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In Advice

Black wedding cakes that aren’t morbid

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Black is the new black. Symbolic of sophistication and power, black is a bold colour perfect for the couple wanting to make a statement. While black may seem morbid to some, there are so many ways to incorporate this rich hue into your big day that don’t appear gothic.

Take inspiration from these dark treats:

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Feature image: Pexels

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In Flowers

The strange origins of the garter and bouquet toss

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A sign of good fortune, catching the bridal bouquet or garter predicts that the recipient will be the next person to get married. But have you ever wondered where this tradition comes from? Turns out, they have an incredibly odd origin story…

You know the scene: the emcee calls all the single ladies to the dance floor for the traditional bouquet toss. Bridesmaids and guests jostle each other in preparation of the momentous occasion. The bride turns her back on her guests and hurls the bouquet, causing eager women to leap into a frenzy to catch the floral arrangement. It’s a fun, lighthearted moment during ones big day. However, it wasn’t always that way.

Back in the day – medieval England to be exact – wedding guests were desperate to have a piece of the bride, literally. Wedding dresses were seen as positive signs of fertility and good luck, so obviously everyone wanted to get their hands on one. After the wedding, guests would clamour around the bride and rip pieces of her gown off her body as a keepsake. Guests in those days were pretty intense and would even follow the newlyweds into their bridal chamber and egg them on as they prepared to consummate the marriage. Yes, really. Understandably, newlyweds weren’t really into this.  To ward them off, the bride would hurl her bouquet into the crowd as a distraction before she made a quick exit with the groom.

The garter was a popular piece guests aimed to grab from the bride. After the newlyweds consummated the marriage, the groom would toss the garter to the waiting crowd as proof that the deed was done. This piece of lingerie thus came to symbolise fertility and good fortune.

In the 1919 book, “Wedding Customs Then and Now”, Carl Holliday writes, “The bridesmaids start with the weary bride to the wedding chamber when suddenly the cry arises, ‘Get her garter’… If the woman has been thoughtful, she has fastened it loosely to the bottom of her dress so that it drags in plain view of the scrambling ruffians; if she has not been a wise virgin, she may find her clothes in rags after the struggle.”

Luckily, times have changed. Although I don’t know if a groom lunging underneath a skirt to retrieve the garter with his teeth makes this tradition any better. Think of the children…

Image: Pexels

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In Advice

Princess gowns fit for royalty

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For a modern day fairytale dress, look no further than the princess gown. With a full and flowing skirt, this dress style is wonderfully whimsical and romantic.

Princess gowns are the most traditional of the silhouettes, often considered the most romantic and feminine due to its fairytale-esque shape. Join the ranks of famous brides like Mariah Carey, Serena Williams and Diana, Princess of Wales by choosing this style.

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In Advice

Trending in bridal beauty: soft glam

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Give good face with the new makeup trend sweeping the beauty industry: soft glam. Romantic yet sultry, this makeup look is perfect for the bride wanting to make a subtle statement.

Soft glam gives you the drama of a bold look that is paired down to appear more relaxed. Healthy looking and dewy skin, warm-toned eyeshadow, arched eyebrows and glossy, nude lips are key characteristics to this trend. Celebrity makeup artists Hung Vann Go, Patrick Ta and Mary Phillips are experts in this makeup trend.

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The eyes are the key to this look. Think warm-toned browns, bold wined liner and a natural bushy brow. Use a matte brown in the crease and make sure to buff the shadow out towards your temples for a blown out, catlike effect. A gold-toned shimmer shade in the centre of your lid will highlight your eye to perfection.

Our pick: Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Palette in Original R179.

A natural yet full set of lashes is easily obtained with a stunning set of falsies. This will give you a flirty finish without being too overwhelming on the eye.

Our pick: Sorbet’s All Of A Flutter false eyelashes in the style ‘Loaded Lashes’ R60.

For bold and bushy brows, use a fine-tipped brow pencil with a waxy finish to create hairlike strokes. Remember to brush your hair upwards before filling them in for even greater fullness and fluffiness.

Our pick: Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil R375. 

 

For lips, your best nude lipstick will work perfectly. Give your lips a pretty pout with a clear gloss over top.

Our pick: NYX Lip Lingerie Gloss in the shade Clear R169.90.

