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In Engagements

10 Instagram accounts to follow for bridal inspiration

September 27, 2021 No Comments

Inspiration is not hard to come by; you just need to know where to look. Social media plays a huge role in wedding planning these days, and while many brides-to-be turn to Pinterest for that much-needed inspiration, Instagram is a great resource too.

Here are a few of our favourite Instagram accounts that are serving looks and some serious inspo.

A forest filled with inspiration

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTuJ700qtOB/

Beautifully organic wedding and lifestyle inspiration we can’t get enough of

https://www.instagram.com/p/BszGUydFszp/

Inspiration straight from an event planner

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSBO9dvgRyV/

A global collaboration of wedding inspiration

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIloRbpg2RN/

A splash of colour

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkRz21lN_s/

Inspiration and resources that are sure to celebrate love

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUC-gzGhQ29/

Pretty Pictures:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUFjPtmKxYh/

Your floral inspiration

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_UzDZnZtn/

A little venue decor inspiration

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3hmTw_hf7a/

Wedding wear for every bride

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUFn_x3tscZ/

Picture: June Bug Weddings Instagram

In Advice

Safe ways to celebrate your recent engagement

February 24, 2021 No Comments

Just said ‘Yes’? Congratulations! What is typically an exciting moment is somewhat dampened by the global pandemic, as we cannot celebrate with one another as we used to.

If you still want to honour your big news, fear not. There are still ways to celebrate with your closest friends and family without putting them at risk amid the pandemic.

Here are a few ideas:

Hold a (virtual) celebration:

Just because you can’t be together physically does not mean you cannot celebrate! Host your festivities via online platforms like Facetime, Skype or Zoom.

You can still make it fun by decorating your home and having your ‘guests’ dress up. Planning a themed event makes it extra special and gives your friends and family something to dress up for. For an extra sweet touch, have small thank you gifts delivered to your guests’ homes after the celebration.

Drive-by party:

Your loved ones can attend your event from the safety of their cars, ensuring that all safety precautions are met while still giving you the feeling of their presence.

When choosing the location of the drive-by, ensure that it is a wide-open, public space. This will mean that everyone driving by will be able to clearly see you. You could even do it in your front yard if you have space and don’t have walls.

Set up a spot to show yourselves off, for example, you can decorate fancy chairs as thrones for you to sit on as your parade drives by. Assign a close relative or friend the role of head driver. This ensures that there is somebody leading the cars to your location, and allows for some sort of order for the drive-by.

Take engagement photos:

You’ll want to remember this moment for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to document your engagement. Photographers were hit hard by the pandemic, and hiring one is a great way to give back to small business.

Keep COVID-19 protocols in mind by having your photographer work from a safe distance with a mask on and have sanitiser on hand.

After you receive your pictures, have them printed and framed or emailed to your friends and family so that they can feel like they are a part of your special moment.

Picture: Pexels

In Advice

Engagement ideas that are sweet and memorable

February 12, 2021 No Comments

Just like wedding trends come and go, proposal trends are also always changing. Proposals have become more premeditated over the years, with couples deciding beforehand that they want to get engaged. This allows them to plan and co-ordinate, while still keeping some of the surprise.

You don’t have to go super big and elaborate to make a splash, however. Here are some unique and sentimental ideas that your partner will remember forever.

Secret photographer

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A post shared by COMPLEX (@complex)

Plan a sweet photoshoot for your partner, but don’t let them know it’s actually an engagement shoot. This way, you can make sure you’re both looking camera-ready and your photographer can make up an excuse to have your partner looking away as you go down on one knee. We promise the candid photos will be priceless!

Spell it out

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A post shared by @beyondpicnicsco

Go big and have the phrase ‘Will you marry me’ lit up in marquee lights. Whether you place them on a beach or a backyard, they make the perfect backdrop for a ring selfie!

