingly buzz right where you use it.

Since this discovery, local markets are introducing intimate aids that are charged with the benefits of cannabis.

CBD and THC are useful for both men and women. In the case of men, they have the potential to assist with erectile dysfunction by helping to repair damaged tissue and increase blood flow to the area where applied. Erectile dysfunction is caused by the process of natural aging, which releases a toxin called dioxin. CBD helps to reverse this process by flushing the toxin from the body, promoting a better sex life and boosting natural energy. When applied topically to the skin, the blood vessels are dilated by the CBD and the THC, and this allows fresh oxygenated blood to flow more freely. This will typically increase the strength of your arousal and enhance the stimulation will feel.

These, and other benefits that cannabis can bring to our sexual experiences, are highlighted by KushKush, which is a canna-centric community that focuses on educating and communicating about previously undefined topics – such as sex and intimacy – in relation to both CBD and THC usage.

To help its followers make informed choices and access a range of safe sexual intimacy products, KushKush carries a sensual CBD Intimacy Oil produced by Kiskanu, which promotes healthy relationships by enhancing pleasure and physical comfort. Comprised of calendula, cold-pressed sunflower, coconut and jojoba oils – which are blended to improve lubrication – it also features sun-grown hemp CBD, which reduces inflammation, relaxes muscle spasms, increases blood flow and enhances sensation. This makes for an easier and more enjoyable exploration with your partner.

The oil is available through www.kushkushonline.com.

Pictures: KushKush

In Advice

Spain’s Roman Catholic Church launches multi-year marriage training

January 15, 2020 No Comments

The Roman Catholic Church in Spain has recently introduced a new programme that will require engaged couples to enroll in a two-to-three year course designed to prepare people for marriage. This decision was created in the hopes of lowering the country’s high divorce rates.

Couples wanting to marry in a Roman Catholic Church in Spain are currently required to participate in 20 hours of marriage training, but priests argue that this is not enough time to prepare for a life-time promise.

Speaking at a press conference, Monsignor Mario Iceta, the bishop of Bilbao and the president of the conference’s subcommittee for the family and the defence of life said, “You can’t prepare for marriage in 20 hours. To be a priest, you need to spend seven years in the seminary, so what about being a husband, wife, mother or father? Just 20 hours?”

The high divorce rate is a cause for concern for many priests. Spain currently has the second-highest divorce rate in the world after Luxembourg. Many blame the “express divorce” law, which speeds up the process of divorce by removing the need for a trial separation. While there is no official data for the last few year, it is estimated that the rate sits at 60%.

To remedy this, the Spanish Episcopal Conference announced their latest voluntary programme for engaged couples called ‘On the Path Together’, designed to “accompany, prepare and help young couples towards the matrimonial vocation”.

The course is divided into 12 sections that focus on different aspects of a relationship, including ‘communication’, ‘fidelity’, ‘the beauty of sexuality’, and ‘conflict resolution’. Couples participating in the course will be required to attend the fortnightly sessions and practice ‘chastity’ throughout.

Feature image: Pexels

In Announcements

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters shares intimate proposal video

January 10, 2020 No Comments

Former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, Demi-Leigh Nel Peters just gave us an intimate look into her engagement to Tim Tebow. Taking to Instagram, Demi-Leigh shared a beautiful IGTV video documenting the day the couple got engaged.

Tim proposed to Demi-Leigh in January 2019. Tebow had flown family members from across America and South Africa to Jacksonville, Florida to be a part of the proposal. Demi was told they were attending a late Tebow family Christmas dinner at their family farm and was surprised when it ended in a proposal.

In the video, Tebow can be seen leading Demi outside and professing his love for her.

“Ever since I first saw you, you gave me so much hope. When I first heard your voice, you gave me so much belief. When I first met you, I knew you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I will spend the rest of my life fighting for you and fighting for us,” said Tebow before going down on one knee to propose.

Tebow also flew Demi’s favourite South African performer Matthew Mole to Florida to serenade them post-proposal.

Both Tebow and Nel-Peters shared the video to their personal Instagram pages.

“Yes to forever ❤️One year ago today I said yes to forever with you @timtebow. It was the most magical day. The most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. Certainly the biggest surprise. I knew it was you since date one. I can’t wait to be your wife… soon ? #TyingTheTebow”, Nel-Peters captioned the video.

Watch the sweet video below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7Gt6dWBy7w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Feature image: Instagram / Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

In Announcements

Family Feud-inspired proposal goes viral

December 29, 2019 No Comments

Now this proposal is definitely a winner. One man decided to put his girlfriend to the test in a game of ‘Family Feud’ and ended up victorious in more ways than one.

In the popular Family Feud show, two families are pitted against each other and asked a number of questions and have to give what they think would be the most popular answer.

Joshua Powell from Fayetteville put his own personal touch to the game and proposed to his now-fiancée Kiana Myrick in a ‘Family Feud’ style game with family during a Christmas party.

During their round, Powell asked Myrick wedding-themed questions like “”Name a day a woman always dreams of?” and “Name something a woman wears all-white to.” Finally he asks her, “How would you finish this: Will you marry me?”

After a pause, Myrick laughingly says “Yes, I will”, then turns around to see Powell down on one knee.

Watch the video below:

Since being posted to Facebook, the video has gone viral and currently has over 2.5-million views, 12k shares and 3.3k comments.

Speaking to WNCN, Powell says that him and Myrick have been together since high school and plan to wed in 2021 once they have both graduated from college.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Feature image: Facebook