Home designers Chip and Joanna Gaines, famous for their reality TV series Fixer Upper, recently celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary.
Posting a sweet throwback on his Instagram, Chip Gaines wrote “Juuuust married! Everything about you has made everything about me better. And 17 years later I’m still learning from and loving on the most incredible woman in the world. After all these years Joanna Lea Stevens, you really are the girl of my dreams.. Happy 17th sweet girl. I love you?”
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The two’s love story is adorable. Joanna’s father owned a car repair shop, where Joanna also worked. Chip came in one day to have his car fixed, and saw a picture of the then 23-year-old Joanna hanging on the wall, but Joanna was not there. “I knew I’d marry her one day just by the picture on the wall,” Chip told Popsugar.
The love-struck man kept returning to the shop with excuses about his car, actually just hoping to see Joanna in the flesh. When he finally did get to meet her, he had no doubt about his first instincts, and asked her out. The rest is history! They now have four children together.
Congrats to the lovely couple!
Feature image: Instagram / Chip Gaines
While the ongoing pandemic has caused many a cancelled wedding and much disapointment, one thing is for certain: it has also brought out the creativity in many. A…
South Africa’s favourite sport has ground to a halt, so it seems our rugby players are using this time for the more important things in life.
Springbok and Lions fullback Andries Coetzee recently wed his fiancée, Mart.
The two planned a large, lavish ceremony (as celebs do) for April 25, but the celebrations have been put on hold until 2021. In the meantime, the two got married at the Magistrate’s office.
“Even though it wasn’t the big white wedding as planned (… yet, and believe me that day WILL come somewhere in 2021) the feeling of being married to my best friend and the love of my life exceeds all my expectations,” the new Mrs Coetzee said on Instagram.
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“Introducing Mr and Mrs Coetzee! Congratulations to the newlyweds ❤” the Lions Rugby Union said on their Instagram with the same picture.
Mart could luckily still have her bridal shower at La Vie Lente Bistro Venue in February earlier this year. “My ? is full and overflowing with love and appreciation. I am SO spoilt, grateful and sincerely HAPPY!!! #kitchen_tea ” she said on Instagram.
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Congratulations to the happy couple!
Image: Instagram/mart_coetzee
For most of her career, the iconic, doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn was positioned as the antithesis of Marilyn Monroe. Despite this, the Belgian-born actress had just as tumultuous a…
Diamonds are forever, but they’re also expected. Unique, alternative stones have been trending for years as modern brides seek to be different on their big day.
While topaz is an unusual and underrated stone for an engagement ring, it is slowly growing in popularity.
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Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine. The gemstone ranges in colours from green, yellow, orange to its most common hue, blue. The most popular forms are London Blue and Imperial Topaz. According to the Gemology Institute of America, the colour of the stone depends on impurities or defects within the sructure of the crystal rather than its chemical composition.
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There are conflicting reports on how topaz got its name. Many authorities believe that the stone got its name from the old Greek name of a small island in the Red Sea called Topazios, now known as Zabargad. While topaz was never produced on the island, peridot was. Many confused peridot for topaz before the development of modern minerology.
Others argue that its name can be traced back to the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and the word topas or tapaz, meaning “fire.”
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The ancient Greeks loved topaz for its supposed ability to give them strength.
“In Europe during the Renaissance (the period from the 1300s to the 1600s) people thought that topaz could break magic spells and dispel anger,” explains the Gemology Institute of America. “For centuries, many people in India have believed that topaz worn above the heart assures long life, beauty, and intelligence.”
In the 19th century, topaz was restricted for the Russian royal family. The majority of topaz came from the Ural Mountains at the time, and the pink gemstone varietal was mined there in honour of the Russian tzar.
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Topaz ranks on the Mohs scale of hardness with an 8, making it quite durable. In fact, it’s one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals, and the hardest of any silicate mineral. It’s hardness and durability makes it an excellent option for jewellery.