Feature image: Unsplash

 

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In Celebs

Pinterest shadow bans plantation wedding content

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You won’t be seeing any images from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ 2012 nuptials on Pinterest and The Knot anymore. The prominent websites joined other platforms taking a stand by placing a shadow ban on all images relating to plantation weddings.

Pinterest, The Knot Worldwide, Brides and Zola recently announced that they would be making changes to their platform that would restrict all references to plantations, as well as any language attempting to romanticise these locations as wedding venues.

Those searching for such content will receive a notification that the images may violate Pinterest’s policies. The sites will no longer work with vendors that are plantations or attempt to romantacise such locations.

This means that images from Ryan Reynold’s and Blake Lively’s 2012 wedding held at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, have now been shadow banned from these popular sites.

This move is in response to a campaign led by racial justice organization, Color of Change, who argued that the weddng industry was glamorising and capatalising sites of human rights atrocities.

“The decision to glorify plantations as nostalgic sites of celebration is not an empowering one for the Black women and justice-minded people who use your site,” Color of Change wrote to the Knot Worldwide executives. “Plantations are physical reminders of one of the most horrific human rights abuses the world has ever seen. The wedding industry routinely denies the violent conditions Black people faced under chattel slavery by promoting plantations as romantic places to marry.”

Many plantations in America thrived off slave labour and became places of human rights abuse for the people forced into these demeaning positions. As such, they’ve become painful reminders of a dark and sordid history for many African Americans who descended from such slaves.

“Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Plantations represent none of those things,” said a Pinterest spokesperson. “We are working to limit the distribution of this content and accounts across our platform, and continue to not accept advertisements for them.”

“We want to make sure we’re serving all our couples and that they don’t feel in any way discriminated against,” The Knot’s chief marketing officer Dhanusha Sivajee told Buzzfeed News.

Image: Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

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In Announcements

Couple propose to each other simultaneously

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We’ve heard of couples being in sync, but this one takes the cake. This beautiful couple both felt it was time to get hitched, and ended up proposing to each other at the same time!

Caitlin Mullins and Annie Fox from Georgia have been together for years, and each spent weeks planning separate proposals for the other without their partner knowing. During a romantic hike to the highest peak in Georgia, Brasstown Bald, Caitlin got down on one knee to propose to her girlfriend. Little did she know, Annie had the same exact idea.

“I had absolutely no idea,” Caitlin told Metro UK. “I’d been planning the proposal for a while. I thought I was been sneaky, going out on a hike to see the sunset. I was incredibly shocked when Annie pulled out a ring too. She had no idea.”

They plan on saying ‘I do’ in 2020 at the same place they got engaged. Congrats to the happy couple!

Image: Metro UK

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In Announcements

Biggest celebrity engagements of 2019

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The year of 2019 has been a wild ride. We’ve seen ‘Old Town Road’ claim the charts for far too many weeks, Game of Thrones finally came to an end (and ruined the entire show but we’re not talking about that), and a host of our favourite celebrities got engaged.

Before we usher in the new decade, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest, most exciting celebrity engagements of 2019.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

Back in March, the baseball star proposed to Jenny from the Block with a whopping 16-carat diamond ring estimated to cost somewhere between $1 million and $4.5 million.

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Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom

The Pirates of the Carribbean actor proposed to his California Girl On Valentines Day, presenting her with a unique flower-shaped diamond ring.

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Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

South Africa’s very own Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters captured the heart of American footballer Tim Tebow, and they got engaged in January 2019. Zavion Khotze will be planning the wedding, so you know it’s going to be stunning.

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Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Who doesn’t love a royal wedding? Back in September, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Princess Beatrice is engaged to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The wedding will take place in 2020.

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Cassie and Alex Fine

This couple has had a whirlwind romance. They began dating in late 2018, announced that they are expecting a child in June 2019, and got engaged in August. Their engagement, however, was short lived, and they wed in an intimate ceremony on September 25, a month and one day after they got engaged.

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Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams

The Modern Family actress and Bachelorette alum have been giving us ultimate #couplegoals ever since they got together back in 2017 through the power of social media. They became engaged in July, proving that there is indeed love after The Bachelorette.

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Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost

The traditionally private couple got engaged back in May when the Saturday Night Live writer and actor proposed to the Black Widow star with an 11-carat diamond engagement ring worth approximately $400,000.

