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    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

    “Under the sea / Under the sea / Darling it’s better / Down where it’s wetter / Take it from me”. Who knew the lyrics from ‘Under the sea’ could be taken so literally? This couple love being underwater so much, they got engaged in the Caribbean Sea!

    Ethan Studenic and Morgan Whittaker are passionate scuba divers, so naturally Studenic wanted to extend this love by literally popping the question under water. He spent 5 years planning out this elaborate proposal to his girlfriend of 10 years to make sure its nothing short of perfect. He proposed during a scuba diving excursion at the Caribbean island of Bonaire, where the couple spent their very first holiday together.

    “Five years ago, I had the idea of an underwater proposal. I thought it would be cool, really unique and interesting,” Studenic told Fox News. “I decided to propose on the first reef we dove together.”

    “I wanted it to be a romantic proposal and I’m not the greatest at that kind of thing,” Studenic said. “I thought if I could go back to Bonaire, I could recapture that magic of our first vacation away together.”

    Studenic had seaglass saved from their first Bonaire trip embedded into the engagement ring, which he kept hidden inside a seashell.

     

    For the big moment, the couple swam down for a good spot, and Studenic pretended to find a seashell. The words “Will you marry me” were written inside the shell. Of course, Whittaker said yes!

    Watch the video of their proposal below:

    “I was pretty shocked,” Whittaker remembered. “When he first reached down, I honestly thought he was picking up a wild animal.

    “When he was opening up the shell I was seriously worried and then I just sat there in total shock. I said absolutely yes.”

    “Ethan introduced me to scuba diving and it is one of the things we love most in the whole world so it was wonderful to have the proposal in that setting,” she added.

    The couple plan to officially tie the knot in April, and its sure to be amazing.

    Feature image: Youtube / Metro

    Pitch Perfect actress Brittany Snow recently celebrated her upcoming nuptials with a star-studded joint bachelor / bachelorette party.

    Snow and fiancé  Tyler Stanaland are engaged to be wed in 2020. The pair opted to join forces and share their bachelor/bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs.

    The weekend featured a number of Snow’s Pitch Perfect co-stars, including Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, and Kelley Jakle. 90210 star Jessica Stroup, Snow’s co-star from the 2008 slasher remake Prom Night, was also in attendance.

    “A weekend I’ll never forget. #snowonebutyou #thefinalsnowdown.Thank you to the best crew.” the actress captioned the series of images.

    Credit: Instagram / Brittany Snow
    Credit: Instagram / Brittany Snow

    Feature image: Instagram / Brittany Snow

     

    The bachelorette party is about letting loose and having a good time with your girls. You’ve got long lists of things to do and organise for your wedding day and you’re feeling very overwhelmed. This party is meant to be a time away from all the hustle and bustle.

    But, it can get a little complicated if you don’t prepare. It can also get a bit messy if you haven’t thought the event through before hand.

    Here are some do’s and don’ts to ensure you have the best, most relaxing time.

    For Brides 

    Do:

    – Say what you want and be clear about it. Let your bridesmaids know what you expect and what you’re comfortable with. If you want something quiet and low key, say so. If you don’t want a stripper, say so. This is the best way to avoid disappointment and an event that makes you super uncomfortable.

    – Respect your partner’s comfort level. If they are not comfortable with you being around exotic dancers, that is something that you should take into consideration. It’s not worth a fight.

    – Allow the bridesmaids some freedom. Let them get creative with the information you’ve provided and don’t try to control everything! You’ve given them your guest list, told them what you want and don’t want, so let them run with it. They are your nearest and dearest after all!

    Don’t:

    – Stay glued to your phone all night. You can check in with your soon-to-be once or twice, but avoid texting all night.  Your friends will be annoyed, you’ll come across as ungrateful, and in the end you’ll regret it as you won’t have enjoyed your night.

    – Feel obligated to invite every woman you know. This is an intimate event. Only your closest friends should be there.

    – Let the “last chance” talk get the best of you. Most will be encouraging and excited about your upcoming big day. But at your bachelorette party, there may be a few chats about this being your last chance to partake in some questionable activities. Don’t fall into this trap. It’ll be nothing but trouble ahead if you do.

    For bridesmaids 

    Do: 

    – Respect the brides wishes. If she said no strippers, then do not hire strippers. You’ll ruin her night if you do.

