At the foot of the Waaihoek Mountain, situated in the beautiful Breede Valley lies Bosjes, a working Cape Dutch farm meets hotel and bistro.
A Scottish family were granted a stroke of good luck when their late matriarch’s wedding ring was found in the garden of her home, 34 years after she lost it.
Mary Cunningham passed away in 2017, and is survived by son Phil Cunningham and daughter Laura Cunningham-Brown. She married her husband Jack in 1950 and had worn her wedding band ever since. Unfortunately, she lost her ring in 1986.
Fast forward 34 years, the new owners of Mary’s home happened upon the gold band in their garden, reports South West News Service (SWNS). They had been digging a new patio in their yard when they discovered the ring sitting in the mud. They then tracked down Phil to return the ring, to his complete surprise.
“We are all really thrilled, it totally came out of the blue. Such a lot has happened since she lost the ring, I had kind of forgotten about it. She saw the inscription and knew my mum’s name was Mary so tracked us down,” Phil told SWNS.
The return came soon after the family marked the three-year anniversary of Mary’s passing, making it even more emotional. Phil said that his mother would have been so happy to know the ring was back with the family after so long.
Phil’s sister Laura now proudly wears the ring.
Picture: Pexels
It’s easy to think that popular bridal fashion, including makeup, attire, accessories and more is the same everywhere. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Across the…
As far as love stories go, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka’s definitely rank on our list of favourites. Starting with a chance encounter and ending in happily ever after, one might echo the famous character Barney Stinson’s sentiments and call it legen-(wait for it)-DARY.
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At the time that the pair met, Harris was sure he’d be alone forever. In an interview with Out magazine, he said, “I remember being in my mid-twenties, lying in bed thinking… that the rest of my life would be solo.” Burtka was in a long-distance relationship at the time.
Their first meeting in 2004 is recounted differently by both men. Burtka remembers running into Harris on the streets one day, and introducing himself as he was familiar with Harris’ work. “I thought it would be nice to know him, but I didn’t think in a million years I’d start dating him,” said Burtka.
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On the other hand, Harris recounts the meeting to Out Magazine like this: “I ran into my friend Kate one day and she was with this brooding, James Dean–type guy in a leather jacket who gave me the head nod and then turned away. I assumed he was Kate’s boyfriend and said, ‘Nicely done.’ And she said, ‘David? He’s not playing on my team, but he has a boyfriend.’”
Shortly after, the pair began hanging out with each other platonically, and eventually Burtka called it quits with his long-distance partner. About a week after that, Harris and Burtka went on their first date to see Taking Lives starring Angelina Jolie. Thereafter, they quickly became inseparable.
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In 2005, after they’d officially become a couple, the pair moved to Los Angeles as Harris had landed the role of Barney Stinson in the hit show “How I met Your Mother”.
Two years later, in 2007 Burtka proposed to Harris on the street corner where they met for the first time. “We were on our way to an event at an Indian casino 45 minutes out of town in a limousine, and David wanted to stop for some reason that I didn’t quite get … And then he got on one knee and proposed, and I was so freaked out by it that I said, ‘Yes,’ but I didn’t know what it meant. Then I got the ring and loved it,” Harris told Out Magazine.
Since they hadn’t yet married, Harris proposed to Burtka the next year on Valentines Day. After two years of being engaged, the pair welcomed their twins, son Gideon Scott and daughter Harper Grace.
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Finally, in 2014, they tied the knot in a wedding ceremony in Perugia, Italy and Elton John performed. Both wore Tom Ford Tuxedos and looked amazing.
“We happily confirm that Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were married in Italy in an intimate ceremony surrounded by their close friends and family,” Harris’ representative told People magazine.
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Today, the couple are known for being fun-loving and goofy, and their Halloween outfits are particularly anticipated every year. Their love seems only to grow stronger by the year.