A pizza my heart

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A post shared by WEDDED WONDERLAND (@weddedwonderland)

Who doesn’t love pizza? Combine your favourite Italian meal with a sweet proposal by having the toppings spell out ‘Will you marry me’. Have the pizza made in a heart shape for an extra cheesy touch.

A pawsome proposal

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A post shared by ???????? ??? Wedding Pet Care (@fureverus)

Got a four-legged friend who is basically the third wheel of your relationship? Make sure to include your pet by having them pose with the ring and a sign that reads, ‘Will you marry me’.

Picture: Unsplash

In Advice

How to include your blended family on your wedding

November 12, 2020 No Comments

Parenthood doesn’t require DNA and some people already have children, either from a previous relationship or before marriage. When they decide to marry other people and bring their families together, they create a blended family.

Bringing your families together and including them in your big day is a sweet way to honour them. Here are some ways to do it, and make sure no one feels neglected or left out.

Have a unity Ceremony

Unity ceremonies are meaningful rituals performed during your wedding to represent becoming a union and the joining of lives, families and communities. Being highly symbolic, there are multiple ways you can do this, which can be personalised to your new family. One idea is to write meaningful letters to each other and read them out during the ceremony, then put them in a jar to keep as a family symbol.

Give them roles

Another way you can include your blended family is by assigning them roles. From a ring bearer to a flower girl, the possibilities are endless. This is guaranteed to make them feel included in the ceremony and when you are all looking at the wedding album, they will be delighted to see themselves featured and having participated.

Give them gift

Gifting is one of the five universal love languages, it shows the next person that you have thought of them and value them enough to gift them. Give them the same or similar gifts to your biological kids, or get them something they have always wanted.

Presenting something special to your new child/children is a wonderful gesture to symbolise that they are an important part of this new family.

Include them in the planning

Kids love doing exciting things, to them everything is playtime and by including them in the planning process, you get the chance to bond with them. Let them participate in everything from cake tasting to licking invitation envelopes.

Encourage them to invite a few of their best friends and their family members to the wedding so that they have familiar faces apart from you.

Have a family dance

After the first dance, invite the kids to come out and join you on the dance floor to their favourite tune. It would be extra fun and special if you practiced a dance prior to the wedding. You can even give them the task of coming up with the steps to our dance routine as the kids of the family.

Picture: Unsplash

In Honeymoons

The top honeymoon destinations, according to Pinterest

October 20, 2020 No Comments

The honeymoon is one of the things that newlyweds look forward to after the wedding, where they will relax and escape from everyone.

Finding the perfect place for your honeymoon can be stressful, but luckily Pinterest has made this process easier. Most couples use this App for planning, and create boards for the places they like and want to visit in the future.

Researchers analysed Pinterest trends to find the most loved destinations when it comes to post-wedding getaways. They looked up honeymoon boards on Pinterest as part of their research, then calculated the most loved and pinned boards by tracking their pins.

Their research showed that exotic places with beaches are the most popular destinations. Bali tops the list, followed by Italy and Hawaii. Europe is the most popular continent, with six destinations to appear in the top 20. Alongside Italy, the research findings revealed that Ireland, Greece, France, Iceland, and Spain are also most loved.

Here is a compilation of top honeymoon destinations in their order, according to Pinterest.

– Bali – 998 boards

-Italy – 997 boards

-Hawaii – 992 boards

-The Maldives – 981 boards

-Ireland – 980 boards

-Thailand – 980 boards

-Mexico – 949 boards

-Greece – 757 boards

-India – 734 boards

-Costa Rica – 729 boards

-Japan – 717 boards

-Jamaica – 699 boards

-New Zealand – 601 boards

-France – 500 boards

-Iceland – 499 boards

-St Lucia – 477 boards

-Aruba – 442 boards

-Bahamas – 417 boards

-Spain – 415 boards

-Fiji – 408 boards

Picture: Unsplash

In Advice

5 things to consider when planning your wedding registry

October 8, 2020 No Comments

It is very frustrating to receive three of the same thing from different people as a wedding gift. This is because people think in similar ways and they normally don’t know what to get you and so they resort to common gifting. As the bride, you can avoid this and the admin that comes with it. Here’s how:

Don’t wait until the last minute

Start planning and send out your registry ahead of time, you want your wedding registry to be one of the things you do at the beginning of your wedding planning.