    – Plan the event well in advance. You want everybody to make it, so planning in advance ensures that the date is saved and arrangements can be made. Included in the planning is what you’ll do on the evening. Make the bookings necessary and plan the games. This allows you to have a stress free night.

    – Take photos and make memories. This is something you’ll all never want to forget.  Don’t forget to put somebody in charge of photography.

    Don’t: 

    – Invite mothers or mothers-in-law. I guarantee you, it will be awkward.

    – Force the bride into things she’s uncomfortable with. If you’ve planned a silly outfit for her, but she refuses to wear it then let it be.  Forcing it will cause unnecessary tension and the bride, the most important person at the event, won’t enjoy it.

    – Get post happy. Before you share anything online, check with the bride. She might not want people seeing pictures of this intimate, private event.

    – Be clear about costs for all attendees. If somebody can’t afford it, but they show up because they were unaware of the costs it will be quite uncomfortable for that person. Try to be considerate of everyone, in any way you can.

    Image: Unsplash 

    Conventionally, men are the ones who pop the big question. But on leap day (February 29) which only comes once every four years, women take control. For those who no longer want to wait for the man in their lives to get up his nerve, you’re in luck. It’s a leap year!

    The tradition of women proposing on a leap day is believed to date back to the 5th century. Legend has it that St Bridget, an Irish nun, was frustrated that women had to wait for long periods of time for their suitors to propose.

    She then lodged this complaint with St Patrick (the primary patron saint of Ireland). Eventually, the two came to an agreement. St Patrick decreed that women were allowed to propose on this one specific day, leap day. For the time period, this was quite a liberal decision on St Patrick’s part.

    As part of the deal, St Patrick added in some terms and conditions. The ladies who were ready to get down on one knee had a rule to follow.  Women were required to wear either a scarlet petticoat or breeches to pop the question.

    It is said that this was added to the agreement to help the men out. It serves as an early-warning system for men who are afraid of the ultimate commitment, apparently.

    Interestingly, the story stipulates that those men who reject the proposal are required to give the woman a kiss and a silk dress. This is because St Bridget is said to have proposed to St Patrick, who declined and offered these as a consolation. Historians, however, suggest that St Bridget was only 9 or 10 years old when St Patrick died and there isn’t much evidence to support this story. However, the legend lives on and the tradition is still going strong.

    Leap day seems to have a lot of lore about marriage surrounding it. In Greece, Ukraine and Finland, it is believed that a leap day wedding is bad luck.

    Nevertheless, a leap day is something special! It only comes around once every four years. It could be fun to make it even more special by proposing to your man.

    But remember, you’ve got to follow the one rule.

    Image: Instagram / grouponuk

    “I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad / Carry you around when your arthritis is bad / All I wanna do is grow old with you.” These iconic lyrics from The Wedding Singer’s proposal scene have gone down in history, much loved by people the world over. This couple loved the movie so much that the man decided to recreate the moment for their very own proposal.

    Fun-loving couple Jason and Chantel are huge fans of The Wedding Singer. So much so that Jason got in contact with the people at American airline United Airlines to recreate the famous proposal scene to pop the big question himself.

    Pretending to go to the bathroom while on flight, Jason instead goes to the loudspeaker where he begins singing the song from the film. He then walks down the aisle, guitar in hand, to serenade his future bride.

    Watch the special video below:

    Congrats to the happy couple!

    Feature image: Youtube / United

     

    Those wanting a unique engagement ring, look no further. An opal may be an unconventional choice to centre your engagement ring, but wow is it stunning. This unique gemstone is much loved by many for its mesmerising pattern and kaleidoscope colours.

    Birthstone for the month of October, opals can be dated back to 4000 B.C. The gemstone is made up of a solution of silicon dioxide and water. As water runs down the Earth, it collects particles of silica from sandstone. This mixture falls into cracks and voids and as the water evaporates, it leaves behind a silica deposit that will eventually turn into an opal. This, however, is an incredibly slow process, and takes an estimated 5 million years to solidify just one centimetre of opal.

