So you’ve found the partner of your dreams and you can’t wait to get married. But, there’s one little hiccup… You’re from two different parts of the world, and that can make the process a bit tedious.
Marrying a foreigner doesn’t have to be a tiresome task. You simply need to know what to expect.
Whether you are a foreigner marrying a South African citizen or a South African marrying a foreigner, there are obligatory procedures to follow. Here’s what you need to know:
– Can you get married in South Africa?
If you’re a minor, you cannot get married without written consent from a parent, guardian or the court.
People who suffer from severe mental disorders are unfortunately not allowed to get married under South African law. The reason for this is that the mental disorder may prevent them from understanding what marriage is and may cause them to make decisions which are not in their best interest.
Finally, if you are already married you are prohibited from getting married in South Africa. If you have previously been married, you need to present evidence that the marriage has legally ended.
Other than the above mentioned people, every body is allowed to get married in this country.
– The process
Both partners are required to make a trip to Home Affairs (Pro tip: try to ensure that you go to the Home Affairs Officers that your intended marriage Officer is registered at). Ensure that you take all required documents with you!
An official will verify the documents that you present. Thereafter, they will make an appointment with an immigration interviewing officer for you.
The purpose of the interview is to determine the legitimacy of the relationship – the government needs to take steps to ensure that a marriage of convenience (for citizenship) is not taking place. This is nothing to worry about! Questions will simply be about your relationship. You’ll be asked how long you’ve been together, if you’ve met each other’s family’s, or why you want to be together.
If your interview is successful you’ll receive a document confirming that you are legally allowed to marry in South Africa.
Once your marriage is documented, you should be issued a printed marriage certificate. This certificate is then used to apply for a visa.
– What documents do you need?
For the South African Citizen:
- A certified copy of your ID
- 3 x ID photo’s
- If you have been previously married, Home Affairs will require a copy of the decree of divorce/death certificate. If yours is an antenuptial agreement, they will need a copy of the cover letter from your lawyer.
For the non-South African Citizen:
- A copy of the front page of your passport
- A copy of the Visa Page in your passport – or the last entry stamp through customs found in your passport
- 3 x ID photo’s
- If you have been previously married, Home Affairs will require a copy of the decree of divorce/death certificate.
- A letter of non-impediment (certificate from your country of citizenship confirming freedom to marry)
- You will be required to sign an Affidavit on the day of your wedding – This is a document supplied by Home Affairs. It is required to verify that you are using your international passport as a means of documentation since you do not have a South African ID number.
P.S it’s always safer to certify all your documents before you head to Home Affairs. You wouldn’t want to be turned away for something so minor!
Also read: How to elope – legally
Image: Unsplash
Being the wedding couple is awesome, and the day revolves around you. However, one of the biggest components of the day is your photographers, and connecting well with…
House Bunny star Anna Faris is showing off her new sparkler. In an Instagram picture, the actress officially announced her engagement to cinematographer Michael Barrett by showcasing her giant yellow diamond ring.
Faris and Barrett have been dating since 2017, a few months after she split from ex-husband Chris Pratt. In late 2019, Faris was spotted wearing an engagement ring, and her Mom co-star Allison Janney accidentally confirmed the engagement.
The actress recently shared an image with fellow actor Jason Biggs, who was a guest on her podcast Unqualified. Her cushion-cut yellow diamond ring, however, was the star of the show.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Kathryn Money, VP of Strategy & Merchandising for Brilliant Earth says, “Anna’s beautiful ring features an estimated 3-carat yellow cushion-cut diamond surrounded by a diamond halo and set on a white gold or platinum diamond-adorned band with a subtle split shank.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ZHBXTBDI_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Congrats to the happy couple!
Feature image: Instagram / Anna Faris
You don’t have to carry a floral wedding day on your big day. Yes it’s expected but then again, do you want to be? Stand out in the…
Modern couples are increasingly more conscious of their impact on the environment, and are planning their big day with sustainability in mind. As a wedding guest, it’s a great idea to treat your newlyweds with an eco-friendly gift that will put them on the right path for their life together.