Making and setting up a registry takes more time than you might expect it and deserves your attention because you won’t have time to redo it.

Be realistic and practical

In your wedding registry, you should already be thinking ‘home’ and because of that, your gifts should be practical items that will make the transition of starting a new life easy.

Make a list of things you want in your house but won’t be able to get soon, these should be the gifts your friends and family get you.

Also be mindful of the people buying, you don’t want to make them pay exorbitant amounts but you don’t want cheap gifts, so get a few quotations on each item.

Share your registry

Once you’ve created your wedding registry, make sure you share it with your guests.

This includes coming up with easy ways to access your registry. It could be online where a person can click and get it or share a link with your guests.

Make sure to have a checklist option available for you and the people buying gifts, this makes it easy to see what has been bought and what is left.

Make it a joint project

Put aside some quality couple time to contemplate your future life together and think about what kinds of gifts would make you happy.Your partner must have input on the registry because this is the beginning of your life together, you don’t want anyone feeling left out.

Look for great deals

Before choosing where to register, find out what kinds of perks and discounts you might get.Approach your desired shops for a registry, they usually give discounts for bulk registry purchases.This option helps get expert advice from someone who’s knowledgeable.

Picture: Unsplash

In Advice

Most popular songs to propose to

October 5, 2020 No Comments

Going down on one knee to pop the question is a special moment, one that requires the perfect setting and atmosphere. Music is an easy way to amplify the romantic spirit, and many opt to play their favourite love songs to serenade the scene.

It turns out there are some love songs that stand above the rest. Learningjewelry.com analysed the top 60 Spotify playlists dedicated proposals and engagements. Here are the sweet songs that appeared most often.

All of Me – John Legend

Perfect – Ed Sheeran

Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

A Thousand Years – Christina Perry

Make You Feel My Love – Adele

Marry You – Bruno Mars

On Bended Knee – Boys II Men

Just Say Yes – Snow Patrol

I Swear – All-4-One

Picture: Pexels

In Engagements

The history of the bridal trousseau

October 5, 2020 No Comments

Getting married is a large step in life, one that some brides start preparing for years in advance. In many cultures, it is common for women to have a bridal trousseau, a collection of items that will ease them into married life.

Trousseau is derived from the old French diminutive trousse, which means ‘to wrap or bundle in a package’. While the contents may differ from bride to bride, the overarching idea behind the trousseau is to start your wedding and marriage on the right foot. Items that often feature in a bridal trousseau include clothing, jewelry, linens, bedding, pottery, and household appliances. These items are traditionally kept safe in a cedar hope chest or trunk.

The bridal trousseau can be dated back hundreds of years and across various cultures, and was often considered a symbol of status. This practice saw its early roots in the form of dowries, and has been witnessed in ancient civilizations including Babylon, Greece, and the Roman Empire.

It reached its peak in popularity during the Renaissance, specifically in France. Brides with wealthy families would fill a chest with items like linens, dresses, bedding and homeware to prepare her for her future marriage. The fuller and more ornate the trousseau, the higher the bride’s status. Those from a lower economic class often hand-made items to put into the trousseau.

A bridal handkerchief was a must-have item in these days. Historically, the Romans were said to wet the handkerchief with perfume and brides would wear it over their shoulders or neck. Once the French got hold of this, it became a practice reserved for royalty or the upper class.

By the mid-19th century, brides of all classes had adopted this trend and began sporting handkerchiefs customised with the initials of the bride and groom, interlaced as a representation of their union.

