• Even those who seem most perfect are still able to make mistakes. Similarly, while celebrity weddings always seem to go off without a hitch, there are often unexpected disasters and surprises.

    Celebrities are not immune to mishaps. Bad weather doesn’t avoid the rich and famous, and neither does nerves.

    If you’re wondering how this could be possible, we promise it is. We have proof. Here are some celebrity wedding disasters, to show you that these things happen!

    Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson

    At their 2014 wedding, nerves ran high. Simpson was so overwhelmed with the nerves, that she said the wrong name during their wedding ceremony! Instead of pledging her everlasting love to love to her husband, she said her own name.  The singer merely brushed it off, laughed at her mistake, and began again.

    Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie

    Have you ever had the stress-induced dream where your teeth fall out? Well, Hilary Duff experienced something similar just hours before her 2010 wedding to Mike Comrie.

    On the morning of the wedding, Duff ate a bagel. A normal thing to do. The next thing she knew, her tooth fell out!

    “I started laughing at myself and then I really burst into tears,” Duff said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As luck would have it, Duff’s wedding planner managed to get an emergency appointment with a dentist.

    Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

    The Gossip Girl actress experienced something no bride ever wants to, at her 2012 wedding to Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. Lively’s gown caught on fire!

    Speaking to Vogue, Lively said, “Florence Welch was singing at the reception, and they brought out these sparklers, and I’m watching her sing, I look down and my wedding dress has a big burn mark from one of the sparklers. Right on the front! And it was just so heartbreaking to me.”

    According to Martha Stewart Weddings, Reynolds made the unfortunate turn of events into something sweet for Lively, when he said “Isn’t that beautiful? You’ll always remember that moment with Florence singing and the sparklers. You have that forever, right there, preserved.”

    Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.

    At their 2002 wedding in Mexico, the popular 90s couple were hit with a real disaster. A hurricane (Hurricane Hernan) forced the couple to rethink their outdoor wedding, and as their guests left Mexico after the wedding, an earthquake hit too!

    The talent manager who represented the pair at the time told People that it’s a great way to start their lives together. “All of those bigger-than-life natural events can only bode well for the marriage,” he said.

    Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild

    Another mishap where the wedding gown is the casualty. At their 2015 wedding, the train of Hilton’s wedding gown got stuck under the wheels of a car.

    Image: Unsplash

    South Africa is a top wedding destination, with many beautiful venues to choose from. From outdoor wine farm weddings to beautiful hotels with big banquet halls, there is no shortage of traditional options. For the couple with a sense of adventure, there are unique options as well.

    Here is our list of unique wedding venues to make your day stand out.

    De Hoop Nature Reserve 

     

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    Getting married outside may be cliché but there is nothing boring about having your wedding in one of the country’s most spectacular nature reserves. This is an especially good choice for nature lovers, who would welcome the singing of the area’s birds and rippling of the water alongside their ceremony.

    There are options as to where exactly in the reserve you’d like to have your wedding, so it can be tailored to your taste. Choose to say “I do” under a beautiful Fig Tree, alongside the Reserve’s 19km vlei or an indoor wedding in a rustic “shed” venue.

    The area’s pristine white sand dunes also make for a great backdrop for those important wedding photos.

    Backsberg Wine Estate 

     

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    Wine estates are not usually a particularly unique option but Backsberg offers something unlike most others, the option to get married in a cellar among the massive wine barrels. Wine lovers, this one is for you.

    Walk down the aisle as guests sit on either side as the huge old oak barrels tower over the ceremony and chandeliers give the scene a warm glow. Although pretty big, the set-up of this cellar makes for a cozier feel and more intimate ceremony.

    The Zeitz MOCAA 

     

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    Arguably the most striking building in Cape Town, the Zeitz MOCAA is a great museum wedding venue option for art and architecture lovers alike. You can have your ceremony on the roof with Table Mountain framed by the polygon windows behind you while your guests sit on the glass ceiling of the museum’s main chamber.

    Hold your reception in the dining room of the hotel’s restaurant and dine on world-class food by their chef.

    Greater Kruger National Park 

     

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    Bush weddings, while available across the country, are a truly South African choice. While many offer a wedding venue in their lodge which is beautiful, getting married right in the bush is truly unique.

