In recent years, many brides have taken to wearing two different dresses: one for the ceremony and another for the reception. However, this can become quite costly. So why not have a two-in-one dress that does it all?
Dresses with detachable skirts gives you two unique wedding looks. Mix a gorgeous design with practicality and you get this smart trend. We absolutely cannot get over this smart trend. Perfect for a full dress when you’re gliding towards the altar, and a shorter, more comfortable piece when you want to dance. From rock star to princess, it’s all here.
Jumpsuit-dress
Dress or jumpsuit? Have both!
Short dress, long skirt
Go from business to party as quick as a heartbeat.
Layered
This dress goes from flowing to form fitting and we love both to bits.
Overskirt
Don’t hide the dress, show both at once with an overskirt that’s open at the front.
Long slits
This glam look shows a bit of leg when you want to, and doesn’t when you don’t.
Image: Unsplash
There are few things in life people will not give unsolicited advice on. From the way you should wear your hair to how to raise a child, strangers…
Bouquets have come to be the classic accessory for bridesmaids to carry as they walk down the aisle. A bride in Plant City, Florida, however, decided on something different. When Andee Ondina and Tina Krasinski wed on Monday, their bridesmaids strolled down the aisle with puppies instead of flowers.
The bride, Ondina, made this unorthodox decision in the hopes of raising awareness for rescue animals and to persuade people to adopt, not shop. Adoption applications were even available at the wedding reception.
The bridal party included 10 adoptable five-week-old puppies. Ondina told WFLA-TV that she decided to nickname her furry bouquet substitutes “puppquets”.
This unconventional choice made the day even more special by adding an adorable flare to the ceremony. The couple’s decision to use their wedding for a good cause is likely to have an even happier ending. From stories we’ve seen in the past, these kinds of thoughtful gestures usually end with most, if not all, of the puppies ending up in happy and loving homes.
It isn’t just the Krasinski’s getting into the puppy spirit. In 2017, North Carolina bride Meghan Bulter also opted for puppies instead of bouquets for herself and her bridesmaids at her wedding. Like Ondina, Butler had decided on this in the hopes that she would raise awareness for puppies who needed rescuing. After the wedding, Butler told People that all the puppies had since been adopted.
Similarly, Sally Burky told Insider that after her wedding, which also showcased adorable dogs who were up for adoption, four out of the total five dogs were adopted. On this occasion, having the puppies at the wedding not only allowed for the adoption of four puppies, but also drew a lot of attention to the rescue home that the dogs were living in. The rescue home, Haven of the Ozarks, was overwhelmed by the support they received after Burky’s wedding.
So, to us, having bridesmaids carry puppies is cool and unconventional but also heartwarming and adorable. It may just be the pawfect decision.
Image: Facebook/Wishing Well Barn
Paris may be the city of love, but Italy has stolen our hearts. With endless seas, beautiful architecture and oodles of pasta, this romantic destination is the perfect…
Celebrities, they’re just like us. Or are they? While some of us (A.K.A, the plebeians) spend months and years saving up for an engagement ring, the lucky minority are able to drop millions on a single piece of jewellery. Oh, to be rich and famous.
While some of these relationships have since ended, diamonds truly are forever and will live on for the years to come. These famous brides have rocked diamonds worth more than most of us will ever earn in our lifetime.
Blake Lively – $2 million (over R29 million)
One of Hollywood’s favourite couples makes it onto the list with Lively’s 12-carat, $2 million engagement ring. The ring was designed by Lorraine Schwartz and features an oval-cut stone in a diamond-accented, rose-gold setting.
“My most treasured possession is my engagement ring made by my dear friend Lorraine Schwartz, because of the love and meaning it symbolises,” Lively said in an interview. “No, I didn’t have any hand in its design – I married a gentleman.”
Anna Kournikova – $2.5 million (over R37 million)
When Enrique Iglesias popped the big question to tennis star Anna Kournikova back in 2009, he did so with an expensive 11-carat sparkler that set him back $2.5 million. The pair, who met in 2001 on set of Iglesias’s Escape music video, are notoriously private about their relationship.
Despite getting engaged a decade ago, the couple are in no rush to the altar. Both do not believe that marriage will make a big change in their relationship. In 2018, they welcomed twins Nicholas and Lucy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaCrYYAgqnx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jacqueline Kennedy O’Nassis – $2.59 million (over R38 million)
Forever the style icon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is mostly remembered for being one of America’s favourite First Ladies. However, it is her second engagement ring that truly went down in history.
Five years after JFK’s assassination, Jacqueline found love again with mogul Aristotle Onassis. The Greek shipping magnate proposed to the former First Lady with a 40-carat Marquise-cut Lesotho III diamond ring from Harry Winston. The ring was so valuable that Onassis only wore it twice before leaving it in a bank vault for safe-keeping.
After her passing in 1996, the ring was auctioned off and fetched a price of $2.59 million.
Grace Kelly – $4-million (over R49 million)
When Grace Kelly became royalty, she needed a stunning diamond ring to prove it. Prince Rainer III of Monaco proposed to the iconic actress with a stunning 10.4-carat, emerald-cut diamond flanked by two baguettes set in platinum. It is estimated to have cost $4-million (R49.36 million).