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Image: Intsagram / Neil Patrick Harris
In the wedding industry, lockdown has become synonymous with creativity. Everything is different than it used to be, and planning a wedding in a COVID-19 era needs more…
A divorce doesn’t seem like it would be a joyful moment. For those that go down this route, it brings an end to a relationship that was meant to last forever. For one mega-celebrity, however, her divorce appeared to be a thrilling moment.
Although it is strange to remember, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were once married. The pair met on the set of Days of Thunder and tied the knot in 1990, when Kidman was only 23 years old. They even share two adopted children: Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony.
In 2001, they officially split. Cruise was the one to file, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’, which left Kidman shocked. Speaking to People, she said, “Our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system. That was a great relationship. I think it ran its course. I was really damaged and not sure whether [love and marriage] was ever going to happen again to me.”
While we don’t know the reasons for the split, we do have these iconic images of Kidman leaving her attorney’s office after finalising the divorce. The photo has since become somewhat of a meme in pop culture, with many aspiring to the level of joy Kidman appeared to be experiencing in this moment.
While both have been incredibly tight-lipped about their breakup, Kidman has made some comments that shed a bit of life on this relationship of yesteryear.
According to the famed actress, she felt like she lived in Cruise’s shadow for the majority of their marriage as he was the bigger star at the time. This caused her to doubt herself.
“I became famous very young. I became very famous because I was the wife of somebody. I felt I became a star only by association. I didn’t think (my early movies) were very good, which is why I would always cower in the background,” she told US Weekly.
“I thought, I don’t deserve to be here. We would go to the Oscars and I would think, I’m here to support him. I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and to be seen and not heard.”
In an essay for New York Magazine, Kidman also said her marriage helped her survive in the industry.
“I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me – it was protection. I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. When I came out of it at 32, 33, it’s almost like I had to grow up.”
She also revealed that she suffered two miscarriages during the marriage.
Going Clear, an expose on the Church of Scientology, claims that the church was also a big factor in their split. According to the film, the Church of Scientology intimidated Cruise to divorce Kidman because her father is a psychologist, a practice the church does not believe in. She also reportedly tried to distance Cruise from the religion and was semi-successful until they intervened, claims the film.
Kidman has said that she will never truly speak on why they divorced out of respect for Cruise.
“I don’t want to take away from 11 years with that man that were really important. Really, for our kids — they were amidst a lot of love. It wasn’t bad. And now we’re amidst a more evolved love. I want to honour that marriage for what it was, and there is nothing I would go into about that. I have never discussed the intricacies of it and I never will,” she told People.
Since then, Kidman has found love again with country singer Keith Urban. They married in 2006 and they share two children together: Sunday Rose born naturally in 2008, and Faith Margaret born in 2011 via surrogate.
Her career rose to new heights following the split. She won a Golden Globe for her role in Moulin Rouge in 2002, and an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for her starring role in Hours in 2003. Her most recent hit Big Little Lies is much-loved by critics, and she’s won many awards for it.
Cruise went on to marry actress Katie Holmes in 2006, and they share daughter Suri who was born the same year. They divorced in 2012.
Feature image: Pinterest
When we hear the phrase “your future is written in the cards”, we never expect it to be very literal. However, for this couple it was. A man…
Breathtaking architecture and serene surroundings combine to create one of the most popular South African wedding venues: Bosjes.
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Couples have fallen in love with Bosjes since it was opened to the public in 2016, and it’s clear to see why. The glass-walled chapel features a unique curved roof, making it appear as it the building rests on the body of water. It was designed by Steyn Studio and is inspired by Psalm 36:7
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Couples wanting to host their wedding at this Avante-garde venue will have to restrict their guest list. Bosjes can only accommodate a maximum of 100 guests.
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The price of booking this iconic venue includes the use of the chapel, Bosjes Kombuis and gardens, as well as private use of Die Skuur Guesthouse for two nights for a maximum of 13 guests, among other perks.
For details on hosting your wedding here, read all about Bosjes’s wedding package: Wedding-Package-March-2020-Feb-2021
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Feature image: Instagram / home_chef_tang