    Some game reserves outside of Kruger National Park, such as Timbavati, offer the unique experience of having the ceremony outdoors in a dry riverbed on the reserve. These kind of venues get you right into the bushveld and offer the opportunity for some local wildlife to pass as you say your vows.

    Table Mountain 

     

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    This is for the venue for a true Capetonian couple as nothing is closer to the city’s heart than its mountain. The mountain boasts six different wedding venue options, both outside and inside, that look over the city from this magnificent peak.

    Guests and the wedding party will make their way up to this incredible spot on the cable car, taking in the view as they prepare to celebrate your big day. The Table Mountain function team will have whichever location you choose set up for you as well.

    Centre for the Book 

     

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    The Centre for the Book in Cape Town is an old Edwardian building which is impressive on the outside and inside. Originally built for the University of the Cape of Good Hope, it now houses the South African Library’s special collections. This makes it perfect for all those book nerds out there!

    You can host your reception here, on the lower floor surrounded by stacked, old wooden bookshelves above. This provides a very antique aesthetic feel and makes for beautiful photographs.

    It is a public space so renting it out is a bit more complicated than somewhere already geared for events.

    uShaka Marine World 

     

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    Marine lovers, this one’s for you, uShaka Marine World lets your special day take place among the sounds of the ocean. With the cool blues of the water dancing off the table and your dress, it has the ambiance built right in.

    Couples can hold their ceremony in the park’s Shipwreck Aquarium where your guests and the fish can share in your big day.

    Rovos Rail 

     

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    This venue is for those who love a bit of old-world charm and find something romantic in the idea of a train journey. Rovos Rail’s Events Train can be hired as a wedding venue replete with all the luxury you would expect.

    You can choose to hold the ceremony at the private Edwardian station after the bride makes her entrance in the private cab of a steam locomotive. The reception is then held on board the train as it makes a three-hour roundtrip journey.

    This charming option will also make you feel like you’ve had a destination wedding, without even leaving the country.

    Image:@zeitzmocaaevenets/Instagram

    The South African wedding industry has taken a hard knock amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Most vendors are unable to perform their services, meaning they don’t earn any money.

    Current regulations stipulate that social gatherings and events, such as weddings are not allowed. People may marry at Home Affairs but cannot have a wedding in the traditional sense.

    The Association of Wedding Professionals in South Africa is now taking government to court to reopen the industry.

    “The amount of employment lost at the moment, the amount of businesses closing at the moment in the wedding industry is astronomical,” Jurie Smit of the Association said in an interview with eNCA. “We just can’t keep going on as it is at the moment.”

    Smit argues that wedding venues with chapels can fall under the category of a religious institution, and venues that serve food can technically be considered restaurants, both of which are open to the public under Level 3 regulations.

    He further argues that people are having their own intimate weddings at home, regardless of regulations banning social gatherings, and that in many cases people do not follow safety and health regulations.

    He says that if they were to reopen the industry, vendors would follow social distancing and health measures.

    Feature image: Pexels

    Brooklyn Beckham and model Nicola Peltz recently got engaged. The photographer and eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham announced their big news on Saturday, July 11.

    Taking to Instagram, Beckham wrote a sweet message to his new fianceé and posted a stunning picture of the pair, taken by his little sister Harper.

    “Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes xx I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day ❤️ I love you baby xx,” he wrote on Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgN-Vel63f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Peltz shared the same image, captioning it, “you’ve made me the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side. your love is the most precious gift. I love you so so much baby and thank you harper for this pic ?”

    The family seem to have all given their seal of approval, as they all took to Instagram with well wishes for the pair. Mom Victoria wrote on Instagram, “The MOST exciting news!! We could not be happier… Wishing you so much love and a lifetime of happiness. We all love you both so much x”.

    Dad David said, “Congratulations to these two beautiful people ♥️ As they begin this exciting journey together we are so so happy for you guys.”

    Beckham and Peltz began dating in late 2019, and went ‘Instagram official’ in early January 2020. Congrats to the happy couple!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7G75mEJscX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Feature image: Instagram / Brooklyn Beckham