The Pont des Arts in Paris is commonly known by it’s other name, the Love Lock Bridge. People from around the world have flocked to this site to immortalise their love for their partner by clipping a padlock on the railing and throwing the key into the Seine river below.
Love lock bridges are not exclusive to Paris but are found around the globe. According to City Wonders, the first love lock bridge was actually in Hungary.
The urban legend of how the concept of love lock bridges started dates back to World War 1. The story goes that a woman who lost her love during the war began placing padlocks on the bridges where they would meet. The locks were symbolic of her unbreakable love.
In Paris, people had been placing padlocks on the Pont des Arts since 2008. Unfortunately though, the weight of all the locks began causing structural damage to the bridge. By 2015, city officials removed all the locks from the bridge to prevent the bridge from collapsing.
Paris has also put an official ban on placing locks on bridges. Of course this hasn’t really stopped people from doing it anyway.
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For decades, kitchen teas, bachelorettes, and bachelors have been celebrated separately, but modern couples are rewriting the rules. Over the past few years, the idea of hosting a…
Now that you’ve got the ring, you’ve said yes, and you’ve spread your great news, it’s time to celebrate! Your engagement party is the first of many celebrations to come before the wedding in which you get to honour your relationship. You’ll definitely want to start your wedding journey off with a bang.
While some may opt for the traditional engagement party, others may want to spice things up a bit. Since an engagement party is a celebration of the couple, it should reflect their personalities, right?
Here are some fun engagement party ideas to get your imagination flowing:
– Classy back yard picnic
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– Garden dinner
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– Wine and cheese tasting
– Casino party
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– At home silent disco
– Glamping for a night
– A bonfire at the beach
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– Dress up/themed party
– Backyard movie night
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– Cocktail party
– Sunset cruise
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– Build-your-own pizza night
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– Pool party
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Bonus:
– Tribute to your first date
If you did something exciting on your first date or ate some great food, try to incorporate that into the party. If you went to a certain restaurant, perhaps you could host the party there. Maybe you went to a carnival – you could either have all your guest join you at another carnival, or you could have a carnival themed party.
ALSO SEE: Busted! 5 Common engagement ring myths debunked
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When crafting your perfect bridal look, it’s important to stay true to yourself and your values. For a Muslim bride who chooses to wear a hijab, this is…
Zesty, pretty and totally wedding-ready, these lemon mojito lollipops are the perfect addition to any celebration. Pop them into jars, scatter them across the snack table, or gift them as fun take-home treats. If you’re after wedding favour ideas that are cute, refreshing and budget-friendly, this recipe ticks every box.
Recipe
Serves: Makes 9
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
10 mint leaves
2 lemons, thinly sliced; some
slices halved
220g sugar
120g liquid glucose
60ml (4 tbsp) soda water
1,25ml (¼ tsp) mint extract (find at
baking supply stores)
80ml (1/3 cup) white rum
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat and grease with non-stick cooking spray. Place 3 different-sized (8cm-, 7cm and 5cm-diameter) round cookie cutters on the lined tray and grease them with non-stick cooking spray too. Position a wooden ice lolly stick underneath each cookie cutter to form the lollies’ handles, and arrange the lemon slices and mint leaves inside the cutters, as desired.
- Heat the sugar, liquid glucose and soda water in a saucepan over medium heat, allow to simmer until the sugar has melted, then increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, 15 minutes or until the mixture reaches 120°C on a sugar thermometer.
- Stir in the mint extract and white rum, and boil, 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool down slightly to break down the bubbles.
- Working quickly, drizzle up to 30ml (2 tbsp) syrup into each prepared cookie cutter, covering the mint leaves and lemon slices. Allow the mojito lollipops to set completely on the lined tray, about 10 minutes. Lift the cookie cutters, remove the lollipops and set the lollipops aside, standing them upright in a jar. Repeat these steps with the remaining syrup, re-greasing the moulds and adding the lolly sticks each time. (If the syrup hardens during the process, simply return it to the heat to melt.)
ALSO SEE: Embracing Moody Jewel Tones for South African Weddings
Color & Mood Shifts: Embracing Moody Jewel Tones for South African Weddings
Recipe from Food&Home.
For years, Venus Williams has been fiercely private, letting her legendary tennis career speak louder than her personal life. But last week, the five-time Wimbledon champion treated fans…
You don’t have to sit on a hill and meditate to de-stress. Although that’s exactly what you’ll want to do after haggling with wedding vendors and explaining to your uncle (second-removed) why he isn’t sitting at the main family table.
Whether you’re planning your wedding or meandering through life, making sure that you indulge in self-care is oh-so-important. But with so many things happening in the background, it’s pretty easy to let things slip through the cracks.
To keep you on track and remind you to incorporate self-care tasks – no matter how small – into your routine as you go about your wedding planning, here are a few things we hope you won’t let take a backseat:
Eat Up
For some reason, brides feel the need to go on crazy fad diets in order to lose weight to fit into their wedding dress, but no bride wants to look like a completely different person when looking back at their wedding photos. And no one wants to feel hungry all the time. Nutrition is such a major component when it comes to self-care and is the key to our mental and physical well-being. Skip the fads and stick to a balanced diet that hit those targeted food groups – veggies, proteins, and all the wholesome goodness.
It’s all mental
When our cortisol levels are constantly elevated (thanks, stress) our mental health tends to take a backseat. While there’s a certain level of stress and anxiety that comes with wedding planning, if you feel that it’s affecting your mood and it’s gone beyond just “a bad day,” do not ignore such a big sign. Take advantage of the resources available to you, whether that be meditation apps, breathwork retreats, talk therapy or a break away from wedding planning. Follow your intuition.
Get your heart pumping
Now, we understand that your Significant Other is more than enough when it comes to getting your heart pumping and skipping beats, but sometimes you need a little more. Exercise is an excellent way to de-stress, so make sure that you get sweating. Take it easy with yoga or pilates, or really push things to the limit with some incredible workouts like CrossFit.
If you feel yourself checking your schedule and watch, why not keep things simple by going for post-dinner walks. This is also a great way to get those endorphins going and connect with your partner as the big day approaches.
It’s okay to relax
When you’re juggling work, a social life and wedding planning, it can be difficult to find the time to let go and relax. Release your grip on the reins and indulge in activities that will allow your stress to melt away. Think; movie nights, coffee dates (minus wedding talk), Netflix binges, naps and luxurious baths with tons of candles. Throw in a massage or two in for good measure!
Don’t forget those around you
During the hustle and bustle that is wedding planning, you can sometimes forget about those closest to you. Decompress by spending some quality time with friends and family, doing things that are completely unrelated to your wedding. Sunday dinners with family and Saturday brunches with friends – now that’s magic!
ALSO SEE: Relaxing bachelorette party ideas for the chilled bride
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