In Advice

Everything you need to know about ring engravings

September 17, 2020 No Comments

Having your engagement ring engraved is a beautiful way to to show your love. It allows you to carry a special hidden meaning with you wherever you go, and also makes your ring more identifiable if it goes missing.

This is a timeless practice, one that has been loved since medieval times. Back in the day, people had their prized jewellery possessions engraved with religious quotes and messages of devotion.

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

Engraving is a relatively affordable option, but the price depends on what exactly you want engraved and the font. Machine engravings are cheaper, hand engravings will cost much more. Most rings can accommodate between 15-30 characters, so you can’t write novels. No more than five words is ideal.

The best time to have it engraved is when you order the ring. However, you have lots of time to decide exactly what you want it to say as engravings happen at the end of the manufacturing process. Importantly, not all jewellers perform engravings so make sure to ask for a referral if they cannot.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B99umR-HU_P/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

It is a fast process, and can be done in a day. There are three ways to do it. The first, machine engraving uses a template to trace out letters and symbols using a corresponding sharp tool. This option limits your font choice, but pretty much guarantees a neat finish.

Hand engraving is the most costly option, and is also the most imperfect. However, it does allow you freedom to choose whichever font you want. It is also a deeper engraving, meaning it lasts longer and creates a unique visual finish.

With laser engraving, jewellers use a pencil-sized laser beam to inscribe your special message onto the ring. The strength of the laser differs depending on the type of metal. This option allows for longer messages.

The most important thing here, and we cannot stress this enough, is to double, triple and quadruple check your spelling before handing your words over to the jeweller! Make sure to double-check it again once you receive the finished product.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LRjVyHQxS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Feature image: Pexels

In Advice

Tech and apps for couples separated by lockdown

April 30, 2020 No Comments

For the couples having a tough time being separated for such a long period, we understand your pain! Being away from your significant other is never easy, and now you have no choice about the matter.

This may leave you feeling down and out, as the distances puts strain on your relationship. Maybe you’re fighting more, or maybe you’re just dying to be by each other’s sides. Whatever the reason, you’re probably looking for some solutions by now! Especially since we’re unsure of how long the stages of lockdown will last, and in which stage we will be able to visit people socially.

To help you ease the longing for each other, there are some apps and devices that you could download or buy (respectively), to help your relationship during lockdown.

Here are some of our favourites, to ensure you’re feeling the love no matter the distance:

Apps:

Loklok

For those couples who enjoy leaving little notes for each other, this ones for you. Essentially, the app gives you access to each other’s lockscreens, but not in a creepy way!

It allows you to upload photos, do doodles or write cute messages on your partner’s lockscreen. When they look at their phone, they’ll see the sweet message you’ve left for them. The app is only available for android users.

Rave

Just because you’re separated in distance, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a movie together. Rave allows couples to stream videos together, and gives you a chat bar underneath the video for your running commentary.

You can use it to watch Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo and more. If you’re wanting to watch something you own a copy of, upload the video to Dropbox or Google Drive and you’ll be able to watch it together!

Available for iOS and Android.

Lovedays

Using this app, you can see countdowns to all important events in your relationship such as your anniversary, upcoming vacation, or the next time you’ll see each other.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.

NUJJ

A simple app, but probably the most adorable. All you do is shake your phone when you’re missing your love, and they will receive a little vibration on their end. Cute! Right?

Tech:

Friendship lamps

Similar to the NUJJ app, but with a more visual expression of emotion, a friendship lamp will let you know your partner is missing you. When one of you touches the lamp, the other’s lamp lights up. It will melt your heart to know that you’re being thought of.

Purchase here for R3 109.

Pillow Talk

If you don’t like sleeping alone, then this device has got you covered. Pillow Talk is a wristband you wear when you sleep, it recognizes your heartbeat and sends it to your partner in real time.

You download the app, slip the band around your wrist, and put the speaker under your pillow, and there you go! It’s like you can hear them sleeping next to you.

Purchase here for R3 512, 96

Image: Unsplash