Remember the time when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were Hollywood’s ‘it couple’? If you can’t we don’t blame you. It seems like decades ago that this strange pairing entered the celebrity lexicon and caused many theories on the validity of their relationship to emerge.
We take a trip down memory lane to remember this unique celebrity couple.
The beginning
Before the couple began dating, in 2004 Kate Holmes said in an interview that she had always dreamed of marrying Tom Cruise. At the time, she was engaged to fellow actor Chris Klein. A month after their split, she stepped out in public with none other than Tom Cruise in April, 2005. The pair were pictured in Rome, where Cruise was being honoured with the David di Donatello Award for lifetime achievement.
Their love must have developed very quickly. In May, Cruise made his iconic couch-jumping proclamation of love for Holmes during an interview on the Oprah Winfrey show.
“I’m in love. I’m in love and it’s one of those things where you want to be cool, like, ‘Yeah I like her’ … that’s not how I feel. I wanted to meet this person and I met her and she’s extraordinary,” he told the legendary daytime talk show host.
Love, marriage and a baby carriage:
The pair were engaged in June 2005 after only a few months of dating. Cruise proposed over a candle-lit dinner at the Eiffel Tower with a teardrop shaped ring.
Things continued to move fast for the couple. In October 2005, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their daughter Suri Cruise was born in April 2006. Cruise already has two adopted children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman.
Cruise and Holmes married in November 2006 in an extravagant three-day wedding at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy. During the ceremony, the couple made the traditional Scientology pledge, which reportedly included the strange vow,”Girls need clothes and food, tender happiness and frills, a pan, a comb, a cat.”
Giorgio Armani designed Holmes’s stunning off-the-shoulder gown as well as Cruise’s wedding suit and little Suri’s ivory silk tulle dress to match her mother. It took 350 hours to cover the gown with Swarovski crystals, and another 70 hours for the veil to be made. Armani also designed a peach silk organza reception dress and an ivory silk honeymoon ensemble for the actress.
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Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts and her cinematographer husband Danny Moder have officially been married for 18 years. The typically private couple took to Instagram to celebrate their anniversary.
Roberts posted a sweet photo of the couple to honour their big day, simply captioning it “18 years #heckyes”.
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The actress and the cinematographer met on the set of The Mexican, for which Moder was a cameraman and Roberts was starring in. They fell in love and married two years later in a surprise wedding at Roberts’ ranch in Taos, New Mexico on July 4, 2002.
Roberts wore a pale pink cotton halter dress with pearl and antique beading, and hand-painted floral detail for the low-key nuptials. Moder wore a red ruffled shirt and tan pants.
The pair are still going strong and share three children: son Henry Daniel and twins Hazel Oatricia and Phinnaeus Walter.
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Feature image: Instagram / Julia Roberts
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There is a story in Maori folklore that tells of a great love that had been planted by the ancestors, Hinemoa and Tutanekai, on the Island of Mokoia. Their endless, amazing love is accepted as one of the greatest love stories ever told, and the tale is passed down from one generation to the next.
Today, this love is evidenced in their traditional weddings, which they are performed with a blessing from a priest (Maori Tohunga) and their sacred ancestry Takitimu Canoe.
It is interesting to note that before they were colonised, the Maori people did not have a marriage ceremony for low-ranking tribe members. However, hapū (clan) and whānau (extended family) were required to approve unions. Maori marriage became legally recognised in 1909.
Despite its history, Maori weddings have quite a few traditions. Here are some of them:
The Welcome Call (Te Karanga)
Just before the couple enters the Maori Village or the wedding location, a traditional welcome call echoes across the courtyard. Its purpose is to invite the bride and groom onto the sacred land.
There are only a few locations where Maori weddings are allowed to take place, traditionally. Included in the list of locations is Mokoia Island, Tamaki Village, Pohutu Geyser, Aorangi Peak, Four Canoes, and Fairy Springs, according to Weddings Guide.
Song and Dance (Te Powhiri)
Once they enter the location, a local tribe will perform a traditional song and dance for the bridal party.
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This is followed by a practice called the Hongi, or the touching of the nose. It is a gesture that indicates goodwill and friendship between parties, according to Maori Weddings.
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Wedding ceremony and Vows (Te Marena)
There are two different ways the ceremony and vows are reported to take place.
In the first instance, the priest commences the ceremony and the couple exchange vows, after which they are serenaded with a love song called “Pokarekare ana”.
In the second instance, the ceremony (called the Korowai Ceremony) is performed, and it is followed by a romantic gesture in which the husband places a Korowai (cloak of love) around his new wife. This is said to symbolise how his love will surround her for the rest of their lives.
Priest Blessing (Te Manaakitanga)
Thereafter, a priest blesses the couple, and people give Toanga (gifts) to the couple. Finally, the ceremony is closed with Hongi.
According to Weddings Guide, the Maori people believe that when God created humans, he breathed life into their nostrils. When Maori couples perform Hongi they unite their breaths of life as one.
Departure (Te Haere Atu)
The bridal party are sent off with a traditional song and dance.
Feast and Celebrations (Te Hakari)
In celebration of the special day, they organise a night of food and entertainment. They have a Hangi feast (a traditional Māori meal is essentially a feast cooked in an earth oven for several hours) and the Maori tribe honours the bride and groom. Festivities continue until late into the night.
Read the story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai here.
Image: Pixabay
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Buttercream, fondant, and frosting are great, but a naked wedding cake is just as good. As we all know, its what’s on the inside that counts.
The naked wedding cake trend grew in popularity around 2013. It’s rustic look, creating a refined and elegant vibe on confection tables around the world is what drew people to it.
Not only is it visually pleasing, the naked cake comes with other advantages too. Since they dry out quicker than cakes with frosting or fondant, they are often made as close to the time of the celebration as possible. This means you’ll have the freshest cake for your wedding. It also is often significantly cheaper, as intricate frosting details cost much more since they’re labour intensive.
For those who are less of a sweet-tooth type, the naked cake also provides the perfect balance between fillings and spongy cake.
Whether you’re looking for a twist on the common wedding cake, or you’re just not into the sweetness, the naked wedding cake is perfect for any wedding theme. Find your inspiration from these cakes that bare it all:
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Feature image: Unsplash