Before your beau went done on one knee and decided to pop the question, you always had a clear idea of how you would look on your wedding day.
Mermaid dress, dewy makeup, and hair tied back. But sometimes reality is far more chaotic than fantasy, and you may now find yourself frustrated at the fact that the dress, make-up and hairstyle you’ve always wanted isn’t exactly what you want now.
A great thing about planning your wedding in today’s social media-obsessed world is that inspiration is simply a click away. Don’t believe us? Check out these inspiring Instagram accounts for the perfect bridal hair and make-up straight from the pros:
Veiled Vanity Artistry
Simple, elegant and perfect for brides looking to achieve a look that’s effortless.
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Page Beauty
Perfect for brides who have spent years scrolling through high fashion magazines such as Vogue. Emphasis on high fashion.
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April Foster Bridal
Self-described as “sophisticated, classy and cool” – that’s exactly what you’ll get!
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Fiore Beauty
It’s the perfect Instagram account for brides looking to add a feminine and classic touch to their big day.
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The Queens Bees
We want bold, we want beautiful, we want chic! This Instagram account is all that and more.
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Natalia Issa
Who doesn’t want to feel like a princess on their wedding day? Beautiful and bold inspiration is exactly what you’ll get when checking out this Instagram account.
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Ana Matanovic
You want that je ne sais quois! That local flavour infused with an international aesthetic – Ana Matanovic has you covered.
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Shauna Elizabeth
Effortless and ready to take on the aisle!
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Feature Image: Ana Matanovic
You’re looking for the perfect spot to pop the question (or you keep imagining the magical place that will serve as your proposal setting, soon to be hinted…
It’s time to ring in your recent nuptials with a heavenly honeymoon. If you’re a super-fan of a particular show, why not make your getaway an extra special trip by visiting their filming locations? Even if you haven’t seen these shows, these destinations promise memorable moments with your love.
Dubrovnik, Croatia – Game of Thrones
While many Croatian cities doubled up as filming locations for the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones, none are more famous than Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik’s old town is home to the show’s Kings Landing, capital of the mythical Seven Kingdoms. There are multiple locations throughout old town that will be immediately recognisable to GOT fans. Most famously, Queen Cersei did her walk of shame right here at the Jesuit Staircase. Scenes were also filmed on the City Walls and the West Harbour, at the entrance of the old town, where the battle of Blackwater Bay was shot.
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Niagara Falls, Canada – The Office
Considering The Office is one of the most loved TV shows of all time, this is one destination many would be thrilled at. Fan favourites Jim and Pam famously got married under the falls. After growing incredibly stressed, Jim and Pam ditch their wedding plans the day of, instead hopping aboard a ferry and getting hitched in a private ceremony officiated by the ship’s captain.
Retrace their steps by taking a ferry to the falls and visit the Hornblower. Don’t forget to end the evening with a moonlit stroll along the brightly illuminated Falls.
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Paris – Sex and the City
You’ll need little encouragement to visit the city of love and lights, but we’ll give you one anyway. Sex and the City, the iconic early-2000s show detailing the lives of four New York women, is much-loved by fans. While Carrie and the girls call New York home, she found herself glamorously living in Paris in the final season. Channel your inner Carrie and Big with a romantic trip to Paris. Make sure to stop off at the Plaza Athénée where she stayed, and take a romantic stroll on Le Pont Des Arts, the Lovers Bridge, where Carrie and Big famously reunited.
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New York – Gossip Girl / Friends
The Big Apple is full of filming locations open to the public. Fan-favourite Gossip Girl had every viewer wishing they could live in the upper West Side. For most of us, our closest bet to living their glamorous lives is by is visiting the filming locations. From the Palace Hotel where it-girl Serena Van der Woodsen lived to the steps of the Met where the girls of Constance would congregate, you will love living it up in New York. Xoxo, Gossip Girl.
