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
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February is Black History Month in the United States and to honour African tradition, a church in Atlanta Georgia hosted a Wakanda-themed mass wedding.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church hosts an annual mass wedding called ‘The Vow’, in which they aim to cut down the financial burdens of hosting a wedding.
“We wanted to remove the financial barriers that would burden or even deter couples from having a wedding ceremony,” explains New Birth Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant. “Marriage not only signifies a commitment between two people, but also is an outward demonstration of a commitment and bond that symbolizes God’s love for the church.”
On February 16 this year, 12 couples said ‘I do’ during the mass wedding themed “A Wedding in Wakanda”. Guests were encouraged to wear traditional African clothing to honour Black History Month.
Wakanda is the fictional African country home to Marvel’s Black Panther. Ever since the Black Panther film hit theatres, people around the world revelled in the movie’s portrayal of black superheroes and African ingenuity.
Singer Kelly Price serenaded the couples on their big day.
Feature image: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
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While she will always go down in history as being the violet-eyed star of the silver screen, Elizabeth Taylor also has another title: the celebrity who had been married the most. The iconic actress was married eight times in her life, twice to the same man.
“I am a very committed wife,” Taylor is famous for joking. “And I should be committed, too—for being married so many times.”
We take a look back at her numerous glamorous weddings…
1950-1951: Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton
A baby-faced 18-year-old Taylor wed Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton, heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, in a large Los Angeles affair attended by 700 guests. Taylor wore a gown designed by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer costume-designer Helen Rose, who famously went on to design Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.
Unfortunately the marriage did not last long; the couple split in January the following year.
1952-1957: Michael Wilding
Taylor didn’t stay single for long following her divorce. A year later, the starlet was married to British actor Michael Wilding. The bride went more casual this time around, wearing a modest suit with a fitted jacket and a knee-length flared skirt – once again designed by Helen Rose. Her trend-setting sapphire engagement ring inspired many brides for the years following.
Throughout the course of their five-year marriage, the pair had two children: Michael and Christopher. They divorced in 1957.
1957-1958: Michael Todd
Husband number three was American film producer Michael Todd. The pair said their ‘I do’s’ in Mexico in a ceremony officiated by the mayor of Acapulco. Not one to wear the same thing twice, Taylor went bold with a hooded gown. Husband-and-wife duo Eddie Fischer and Debbie Reynolds (parents of Carrie Fisher) served as the best man and matron-of-honour respectively.
This marriage was the only one of Taylor’s to not end in divorce; Todd tragically passed away in a private jet crash in 1958. Taylor was originally meant to be on the jet too, but at the last minute stayed home because of a cold. The couple share a daughter together named Liza.
1959-1964: Eddie Fisher
Distraught from losing her husband so suddenly, Taylor controversially found comfort in best man Eddie Fischer. The pair grew incredibly close, and ended up getting married in 1959 after Fischer left Debbie Reynolds. Elizabeth converted to Judaism, and the happy couple wed at the Temple Beth Shalom in Las Vegas. Once again, Taylor stunned in a green silk dress with a hood and long sleeves. In another unconventional move, Fisher proposed to Taylor with a 40-carat bracelet made with 50 diamonds.
This marriage, however, was not to be and the pair divorced in 1964.
1964-1974:Richard Burton
Taylor’s most famous relationship was with actor Richard Burton. The actors met while filming Cleopatra and began dating in secret. At the time, Burton was married to Welsh actress Sybil Williams and Taylor was still married to Fisher. Their relationship was made public when they were spotted together by paparazzi on a yacht in Italy. Their affair was an international scandal and was even condemned by the Vatican but that wouldn’t stop these love birds. Only nine days after officially splitting from Fischer, Taylor and Burton wed in Montreal, Canada in 1964. Sticking to her colourful train, Taylor wore a canary-yellow chiffon gown and stunning floral headdress – the original flower crown. In another unique choice, Burton decided against an engagement ring, instead proposing with a Bulgari brooch the bride wore on her wedding day.
This was her longest marriage by far, spanning 10 years in which the couple starred in eleven films together before calling it quits (or so we thought).
1975-1976: Richard Burton (again)
Burton and Taylor went for round two a year-and-a-half after their divorce, secretly renewing their vows in Botswana in October 1975. Taylor embraced the 70s aesthetic in a unique tie-dye dress. During this marriage, Burton gifted Taylor with the world famous Krupp Diamond, now known as the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, a generous 33.19 carats that sold for $8.8m after Taylors passing.
Of their love, Taylor famously said, “Our love is so furious that we burn each other out”. They divorced again the following July, officially closing the chapter on their book of love although Taylor has called Burton the love of her life.
1976 – 1982: John Warner
Tired of actors, Liz married senator John Warner in an intimate ceremony on his cattle farm in Virginia. For their big day, the bride wore a cashmere dress accessorised with a tweed and fur coat, and matching turban.
Unfortunately the politicians wife life was not for Liz; the couple divorced in 1982.
1991 – Larry Fortensky
Having been burnt a few times, Taylor took a near decade-long break from marriage before her eighth and final wedding to construction worker Larry Fortensky. The couple met at the Betty Ford rehabilitation clinic where Taylor had checked in for her struggles with alcoholism. The pair truly went all out for this star-studded event that was hosted at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Ynez Valley, California and was attended by 160 guests, including famous faces like Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, Nancy Reagan, Diane von Furstenberg, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, and Brooke Shields. Taylor said ‘I do’ in a pale yellow lace Valentino gown.
Unfortunately, this marriage was also not to be. Taylor and Fortensky split five years later.
Feature image: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
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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