If you’re attending the wedding of an eco-warrior, or just want to be more conscious of your own purchases, give one of these gifts a try:
The Wonderbag – R206 – R933 on Wonderbagworld.com
The Wonderbag is a simple but revolutionary non-electric, portable slow cooker. It continues to cook food (which has been brought to a boil by conventional methods) for up to 8 hours without the use of additional electricity or fuel. The Wonderbag business model is based on a buy one, donate one. For every retail Wonderbag bought, $1 is donated to the Wonderbag Foundation to subsidize Wonderbags and host WonderFeasts in vulnerable communities around the world.
EcoPlanet Bamboo Charcoal Filter – R135 on Faithful to Nature
Ensure the water your newlyweds drink is clean, healthy and safe with with high-grade bamboo charcoal filter that has a high and positively charged adsorbent surface area that draws impurities out of the water. The filter can effectively absorb and remove bacteria, chlorine and other chemicals, while improving the taste and freshness of any water. All this while being natural and non-toxic.
The Great Living Co Sustainable Bamboo Kitchen Utensils Set – R125 via Faithful to Nature
Fast-growing, renewable and long lasting, bamboo is an incredibly sustainable product that can be used in a variety of ways. This miracle plant can also absorb greenhouse gases and supports economic development in a variety of less developed areas of the world. Replace plastic with bamboo for an eco-friendly alternative to serving utensils.
The Joinery recycled plastic bottle wine tote – R495 via The Joinery
The Joinery is a sustainable and ethical product design brand based in South Africa that focuses on finding solutions to environmental and community issues through design. Their products are made of recycled plastic and crafted by local sewing co-operatives in the informal settlements of South Africa, by up-skilled artisans and by sustainable production houses. This wine tote is a great way to travel in style while making a difference.
Sealpod Afficionado Capsule 10pk – R2399 at @Home
The Sealpod allows coffee-fans to reuse their coffeepods and is designed to work with Nespresso and Nespresso compatible coffee machines. This reduces the amount of coffee pods you have to purchase and is also better for your health and there are no plastic toxins leeching into the water. The Aficionado edition contains 10 stainless steel pods, 102 aluminium seals and an acrylic refilling station so you can fill 10 pods at a time.
My Butchers Block Salt & Pepper Holder – R519 via YuppieChef
Proudly made in South Africa from sustainably sourced Knysna Blackwood, this beautiful salt and pepper holder is ideal for holding salt, pepper and other spices.
MicroGarden Reusable Sprout Bag with Lentil Seeds – R99 via YuppieChef
This reusable microgarden sprout bag is designed to be highly productive, sustainable, and energy and space efficient. This bag comes with 50 gsm lentil seeds which will yield approximately 130 gsm sprouts, and allows you to grow sprouts over and over again. Simply sterilise the bag, soak the seeds overnight, drain and rinse the seeds twice daily. Within 3-5 days your sprouts will be ready to harvest.
Also read: The sustainable bride’s wedding decor
Also read: Put an ethically sourced, sustainable ring on it
Also read: The sustainable bride and what she’s wearing
Feature image: Pexels
With winter lasting about seven months long, and the temperature averaging from just a few degrees below zero to just above zero, you wouldn’t think Lapland is a…
From Queen Elizabeth to Prince Harry and Megan, we’ve been enraptured by royal weddings for decades. We sit with baited breath to witness what the lucky princess will wear, do they seem genuine?
Throughout the years, the royal family has seen many changes, but many wedding traditions have remained. From orange blossoms and welsh gold to Honiton lace, royal brides are connected through age-old customs. Although times change, what stays the same is the classic beauty of these brides. Let’s take a look down royal memory lane…
Queen Victoria – 1840
Queen Victoria not only set many royal wedding traditions, her big day continues to unknowingly inspire brides throughout the word today. At the time of her wedding, brides traditionally wore colourful dresses. However, Queen Victoria wanted to be different and opted for white to stand out. She’s the reason we wear white wedding dresses today. Queen Victoria also single-handedly brought the veil trend back into style with her veil and floral headdress decorated with orange blossoms and myrtle. In the decades following, Princess Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Beatrice have all incorporated orange blossoms into their dresses in tribute.
