As far as historians can tell, lovebirds in Egypts presented each other with small circles made of reeds over 3,000 years ago. As can be expected, these rings didn’t last long and inventive souls soon came up with bands made from leather, bone or ivory. Translation of hieroglyphics show that Egyptians believed the rings symbolized undying commitment and eternal love between the couple because the circle has no beginning or end. The center opening is a door to the future. This symbolism still applies to many cultures today.
With endless designs, materials, shapes and sizes, rings are quite a big deal. People gush over it, spend crazy amount of money on it, and flaunt it for all to see. But where did it all begin, and why did societies across the globe agree that it should be worn by engaged and married couples?
Where it started: Ancient Egypt
Where it continued: Ancient Rome
It seems that grooms would present their brides with iron bands to wear. The iron symbolized steadfastness and stability. It is also believed that the Romans were the first to have their rings engraved. The ring was placed on the lucky lady’s fourth finger, which was believed to contain the vena amoris, or the vein of love, that connected to the heart. Today, of course, we know that it’s not quite medically true. However, romanticism led us to stick to the practice anyway.
The reason behind why it’s specifically worn on the left hand, is apparently that most people are right handed and so the ring would be out of harm’s way and not be as likely to get damaged.
Where it is now: Modern times
Before the onset of World War II, it was customary for only the woman to wear a ring. We’re not sure why. It could be for financial reasons, or even sexist reasons. During the war, however, some soldiers chose to wear rings their wives would give them as a reminder and symbol of commitment. A few years and few wars later, wedding ring sets became more popular among civilians as well.
Today, it’s a multimillion-dollar industry and most couples choose to both give each other rings as a symbol of love, commitment and security.
Picture: Pexels
Talk about raising the bar. This bridal couple opted for something different on their wedding day, and made a strong statement by doing a tandem deadlift at the…
Yes, Bieber fever is still a thing, and the wedding of Hailey & Justin Bieber hasn’t made it go down whatsoever. To say Hailey looked perfect on her wedding day is an absolute understatement. Her glam team pulled out all the stops and we are totally here for it. We break down how to achieve the Hailey Bieber bridal beauty look with a few simple steps.
Overall, Hailey had a make-up look that just added to her features instead of overpowering one another, and we are obsessed. Make-up artist to the stars, Denika Bedrossian, opted for subtle and natural glam to bring out her best features.
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Natural glowing skin
Before you can start with foundation and all the added extras, your skin needs to be well cleansed and moisturised. This means cleansing with a gentle cleanser and following it up with a moisturiser with an added hit of hydration. Also, try to go for monthly facials leading up to the wedding to deeply cleanse and promote blood circulation for a healthy, believable glow.
We recommend: Nuxe Comforting Cleansing Milk R260
Nude glossy lip
The glossy nude lip is a staple classic and totally tied the whole make-up look together, making it extremely wearable.
We recommend: MAC Cremesheen Glass in Deelight R295
Fluffy brows
Precisely defined brows are no longer top of the list as natural and fluffy are now the way to go. Hailey’s well-groomed brows were full, yet still subtly defined. Try using a brow setting gel with just a hint of colour to hold the hairs in place.
We recommend: Benefit 3D Browtones R375
Fluttery lashes
Lengthy, fluttery lashes are enviably romantic and utterly flirtatious. Make-up artist Denika used a defining and lengthening mascara to achieve this. Make sure it’s waterproof to ensure those inevitable waterworks don’t ruin your make-up.
We recommend: Lancome Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara R360
Subtle eyes
Neutral was the name of the game with this entire make-up look and using subtle pink shades with brown and warmer undertones most certainly created a softness to the eye and added that romantic glam. There was also no dramatic cat eye, with Denika opting for a non-winged eyeliner to just define the eye less harshly.
We recommend: Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette R860
By Yashna Balwanth
Feature image: Instagram / Denika Bedrossian
Edward Scissorhands. Beetlejuice. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Corpse Bride. All of these films are classic Halloween-time viewing that come from the mind of the unique writer and director,…
Celebrities are fickle creatures. We’ve seen Kim Kardashian get divorced after a 72-day marriage, and Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson marry not once, not twice, but three times. Clearly, most celebrity marriages have a shelf life.
However, these lucky few famed families have managed to make their marriages last. Here are some of the longest celebrity marriages.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne: 37 years
This eccentric couple wed in Maui in 1982, and have been rocking together ever since. We came to know them on a more personal level with their popular MTV reality show, The Osbournes. Their children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly, also starred in the show that detailed their wild and crazy lives.
Their marriage has not been easy, as the Black Sabbath star has battled with drug-related issues for years. They briefly separated in 2016 after it was discovered that Ozzy had an affair, but the couple ultimately decided to stay together.
“There’s no other woman I really want to spend the rest of my life with,” said Ozzy in an interview. “You make a mistake and you learn by it.”
