Proposing or announcing big news at someone else’s wedding is mostly frowned upon. Then again, it really does depend on the couple getting married, as some take delight in having others celebrate their own special life events on their big day.
A Texan man proposed to his girlfriend at his sister’s wedding, and the bride was in on the whole thing.
Sierra Mcginty-Rush spent months planning the moment with her brother Solomon McGinty II. At the customary bouquet throwing during the reception, Sierra pretended to get ready to throw the flowers over her head, then turned around and gave her flowers to her brother’s girlfriend, Baylee Gillmore, instead of throwing her bouquet into the crowd.
And there Solomon was, waiting on one knee with a ring to pop the big question. The woman in question looks stunned, then a few words are exchanged and she happily says yes. They even got their cousin in on it to film the whole thing. Watch how it unfolded:
In a Facebook post, Sierra wrote: ‘Doing it at MY reception that MY coins paid for was MY idea. If you know me and my brothers relationship then you would understand why I was more excited then they were! I was nervous and trying not to cry,’ she added. ‘Sharing Saturday with him just gave us more memories,’ she said.
It’s a love story. Baby, just say yes. This bride took her idol Taylor Swift’s words to heart when she got engaged to her lover. Fast forward to their wedding day, superfan Erin Seeherman decided to honour the famous musican with a Lover– themed wedding.
Seeherman’s wildest dreams came true when Swift herself reached out to congratulate them.
Seeherman has been a Swiftie for years. In 2016, she met her future husband Moshe Berman, and their love story involved Swift from the jump. Seeherman was in the process of replicating one of Swift’s tour costumes for a Halloween costume at the time and Berman quickly came on board to assist.
Over the course of their relationship, they bonded over Seeherman’s love for Taylor Swift. So much so that Berman proposed to Seeherman at a Taylor Swift concert in 2018.
To keep the theme going, the couple knew they had to involve Swift’s music in their wedding festivities. They settled on creating a wedding theme based on Swift’s latest studio album, Lover.
Various homages to Swift decorated the wedding venue, from the Lover album art colour scheme to place cards that featured origami paper rings with paper butterflies attached.
Swift’s music played throughout the day. Seeherman walked down the aisle to Swift’s “Call It What You Want”, the very same song that played when Berman proposed to Seeherman. Their first dance was appropriately set to Swift’s ‘Lover’.
I’m sorry, but the old Erin can’t come to the Twitter right now. Why? Oh, ‘cause she’s dead. @taylorswift13, I can’t thank you enough. I have loved and supported you for years and never in my wildest dreams (see what I did there?) did I think you would ever know. ❤️ https://t.co/IkonF4bO42
— Erin Got Engaged at a Taylor Swift Concert (@swiftbunnies) November 7, 2019
Seeherman couldn’t believe her eyes when her heroine responded to her.
“I was really shocked,” she told Billboard. “I never expected her to notice the efforts we had gone to. All the effort we put into the wedding we would have done regardless of whether we thought she might notice because we – my husband now too identifies as a huge Taylor Swift fan – are such huge fans so we were happy and excited to do this, but never really had that expectation that anything would come of it or that we would get noticed.”
Image: Twitter / Erin Got Engaged at a Taylor Swift Concert
Josh and Andee Constine wanted a wild and beautiful destination wedding. So they flew their loved ones in from the US to Ireland. But it didn’t stop there. They got married at a castle and had a hawk bring them their rings. Yes, you read right!
Luttrellstown Castle outside of Dublin is an exquisite estate that offers an array of activities and also has a falconry that trains falcons and hawks.
“They’re very well-trained, and just gorgeous animals,” Josh said to Business Insider. “We really wanted to make sure it was done in a way that was safe for the animal, and that there was nothing about this that felt exploitative to them.We thought it would be something that would really set the wedding apart,” he added. “And make people think, ‘Wow, I’ve really been transported back to the medieval era’.”
Josh wore a leather falconry glove to protect his arm from the hawk’s talons.