Following her wedding, Queen Victoria planted a myrtle shrub in her garden at the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Since then, every British royal bride has plucked a sprig from this very bush to place in her bridal bouquet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi2D-KjgH_R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Grace Kelly of Monaco – 1956
Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly’s wedding dress has gone down in history as one of the most iconic to ever exist. Designed by close friend and double Academy winning designer, Helen Rose, the Victorian-inspired gown was made of 125-year-old Brussels lace, taffeta, and thousands of hand-sewn pearls.
It took six weeks and 30 different seamstresses to complete the dress, which featured 100 yards (91 metres) of silk net, and a veil that used 90 yards of tulle (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. Instead of a bridal bouquet, Kelly followed the tradition of the time and carried a bible.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gbtmQIHuK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Queen Elizabeth – 1947
Reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth. The dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was a simplistic yet elegant creation inspired by Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece Primavera, which symbolises the coming of Spring. Britain was still recovering post WWII, and Hartnell wanted the dress to follow a theme of rebirth and growth with his signature embroidery. A lace-trimmed sweetheart neckline and long sleeves flowed into a bodice and full princess-skirt decorated with 10 000 exquisite seed-pearl- and diamanté-encrusted star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms and embroidered ears of wheat. To complete the look, the skirt trailed of in an elaborate 15-foot (4.57 metre) train.
It took a whopping 350 seamstresses seven weeks to complete this iconic piece of fashion. Interestingly, the dress was paid for with coupons! At the time, everyone – even the Queen – was under rationing measures following WWII, so she saved up clothing ration coupons and was also granted a few from the government to pay for the dress.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqZpy5yFek-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Princess Diana – 1981
One of the most iconic wedding dresses to ever be created was worn by the much loved Princess Diana. A tale of powerul puffed sleevs and trailing trains, Princess Diana’s dress was incredibly characteristic of 1980s fashion.
David and Elizabeth Emanuel designed this iconic dress that featured a fitted and boned bodice with panels embroidered with lace that one belonged to Queen Mary, romantic puffed sleeves and a full skirt of ivory silk taffeta and hand embroidery in tiny mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls, centering on a heart motif. Her dress was completed with a dramatic 25-foot (7.62 metre) train. Her 153 yard (139 metre) ivory silk tulle veil, spangled with mother-of-pearl sequins, was held by the Spencer family’s diamond tiara.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6fIea1p4G6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kate Middleton – 2011
The marriage of a prince and a commoner made news around the world, causing millions of eager eyes to tune in to a never-before-seen royal affair. Kate Middleton stunned in a Victorian-inspired princess-cut gown with lace sleeves highly reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s iconic gown.
The dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, featured an ivory satin bodice with floral motifs cut from machine-made lace. Individual flowers were hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a design which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock. The skirt’s soft pleats were designed to echo an opening flower. The back of the gown was lined with 58 buttons of gazar and organza, which fasten by means of Rouleau loops, and ended with a two-metre train.
https://www.instagram.com/p/xpb8TZPDMj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Megan Markle – 2018
Megan Markle wed Prince Harry in a stunning boatneck sheath dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. Timeless and elegant, the gown was made from double bonded silk cady. A true standout, however, was the veil that was designed to represent the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in one spectacular floral composition. The national flowers of all 53 commonwealth countries were intricately embroidered into the lining of the veil. The veil is five meters long and made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza. Atop her head sat the Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, which was lent to Her Royal Highness by The Queen.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnDhPBCH15F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Princess Eugenie – 2018
Designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, the gown features a folded neckline that ends in a low back that drapes into a flowing full length train. Symbolic meaning was woven into the dress such as the Thistle for Scotland to acknowledge the couple’s fondness for Balmoral, a Shamrock for Ireland as a nod to the Bride’s Ferguson family, the York Rose and ivy representing the couple’s home. These were reinterpreted in a garland of rope like motifs, woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton and viscose blend. She completed the look with the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, lent to her by Her Majesty The Queen.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfSQgZF-Xo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Feature image: Instagram / Kensington Royal