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Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma

She’ll always be Lizzie McGuire to us, but now she’s all grown up and getting married! Duff became engaged to her singer-songwriter boyfriend, Matthew Koma, in May. The pair became parents to their first child together (and Duff’s second) in October 2018.

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Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger

After just a few months of dating, one of Hollywood’s favourite Chris’s popped the question to Katherine, daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Of course, she said yes. The couple surprised us yet again by getting married in June in an intimate ceremony in Montecito, California.

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Image: Instagram / Jennifer Lopez

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In Advice

Elegant dresses for the minimalist bride

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As a bride, your wedding dress is your choice. Many of today’s brides follow the ‘bigger is better’ motto. Gowns are glamorously adorned with beads, feathers, tulle and lace to create a dramatic and dynamic finish. But many others are more attracted to the simple side of life.

If you’re not one for flounces and fancies, a minimalist dress might just be the one for you. Clean lines and simplistic designs allow focus to be on the bride rather than the outfit.

Take inspiration from these understated yet bold gowns.

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Image: Unsplash

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In Advice

How to keep your (soon-to-be) family-in-law happy

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So you’re engaged, and although it’s an exciting and thrilling time for both you and your significant other, conflict is bound to arise, often in the form of your soon-to-be family-in-law. Some cases may be worse than others, but we’d like to help you lessen the load. Read on for some practical tips and thoughts on how to keep them happy, and, appropriately involved.

Acceptance

First of all, you need to make peace with the fact that your wedding planning journey will come with a fair share of stress, drama and mishaps, but all of this could be managed easily by not stressing about the things you cannot change. That goes for the family you’re marrying into as well. If you’ve known the person you’re marrying for a good amount of time, you probably know their family too – including their habits and preferences. Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean those things will change, so make it easier for yourself by making peace with it – you’d want your S.O to do the same for you.

You marry the family, too.

That said, your new spouse’s family is accepting a new member into theirs, as your family is too, so be mindful about including them in the planning process. Your wedding is a celebration of not only two people coming together, but two families uniting, so they need to feel that their opinions matter too. This doesn’t mean that you have to take every suggestion they make to heart, but they’ll feel much more included if you make an effort to hear them out and make some compromises.

Take a stand

Sometimes, keeping the peace means taking a stand. It’s extremely difficult to avoid hurting the feelings of someone who simply wants to help, but sometimes their need to help is greater than your need for it. Don’t allow yourself to get into a situation too deep before realising that you’re allowing things to happen that will ultimately make you unhappy. Say no when you need to, but explain your feelings and reasoning behind it so that a mutual understanding can be reached.

Same page

You and your S.O absolutely need to be on the same page when it comes to making the decisions in your planning process. This will allow you to adequately explain your reasoning to your families, without throwing anyone under the bus. However, if your parents are paying for some parts of the wedding, you need to be on the same page with them too. Be open about what you want, your visions and expectations to avoid unnecessary conflict, especially if you’re not the one paying for it.

Lessen the load

Just because it’s your wedding doesn’t mean you have to plan, take care of and do everything. Make your vision clear and allow your mother-in-law, father-in-law or whoever-in-law to help you out with making calls, DIY projects, collections or whatever it is you may need. This will allow them to feel involved, but not in an overwhelming way where they have the ability to make decisions for you. However, looking at the other side of the spectrum could be just as tricky. Maybe your father-in-law is great at building things with his hands, but up until now you haven’t been getting along that well. Take the plunge and ask him for help with your DIY projects – it might be the starting point for the relationship you’ve been looking for.

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In Accessories

Curly hairstyles for your big day

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Anyone with curly hair knows it can be temperamental. If you’ve decided to rock your natural texture on your big day, fear not. The joy of curly hair is that is it can be anything it wants to be.

There are a wide variety of creative curly hairstyles to choose from. Whether you’r rocking locks, braids, a ‘fro or your wash ‘n go, we’ve got styles to suit everyone.

Shining star:

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Relaxed updo:

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Romantic faux-hawk:

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Sleek simplicity:

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Locked and loaded:

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Chic chignon:

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Fantastic ‘fro:

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Textured twists:

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Brilliant braids:

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Crowning glory:

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