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Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn: 36 years
This couple’s long-term relationship has spawned three decades and a big, blended family. They first met in 1966 whilst filming The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. However, they were very young at the time and only began dating in 1983 whilst filming Swing Shift. Their first date was a memorable one, as they almost got arrested after breaking into a home Hawn had recently purchased because she didn’t have the key. Luckily, it all seemed to have worked out in their favour.
The couple have been together ever since, and have one child, Wyatt, together. Both have children from previous marriages. Hawn is mother to Kate and Oliver Hudson, both accomplished actors, and Russell has another son called Boston.
On their decision not to marry, Hawn explains that she doesn’t see a need. “We have done just perfectly without marrying,” Hawn said in an interview. “I already feel devoted and isn’t that what marriage is supposed to do? So as long as my emotional state is in a state of devotion, honesty, caring, and loving, then we’re fine. We have raised our children brilliantly; they are beautiful people. We did a great job there and we didn’t have to get married to do that. I like waking up every day and seeing that he is there and knowing that I have a choice. There is really no reason to marry.”
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Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: 31 years
This loved-up pair are one of Hollywood’s favourite couples, and for good reason. They met on set of the ABC TV series, Bosom Buddies, back in the ’80s, but Hanks had been pining after his future bride long before then. Her guest appearance in The Brady Bunch caught Hank’s eye, but he didn’t act on his feeling for years.
After being friends for a while, they went public with their relationship in 1986 and tied the knot in 1988. They have two sons together, Chester and Truman. Hanks has children Colin and Elizabeth from his previous marriage.
“The success of our relationship was a matter of timing, maturity, and our willingness to have an intimate connection,” Hanks told Oprah. “I won’t deny that providence was part of us finding each other, but our relationship isn’t magic—the way it’s shown in movies. In real life, our connection is as concrete as me sitting here. Not that marriage doesn’t come close to being hell in a handbasket sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we’ll be with each other—and we’ll get through it.”
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Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick: 31 years
This couple has been working together just as long as they’ve been married. Technically, they first met when Sedgwick, 12, approached Bacon, 19, to tell him she enjoyed his performance in a show she had recently seen him in. By 1997, when they had their second introduction on the set of their TV movie Lemon Sky, Sedgewick had begun an acting career of her own and Bacon was living in post-Footloose stardom. Whilst she thought of him as a jerk, Bacon was instantly besotted.
They began dating later that year, and married in 1998. They quickly welcomed children Travis and Sosie Bacon into the world. Sedgewick advises that couples make their relationship a priority.
“I feel the primary relationship has to be the mother and the father, and then it can be the kids,” Sedgwick explained to Redbook. “Of course the kids come first in planning your life, but it’s incredibly important to keep your relationship as a couple strong and make time for it. It’s the foundation on which everything is built. Kids should know that your needs are important, because if they think your happiness lies only in them, that’s a lot of pressure on them.”
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John Travolta & Kelly Preston: 28 years
Travolta and Preston met in 1989, but only began dating a year later. They married in 1991 while Preston was pregnant with their first child, Jett. They welcomed their second child, Ella, in 2000. However, tragedy struck in 2009 when the couple lost their first born who died from a seizure whilst on a family holiday in the Bahamas. The family tried to find joy again, and welcomed son Benjamin to the world in 2011.
The couple celebrated their 28 year anniversary this year, and took to Twitter to express their love for each other.
“You have given me hope when I have felt lost, loved me patiently and unconditionally… made me laugh harder than any other human being possible… shared the most beautiful highs and at times lows.” Preston wrote in an Instagram post.”You’re a dream Daddio and make life so much fun!! I trust my love with you implicitly… with you I know I will always be okay no matter what happens… I love you forever and completely. Happy 28th Anniversary.”
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Annette Bening & Warren Beatty: 27 years
Once one of Hollywood’s most legendary bachelors, Warren Beatty changed his ways after meeting Annette Bening. The pair met after Beatty cast Bening in his 1991 film Bugsy. There was an instant attraction, and soon after filming, the couple began dating. They married in 1992, and share four children: Stephen Ira, Benjamin, Isabel and Ella.
Of their relationship, Beatty has said, “It didn’t really surprise me, I always felt I wasn’t trying to avoid marriage, I was trying to avoid divorce. I had no doubt when I met Annette that it was time to get married.”
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick: 22 years
The famed actors met in 1991, following SJP’s highly public relationship with Robert Downey Jr came to an end. But it was months later that Broderick would have the courage to ask her out. They began dating in 1992 and married five years later in 1997 in a surprise wedding. Their 100 guests didn’t even know they were attending a wedding until it started. Of course, everyone remembers SJP’s iconic black wedding dress.
They have had three children over the course of their marriage: 17-year old James Wilkie and 10-year-old twins Marion and Tabitha, whom they welcomed via surrogate.
“Relationships are hard,” SJP said in an interview. “I always felt that I wanted to invest more. I love him, and I think he’s brilliant. I’m sure I annoy him. He annoys me sometimes. I’m enormously proud of the person he is. I think the longer you can last, the more invested you just are.”
