Food Network star Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, and husband Jeffrey are celebrating a momentous 52 years of marriage.
Taking to social media, Garten shared a sweet throwback of the couple on their wedding day to honour the occasion.
“Fifty-two years and still having so much fun! You gave me a life I could never have dreamed of. Happy Anniversary my love. (What’s up with that cake??)”
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The pair met in 1964, when Ina was visiting her brother at Dartmouth University, which they all attended. Jeffrey marvelled at her beauty from the library window, telling a friend “Look at that girl, isn’t she beautiful?”
Funnily enough, the friend knew Ina as she was the younger sister of a friend who actually had a date with her that very night. Luckily, that date did not lead to anything more and Jeffery jumped at his chance to start something. He began writing Ina letters in the hopes they would meet one day.
Months later, the pair finally met up for their first date. Afterwards, Jeffrey continued to write to Ina almost daily.
Ina and Jeffrey tied the knot in 1968 when she was 20 and he 22. They married at her parents’ home in Connecticut.
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Since then, Jeffrey has been a major support as Garten’s culinary career blew up with her Food Network show. He often features in episodes, and has become a welcome addition to the show for many fans.
Picture: Instagram / Ina Garten
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“I do”, said the bride to her laptop. No, this isn’t a dystopian telling of our future in which robots are our new partners, it’s a reality for many separated by thousands of kilometres amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid the pandemic, some couples forced apart are still going ahead with their wedding day, albeit in a much less traditional format. If you thought Zoom weddings were novel, wait till you hear about double proxy weddings, the hot new trend in 2020.
A proxy wedding or proxy marriage is a wedding in which one or both of the individuals getting married are not physically present for the nuptials, and are represented by other people standing in for them. A double proxy wedding is when both partners are physically absent and two other people stand in for them.
This is legally permissible under certain circumstance in some parts of the world, like if one partner is enrolled in military service, imprisoned or due to travel restrictions. Importantly, this marriage is not legally recognised by most countries as common law requires both parties to be present.
Marriage by proxy was very common among nobility centuries ago. Marie Antoinette married Louis-Auguste by proxy in 1770 and French emperor Napoleon married Archduchess Marie Louise by proxy in 1810. This service became even more popular in the early 1900s in America during the war efforts.
In 2020, it has seen a resurgence thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York Times writes of Randy Nuñez and Sasha Nuñez-Carvalho, who married via double proxy in October while he was quarantining in San Diego and she was deployed in the Navy in Europe.
Proxy marriage is legal in the state of Montana and several other American states, all the couple has to do is sign their right-of-attorney over to two stand-ins who them get married for them and sign the marriage licence on their behalf with an officiant present.
The couple who stood in for the Nuñez’s, Chris and April Coen actually specialise in double proxy marriages. For $675 (about R9910), the Coens will stand in for couples wanting to to tie knot. In fact, business has grown by 400% amid the pandemic and by the end of 2020 alone they would have performed about 2500 double proxy marriages.
Picture: Pexels
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2020 has been anything but conventional, but one thing that endured was the power of love. Despite all the changes this year threw at us, many were determined to tie the knot with that special someone.
While they were not to the grand standard we are used to, there were many celebrity couples who tied the knot in 2020. Some were lucky enough to walk down the aisle before the pandemic broke out, while others restructured to celebrate in a more low-key and safe way.
Here are a few of our favourite celebrity weddings for 2020:
Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel Peters
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Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel Peters kicked off the year with a celebrity wedding to note. From their pre-wedding ‘Welcome to Africa’ cocktail dinner in the Cape winelands to their rehearsal dinner, no expense was spared. The couple’s weekend events are all planned by celebrity planner Zavion Khotze.
The pair married at the La Paris Estate in Franschhoek on January 20, 2020. South African celebrity wedding planner Zavion Khotze organised the day. The former Miss Universe wore an off-the-shoulder cowl-neck dress by Davids Bridal and Tim wore a tuxedo by Antar Levar.
According to PEOPLE, their ceremony lasted 30 minutes and was attended by 260 guests. The couple wrote their own vows.
The wedding blended South African and American wedding traditions, because their cultures are very important to the couple.
Brittany Snow and Tyler Stanaland
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The Pitch Perfect actress said ‘I do’ to longtime beau Tyler Stanaland in an intimate ceremony at Cielo Farms in Malibu, California on March 14.
Snow wore a long-sleeved wedding dress with a low back for her big day. Her hair was pinned back in a low bun and adorned with white flowers. Tyler and his groomsmen donned black tuxedos and Converse shoes.
According to reports, the bride walked down the aisle with her beloved pet pooch Billie by her side. As it rained on the day, the ceremony was moved from the lawn area to a covered terrace.
Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell
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Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell said ‘I do’ on March 25 in a small ceremony at the Australia Zoo where they all live, with no guests in attendance beside her mother and brother. Despite planning their big day for over a year, all their plans had to change amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The wedding was a meaningful moment for her family. Irwin’s mother helped her get ready, her brother walked her down the aisle and they had a special tribute to her father, Steve Irwin.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
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Almost two months after their planned wedding date, Princess Beatrice and entrepreneur Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi tied the knot in a small, private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor on Friday, July 17.
They had their closest family members in attendance, including her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of York.
For her big day, the Princess wore a stunning vintage dress by Norman Hartnell and accessorised with the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, both belonging to Her Majesty the Queen. The tiara was worn by Queen Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947.
She carried a bouquet of trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink o’hara garden roses, pink wax flower and baby pink astible. Of course, she had a sprig of myrtle in it as well to continue royal tradition.