She wore the Cartier ring in her final film High Society, which iconised it as one of the most famous engagement rings in history. At their royal wedding, she paired the sparkler with a delicate eternity band set with rubies and diamonds for the colours of Monaco.
https://www.instagram.com/p/7MM6_5ow6z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jennifer Lopez – between $1 million and $4.5 million (over R66 million)
Her love don’t cost a thing but an expensive ring won’t hurt. J-Lo has had not one, not two, but three engagement rings over the value of $1 million.
The first notable one, a 6.1-carat pink diamond solitaire Harry Winston ring, came from her third fiancé Ben Affleck and is estimated to have cost between $1.2 and $2.5 million. Following the end of this relationship, she became engaged to Marc Anthony, who proposed with a 8.5-carat blue diamond Harry Winston engagement ring estimated to have cost $4 million.
Most recently, baseball superstar Alex Rodrigues asked for Jennifer’s hand in marriage with an enormous 16-carat diamond ring. Ajay Anand, CEO of Rare Carat, has estimated to cost around $4.5 million. However, other jewellers give a wide range, stating the ring costs somewhere between $1 million and $4.5 million.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Buzz2LMg92D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kim Kardashian – $4 million (over R59 million)
Love them or hate them, there is no arguing that Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West will go down in history as one of the most iconic celebrity couples. West proposed to the social media star with a 15-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring that is estimated to have cost a casual $4 million. Seriously.
Never one to be outdone, in 2016 Kanye gifted Kim with a 20-carat emerald cut diamond ring for her to wear on her other hand. The second ring was reportedly stolen during an armed robbery in Paris.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxfhkovgsTa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Beyonce – $5 million (over R74 million)
Only the best for Queen B. While we know little about this notoriously private couple’s wedding, we can say that Jay-Z presented Beyonce with a 24-carat flawless emerald-cut diamond ring with a split band. The Lorraine Schwartz-designed ring is estimated to be worth a whopping $5 million.
https://www.instagram.com/p/7ycIolvw2-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Elizabeth Taylor – $8.8 million (over R130 million)
While she has been presented with many engagement rings in her time, Elizabeth Taylor’s most iconic one comes from Richard Burton. So iconic, in fact, that it was named after her. Burton gifted her with the ring when they remarried for the second time in 1975. Originally named the Krupp diamond, the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond is a generous 33.19 carats.
Following her death in 2011, her ring was auctioned off for $8.8m. At the time, it was the highest per-carat price ever for any colourless diamond.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzqZgILhz0H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Mariah Carey – $10 million (over R148 million)
Though their engagement was incredibly short lived, Mariah Carey and James Packer will go down in history for owning the most expensive celebrity engagement ring. The iconic singer’s engagement ring, gifted to her by Australian businessman James Packer, was 35-carats and has an estimated value of $10 million. Yes, you read that right.
However, the wedding was not to be. The couple split a few months after getting engaged and Carey sold the ring for $2.1 million.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BM7-8b_Bsh_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Image: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
You’ve been invited to a wedding and the dress code says ‘smart casual’, so what can you wear? If this is the dress code then you can assume…
Choosing your bridesmaids can be tough. It comes with all kinds of complications like having to choose between friends, having the friend you chose be unavailable for the wedding, or not having enough people to complete your bridal party. Professional bridesmaids, it seems, are on the rise as the best solution to these complications and more.
Kerstyn Walsh, a professional bridesmaid who has been part of more than 150 weddings, operates her very successful business (Hire a Bridesmaid) in Sydney. She explains to the Daily Mail that “Brides often need someone who is willing to do all the jobs.” Depending on the tasks required of her, Walsh’s fees range between $1000 (R101 59) and $8000 (R812 74).
The jobs Walsh listed in her repertoire include taking on administrative tasks like consulting with vendors, helping with various chores throughout the special day so that family and friends can give their full attention to the wedding and the couple, and sometimes simply to bring the number of bridesmaids up to equal the number of groomsmen.
This list is already attractive enough to get us interested in professional bridesmaids. When we consider the lengths Tifanny Wright, a UK-based professional bridesmaid, goes to for her clients, the option seems almost too good to be true. Wright has changed her hair colour for a bride who wanted all her bridesmaids to be brunettes. She also convinced an entire bridal party to do a bootcamp instead of the classic bachelorette party. She has even spied on a groom at his bachelor party (not that we suggest you request this service). Wright does a consultation for £25 (R475). Thereafter, her services fees could go as high as £5000 (R95 153).
It’s clear then that a bride can ask way more of a professional bridesmaid than a regular bridesmaid. Asking too much of your best friend who is also your bridesmaid can get a bit awkward. But if you’re paying for a professional bridesmaid, you can ask her to do (just about) anything. A professional bridesmaid can’t object to the dresses you want either.
The benefits of a professional bridesmaid seemingly starts to pile up when you consider that a “normal” bridesmaid has much less experience (if any at all) in the type of planning required for this job than a professional bridesmaid would have.
With all of this acknowledged, we must say that the idea of a professional bridesmaid does seem much less personal than having a friend or family member as a bridesmaid. Having somebody who knows you, your story, and the in’s and out’s of how you got to your big day by your side is part of what makes things special.
At any rate, you may struggle to find a professional bridesmaid in South Africa. So this may not be a choice you have to make any time soon. But with the professional bridesmaid market on the rise in Australia, the UK, and USA, you never know.
Image: Unsplash