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California – American Horror Story
Take a trip to California for a spooky spin on your honeymoon. Los Angeles is home to an incredibly famous, and incredibly eerie, house. The Alfred Rosenheim Mansion, or Murder House as American Horror Story (AHS) fans know it, is actually a popular filming location, having appeared in Spider-Man and Seabiscuit. Other notable filming locations you can visit include Cecil Hotel, which appeared in season 5, and Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana, home to Briarcliff Asylum in Season Two.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAQoSMkiAXz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
England – Downton Abbey & The Crown
Fans or Downton Abbey and The Crown will have a royal time in England. Travellers can visit central filming location, Highclere Castle, which viewers will know as Downton manor, as well as a host of other beautiful buildings featured on the show.
Lovers of the British Monarchy-centred show, The Crown, can visit Lancaster House in Westminster, which serves as the filming location for Buckingham Palace’s recreated State Rooms. Or, if you want, you can visit the real place itself and pop down to Buckingham Palace to bask in royalty.
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Image: Unsplash
Who said a bride can’t look sexy on her wedding day? One of the most important aspects of choosing a wedding dress is making sure that you feel…
When we think about that special day, amidst imaginings of how our partners will look at us adoringly, the dress that we’ll wear flawlessly after months of picking the perfect one, and the smiles on our guests’ faces as we say “I do”, we may also consider what could turn our fairytale into a nightmare.
The rings get lost, the cake topples over, or worse – you forget to put on half your wedding gown.
Well, for one digital creator, Becky Jefferies, discovering that she had forgotten half her dress behind turned out to be a reality. However, this story has a good ending and can be understood far more as a romantic comedy than a nightmare.
Just before the bride and groom-to-be were about to say their vows, Becky became aware that things were a little lighter, as the detachable Point D’Esprit portion of her gown had not been put on!
Kindly, Becky took the mic and asked the guests if she could complete her look. As anyone who has ever spent what felt like a lifetime choosing the perfect dress will know, it’s a lot of effort (both mental and physical) to finish your bridal look, and wearing only half of it is like submitting an art project without the all-important details!
Despite the slight sense of “is this really happening” evident in Becky’s demeanour, the bride’s finishings quickly made it down the aisle just in time. “I bet you’ve never been to a wedding like this before,” Becky added humorously finally ready to say her vows in the completed dress she dreamed of (though, she looked stunning either way).
WATCH: Bride forgets half her dress and realises right before the vows
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Picture: Screenshot from video
Searching for one of the best wedding destinations in the world? You may not need to travel far and wide if you’re South African, as Cape Town as…
To those on the outside, a German wedding looks quite similar to a “normal” Western “white wedding”. However, the country has several wedding traditions that we bet would surprise you.
From dancing under the bride’s veil and sawing through a log to smashing pottery, the Germans truly make their weddings a day they’ll never forget.
Here are some of the quirky wedding traditions practiced in Germany:
Junggesellenabschied
Similar to a bachelor or bachelorette party, the Junggesellenabschied sees the couple partaking in all sorts of debauchery before the wedding. Often, those soon to be wed are required to sell all sorts of odd (and sometimes suggestive) things to random people on the street. Items they sell often include shots or condoms.
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Polterabend
The night before the wedding, couples gather their loved ones for a rehearsal dinner, after which polterabend occurs. The tradition calls on the couple and their loved ones to smash pottery and porcelain items. The more shards of broken items, the more luck for the couple during their married life.
After everything is broken, the couple clean up the mess together. This is symbolic of their ability to work together, through large tasks.
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Baumstamm sägen
This custom sees the couple saw a log together. Again showing their ability to work together, and in addition, showing their collective strength, the couple each hold a side of a saw and cut through a log in tandem.
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Schleiertanz
Schleiertanz or the veil dance is a sweet tradition where the newlywed couple dances beneath the bride’s veil. After this, women who are in attendance try to rip off pieces of it. The one with the biggest piece is said to be the next one who will get married.
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Bride Shoes
One of the traditions quickly fading is the one centering around the bride’s shoes. In the past, the tradition was that a bride would buy her shoes using her own money, and only using one-cent coins. This was said to be symbolic of her ability to be thrifty.
On the day of the wedding, her shoes would go on auction. Guests would put money in the shoes, and the groom puts the last bid in and gives the shoes back to his new wife.
It is said that this tradition stopped as couples do not like putting the financial burden on their guests.
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Image: Pexels