Lily Allen and David Harbour
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Singer Lily Allen said ‘I do’ to Stranger Things star David Harbour in a secret Las Vegas ceremony on Monday, September 7.
They celebs exchanged vows at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. In true Vegas fashion, they even had an Elvis impersonator officiate the wedding. This wedding location proves popular with celebs, as both Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Ray Cyrus have tied the knot here previously.
The singer went casual with a boat neck double-breasted Dior dress and tulle veil for the nuptials. Harbour wore a simple black suit.
Picture: Instagram / Demi Tebow
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Music can make or break an event and with a party as important as your wedding, you better make sure you play the right beats.
Some songs reign supreme in the wedding world, and have done so for decades. According to data from Spotify, these songs are still on the top of the list for couples tying the knot.
Spotify recently exclusively shared with Brides their most streamed songs of 2020 at weddings and wedding-related events.
Of course, classics like “At Last” by Etta James, “Your Song” by Elton John and “Thinking out Loud” by Ed Sheeran made the playlists.
Ed Sheeran topped the list as the most globally streamed artist for weddings and related events in 2020, followed by Bruno Mars and Dan + Shay.
Top 20 Songs From Bachelorette Party-Themed Playlists:
- “Wannabe” – Spice Girls
- “Jumpin’, Jumpin”– Destiny’s Child
- “Truth Hurts”– Lizzo
- “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper
- “WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” – Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion
- “Crazy In Love (feat. Jay Z)” – Beyoncé, Jay-Z
- “We Can’t Stop” – Miley Cyrus
- “Glamorous” – Fergie, Ludacris
- “Run the World (Girls)” – Beyoncé
- “Any Man of Mine” – Shania Twain
- “SexyBack (feat. Timbaland)” – Justin Timberlake, Timbaland
- “Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)” – Lil Jon, Ludacris, Usher
- “No Scrubs” – TLC
- “Bootylicious” – Destiny’s Child
- “Buttons” – The Pussycat Dolls
- “Get Low” – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, Ying Yang Twins
- “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – Whitney Houston
- “Fancy” – Charli XCX, Iggy Azalea
- “Super Bass” – Nicki Minaj
- “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – Beyoncé
Top Songs From Bachelor Party-Themed Playlists:
- “Post Malone (feat. RANI)” – RANI, Sam Feldt
- “Shotgun (The Wild Remix)” – George Ezra, The Wild
- “Higher Love” – Kygo, Whitney Houston
- “Body” – Brando, Loud Luxury
- “Wow.” – Post Malone
- “South of the Border (feat. Camila Cabello & Cardi B) – Cheat Codes Remix” – Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Cheat Codes, Ed Sheeran
- “Ride It – Jonas Blue Remix” – Jonas Blue, Regard
- “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
- “SICKO MODE – Skrillex Remix” – Skrillex, Travis Scott
- “I Don’t Care (with Justin Bieber) – Loud Luxury Remix” – Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Loud Luxury
- “Insomnia – King Arthur Remix” – Daya, King Arthur
- “High Hopes – Don Diablo Remix” – Don Diablo, Panic! At The Disco
- “SOS (feat. Aloe Blacc)” – Aloe Blacc, Avicii
- “The Rhythm of the Night” – Corona, Sean Finn
- “Better Now” – Post Malone
- “Ni**as In Paris” – JAY-Z, Kanye West
- “Low (feat. T-Pain)” – Low (feat. T-Pain)
- “Old Town Road – Diplo Remix” – Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, Lil Nas X
- “Sweet but Psycho – Morgan Page Dance Remix” – Ava Max, Morgan Page
- “Everytime We Touch – Radio Edit” – Cascada
Top 20 Most Streamed Songs in Father & Daughter-Themed Playlists:
- “Father and Daughter” – Paul Simon
- “I Loved Her First” – Heartland
- “You Are My Sunshine” – Johnny Cash
- “Wildflowers” – Tom Petty
- “My Little Girl” – Tim McGraw
- “Sweet Pea” – Amos Lee
- “Daughters” – John Mayer
- “First Man” – Camila Cabello
- “My Wish” – Rascal Flatts
- “Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac
- “Butterfly Kisses” – Bob Carlisle
- “Don’t Blink” – Kenny Chesney
- “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” – Darius Rucker
- “Fathers and Daughters” – Kristin Chenoweth
- “You’ll Be In My Heart” – Phil Collins
- “Daddy’s Little Girl” – Michael Bolton
- “The Way You Look Tonight” – Frank Sinatra
- “Daddy Dance with Me” – Krystal Keith
- “Lights” – Journey
- “God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
Top 20 Most Streamed Songs in First Dance-Themed Playlists:
- “Conversations in the Dark” – John Legend
- “You Are the Best Thing” – Ray LaMontagne
- “Yours – Wedding Edition” – Russell Dickerson
- “Beyond” – Leon Bridges
- “At Last” – Etta James
- “Can’t Help Falling in Love” – Haley Reinhart
- “Marry Me” – Train
- “How Would You Feel (Paean)” – Ed Sheeran
- “Thinking out Loud” – Ed Sheeran
- “Greatest Love Story” – LANCO
- “How Long Will I Love You – Bonus Track” –Ellie Goulding
- “From the Ground Up” –Dan + Shay
- “Speechless” –Dan + Shay
- “Perfect” –Ed Sheeran
- “I Won’t Give Up” –Jason Mraz
- “Everything” –Michael Bublé
- “Say You Won’t Let Go” –James Arthur
- “Then” –Brad Paisley
- “I Don’t Dance” – Lee Brice
- “Your Song” – Elton John
Picture: Unsplash