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Felicity Huffman & William H. Macy: 22 years
The Desperate Housewives star met Shameless actor William H. Macy in the early 1980s and they dated on and off for 15 years. Throughout their relationship, Macy proposed to Huffman but she always rejected him. In 1997, however, she had a change of mind, and said yes to the big question. They tied the knot later that year. Together they have daughters Sophie, 19, and Georgia, 17.
“What’s the secret? I don’t think there is a secret,” Macy told Us Weekly. “But mostly, I’m lucky. I met her, she said yes, we grew up in the theater together, we have shared interests, and she’s a good woman to her core and evolving always. And no one has ever seen me the way she sees me.”
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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: 22 years
This power couple will celebrate their 22-year wedding anniversary in December this year. They first met in 1994 when a then 19-year-old Jada auditioned to play Smith’s girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. While she din’t get the role, she ended up getting the guy. However, at the time Smith was in the process of a divorce, so the couple only officially began dating in 1995.
They married in December 1997, and quickly had their first child together, Jaden in 1998. Soon after that, they welcomed second child Willow in 2000. Smith has another son, Trey, from his first marriage.
Despite constant rumours on the state of their marriage, the Smith’s maintain that they are still together and happy.
“We refer to ourselves as life partners, where you get into that space where you realise you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life. There’s no deal breakers,” Will said in an interview. “There’s nothing she could do — ever. Nothing that would break our relationship. She has my support till death and it feels so good to get to that space.”
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David and Victoria Beckham: 20 years
The world of pop music and sports collided when the Spice Girl began dating the sports star in 1997. According to David, it was love at first sight when he saw the pop sensation in a music video for her band’s song, Say You’ll Be There. They met months later in the United players’ lounge and they quickly fell in love. They wed in 1999 in an elaborate Irish ceremony that featured a massively poofy wedding dress and matching haircuts.
Since getting married, the loved-up pair have become parents to four children: Brooklyn, Romeo; Cruz; and Harper. Their relationship has been rocked from cheating allegations over the years, but they have remained steadfast in their commitment to each other.
“Of course you make mistakes over the years, and we all know marriage is difficult at times. It’s about working through it,” David said. “We stay together because we love each other, because we have four amazing children. Do you go through tough times? Of course. That’s part of relationships. It’s part of marriages. It’s part of having children. It’s part of having responsibilities.”
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Picture: Instagram / David Beckham
Rustic weddings are a popular wedding theme choice and they are perfect for the couple who wants their wedding to have a relaxed feel. This theme makes use…
We love celebrity weddings not only for the wow-factor and all-round glamour, but for setting trends that will have us looking back at them years, and sometimes decades, later. This time, we take a look at some of the most iconic veils celebrities wore on their wedding day:
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly was the epitome of elegance in her intricately detailed veil. The veil consisted of a lace headband, covered in layers of sheer tulle with embroidered trims. It was created out of 82.29m of tulle and skimmed the actress’ elbows before dropping down to the floor. The design was covered with appliquéd lace lovebirds and thousands of seed pearls.
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Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani chose the non-traditional route and opted for a floor-length veil dipped in pink dye to match her ombré wedding dress. The ensemble was custom dip-dyed and hand-painted, designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior. The veil also featured rose patches delicately scattered at the top.
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Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger swapped the wedding dress for a white YSL smoking jacket and long skirt. Not one to stick to conventions, the traditional veil was also replaced by a sun hat draped with white tulle and trimmed with rosebuds. It is speculated that this non-traditional veil was to keep all guests’ eyes focused on her face and not her expanding midsection. At the time, she was four months pregnant with her and Jagger’s daughter, Jade.
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Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley’s wedding look was topped off with an extravagant amount of tulle and a crown. The crown was adorned with crystals, while the veil was waist-length and 3 feet long.
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Lady Diana Spencer
The People’s Princess wore an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown with a 7.62 m train and a 139m tulle veil. The veil was studded with thousands of hand-sewn sequins. The dress and veil combo has become one of the most famous bridal looks in history.
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Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka wore a Ralph Lauren designed dress that was hand-embroidered and hand-beaded with more than two million mother-of-pearl sequins sewed into it, but it was her veil that truly stole the show. A 22 m veil, that is! Chopra’s veil required assistance from five people to bring to the altar where Nick Jonas was awaiting her.
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Meghan Markle
The Duchess of Sussex wore an unforgettable Givenchy gown and a 5m veil that featured gorgeous, intricate embroidery. Adding a personal touch, her veil was embroidered specifically with the signature flowers from the British Commonwealth.
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Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt wanted their children to be heavily involved in their wedding, but Angelina took it to the next level. Colourful drawings created by the couple’s children featured on her wedding dress and veil, making it a truly unique work of art. Her wedding look was designed by Luigi Massi of Atelier Versace.
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By Larissa Vermeulen
Feature image: Instagram