    The name is said to be derived from the Roman word ‘Opalus’ which translates into ‘precious stone’, and the Greek derivative ‘Opallios’, meaning ‘to see a change of colour’. The ancient Greeks believed that the gemstone was formed by tears wept by Zeus, God of the sky and thunder, when he defeated the titans. As such, the gemstone was believed to have prophetic powers. The stone is symbolic of purity and hope, protecting the wearer from harm.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8hJD1jBXFa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Opals can be sorted into two classes: precious and common. Precious opals are iridescent, common opals are not. Precious opals traditionally display two colours: the background colour and their play-of-colour (iridescence). The impurities within the silica determine the stones background colour, and the play-in-colour is created by the way the silica settles together. Those colourful flecks you see in the stone are made up of tiny silica-spheres that reflect light. As a result, opals can come in most colours from red to blue and even black – the rarest form.

    There are a multitude of natural opals, such as black opal, white opal, crystal opal and jelly opal. Boulder opals are the most unique and are able to reflect the entire rainbow.

    The majority of the world’s opals come from Australia, although other popular countries include Ethiopia, Brazil, and Mexico. Wildly enough, opals have even been discovered on Mars!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8eZrTqF0hE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    The opal market was almost destroyed by author Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 bestselling novel, Anne of Geuerstein, which told the story of a woman accused of being a demoness who died when holy water touched her opal and destroyed it. Opal sales plummeted after the book was published as readers believed the book was warning of the opals bad luck. In 1877 a black opal was discovered in New South Wales, Australia, helping this precious gemstone lose its bad reputation.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8bS-DZFHlR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Since then, opals have continued to be popular among many. It was Queen Victoria’s favourite stone, and was even dubbed ‘the Queen of Gems’. Other royal icons that shared a love for this precious stone include Cleopatra and Empress Josephine. Millennial brides are loving this one-of-a-kind gemstone for its vintage feel and unique look.

    Feature image: Unsplash

    Actress Jenna Dewan will soon be a married woman. The beauty recently took to social media to announce her engagement to partner Steve Kazee.

    Dewan and Kazee met seven years ago when she watched Kazee performed in a Broadway show named Once. They were reunited in mid-2018 and went public with their relationship in November 2018, a few months after her split from ex-husband Channing Tatum whom she shares a child with. Dewan and Kazee are currently expecting their first child together.

    In an Instagram post, Dewan showed off her massive diamond engagement ring while proclaiming her love for her fellow actor.

    “A lifetime to love and grow with you…you have my heart ❤️” she actress and dancer captioned the image.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8u4uo-BBvK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Kazee shared the same image to his personal account, captioning the image “When you wake in the morning I will kiss your face with a smile no one has ever seen.
    When you wake in the morning I will kiss your eyes and say it’s you I have loved all these years.”

    Congrats to the happy couple!

    Feature image: Instagram / Jenna Dewan

    One year after their engagement, Katy Perry is giving us an inside-look into her and fiance Orlando Bloom’s celebratory party.

    In an Instagram post, Perry shared never-before-seen images from the couples engagement party. In the black-and-white images, the happy couple can be seen celebrating with their friends and family. Guests are seen wearing matching ‘OK’ hoodies to represent Orlando and Katy.

    The pair became engaged on Valentines Day 2019 when Bloom proposed to Perry with a unique, flower-shaped ring during a private helicopter flight. Bloom and Perry had previously dated from 2016-2017 but amicably split. Luckily, their love proved too great and they reunited in 2018.

    “One year ago I said yes to a life of love and evolution… and definitely never a dull moment ?”, she captioned the series of images on Instagram. Take a look at their awesome party below.

    With a party like this, we can’t wait to see their wedding!

    Feature image: Instagram / Katy Perry

    Amanda Bynes announced her engagement on social media on Valentine’s Day. She uploaded a photo of the diamond ring to Instagram with the caption “Engaged to tha love of my life.”

     

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    Engaged to tha love of my life

    A post shared by Amanda Bynes (@amandabynesreal) on

    According to The Blast, her fiancé is Paul Michael. The couple met at AA classes and have been together for three months. Bynes is under a parental conservatorship. This means her parents have been appointed by a judge to manage her financial affairs and/ or daily life due to mental or physical limitations. In order for the marriage to be legal, Bynes would need a judge to sign off on it.

     

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    A post shared by Amanda Bynes (@amandabynesreal) on

     

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    A post shared by Amanda Bynes (@amandabynesreal) on

    Feature image: Instagram