Price points vary depending on the colour of the stone. However, the stone is much more affordable than diamonds. Because of its hardness and versatility, the stone can be cut in a number of shapes and sizes. It is important to remember though, that it can scratch easily. Owners are encouraged to be careful with this stone.
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Feature image: Pinterest
The fight for the legalisation of same-sex marriages has been a long and difficult one, one that is still ongoing in many parts of the world. Slowly, however,…
Old Hollywood exudes class, glamour and style. The many men and women who graced the silver screens, sang right into people’s souls and kept many entertained have also gone down in history for their fashionable wedding moments.
Decades later, we cannot forget the iconic looks some celebrity brides chose to walk down the aisle. Here are a few of our favourite dresses from famous brides in American history.
Grace Kelly
For her 1956 weding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, actress Grace Kelly stunned in an Victorian-inspired gown made of 125-year-old Brussels lace, taffeta, and thousands of hand-sewn pearls. The skirt was made of ivory faille and featured three petticoats: a smoothing petticoat, a ruffled petticoat and a foundation petticoat. The gown itself was made of 100 yards (91 metres) of silk net, and the veil was 90 yards (82 metres). To keep the veil in place, Kelly opted for a Juliet cap decorated with lace, orange blossoms and seed pearls instead of a tiara.
Audrey Hepburn
Breakfast at Tiffany’s star Audrey Hepburn married actor and stage and film director Mel Ferrer in 1954. For their big day, Hepburn stunned in a Balmain-designed tea-length flared dress with a satin sash, a high neckline and balloon sleeves that she accessorised with elbow-length gloves and a flower crown.
Priscilla Presley
The King of Rock and Roll married longtime girlfriend Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in 1967 in Las Vegas. She wore a floor-length white babydoll dress made of chiffon, with a beaded neckline and pearl-encrusted long sleeves. And who can forget that bouffant veil!
Mia Farrow
A then up-and-coming actress Mia Farrow married megastar musician Frank Sinatra in 1966. The actress wore a two-piece skirt suit with elbow-length sleeves, following the mod style aesthetic of the decade.
Elizabeth Taylor
This iconic actress had been married a number of times throughout her life, but our favourite dress was from her very first marriage to Nicky Hilton in 1950. Taylor wore a high-necked satin gown designed by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer costume-designer Helen Rose, who famously went on to design Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.
Julie Andrews:
Before she hit it big with her breakout role in The Sound of Music, up-and-coming actress Julie Andrews married her first husband, set designer Tony Walton in Surrey on May 10, 1959. She wore a long-sleeved ankle-length gown decorated with floral appliqué and a trailing train.
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger epitomized ’70s style in her 1971 wedding to rockstar Mick Jagger. The Nicaraguan-born socialite wore a crisp white YSL Le Smoking jacket with no undershirt, atop an ankle-length skirt. She accessorised with a large, veiled sunhat.
Brigitte Bardow
Actress Brigitte Bardowe married her Babette Goes to War costar, Jacques Charrier in France in 1959. Instead of a traditional wedding dress, the blonde bombshell opted for a pink gingham knee-length dress.
Jacqueline Bouvier became Jacqueline Kennedy when she married future US president John F. Kennedy. For their 1953 nuptials, she wore an ivory silk-taffeta off-the-shoulder gown with a massive skirt. The dress was designed by black seamstress Ann Lowe, who opened the door for many other designers of colour.
Iconic actress Ava Gardner married third husband Frank Sinatra in 1951. She wore an intricate dress featuring trim box pleats along the neckline and short sleeves, and accessorised with a pearl necklace.
Sharon Tate
Valley of the Dolls actress Sharon Tate married director Roman Polanski in 1968 in true 60s style. She wore a high-necked babydoll minidress with puffed shoulders and long sleeves. She accessorised with ribbons and flowers in her hair.
Marylin Monroe
Marylin Monroe married third husband, playwright Arthur Miller in 1956. For their nuptials, Monroe wore a mid-length figure-hugging gown with ruched sleeves.
Feature image: Pinterest