The couple did say that they were slightly nervous about the idea that the bird might fly off with the rings and they’d never get them back. In fact, the venue does not guarantee anything and also does not take out insurance in case things go wrong! However, everything went smoothly and the rings were delivered safe and sound.
Sticking to the medieval theme, Andee gave Josh a custom sword engraved with the words: “Poetry. Love. Adventure. Honour.” They used the sword to cut the cake.
This unique couple is blazing a new path with their personalised wedding photoshoot. Right after these best buds married, they posed for a photoshoot while smoking a bong.
Marijuana is legal in California, where bride and groom Coral and Mio live. As cannabis activists, Coral and Mio knew it had to feature in their big day. At their October wedding in Santa Cruz, California, the bridal couple decided to ditch the traditional wedding photoshoot in favour of sparking up a bong and blowing the smoke at the camera. The resulting images were pretty dope.
Their bongs were custom designed to read ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’. Corals bouquet also featured hemp in it.
Photographer Rachel Artime was on hand to capture this moment. About the images, Rachel told Metro UK, “I’m really happy with the pictures. I love the smoke. It makes them look haunting and romantic in a weird way.”
“I’ve never had to photograph anything like this before. This is the most unconventional and non-traditional thing to happen at a wedding,” she continues. “Every wedding I’ve done is the most normal thing ever, so this is quite the experience to be photographing people literally smoking a blunt at their wedding. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.”
When we marry, its with the intention of being with someone forever. But for some, that forever is cut short at the blink of an eye. Such is the story of Vanessa Lanktree and her late husband and best friend, high school sweetheart Eric. Years after his passing, Vanessa honours her late husband in a touching annual photoshoot.
Canadians Vanessa and Eric met back in 2006 when they were still in high school. They fell in love, and in 2011, firefighter Eric proposed to Vanessa on Christmas Eve.
“He was my first boyfriend, my first love,” Vanessa told SWNS. “Our relationship through the years was so strong because it started so young. I had no doubt about our lives together.”
They married on September 8, 2012 in a beautiful church ceremony.
“As I walked down the aisle with my dad, Eric was bawling his eyes out,” she said. “I already knew I wanted to marry him but when I saw him crying, I thought how lucky I was.”
Credit: Vanessa Lanktree
Two years after their wedding, however, tragedy struck. Eric was killed in a head-on collision with a truck in November 2014 while he was making his way home from a vacation in Vegas. He passed away soon after the impact, before Vanessa could even make it to the hospital.
“I felt like I was the only one at that age that had lost somebody that young like their husband,” she told CBC News. “Our lives had just started — it takes time to finally feel like you’re not in a cloud anymore.”
Years later, on the day after what would have been the couple’s four year anniversary, Vanessa suddenly decided to don her wedding dress again. In her dress, she danced around her kitchen to their wedding song, Keith Urban’s “Making Memories Of Us”. Putting her dress on again was a cathartic experience, one that soon became an annual tradition.
“It has felt so good to put my dress on,” Lanktree told CBC News. “I love putting it on and just felt good and I felt good in it that day and I still feel good.”
“Grief doesn’t go away but somehow you find little things to help you cope, like putting on your dress,” she said to SWNS. “Most people get to go out with their husband for supper or a date night on their anniversary, and this is my thing that I get to do without him.”
Putting her dress on became a symbol of an incredible relationship and marriage, and a way to honour their time together. Vanessa says that she will most likely do this yearly for the rest of her life.
She has since found love again and her boyfriend, Kurtis Isbister, is very supportive. This year, he took pictures of her in her wedding dress whilst in a sunflower field.
Credit: Vanessa Linktree
Vanessa hopes that this tradition inspires others to deal with their grief and live their life to the fullest.
“Eric would have wanted me to continue on with life and find some happiness somewhere,” Lanktree said. “The thing is to somehow find a way that you can honour that person. You can still find a little bit of happiness.”
The Rugby World Cup fever overtook us all these past few weeks. One South African in particular was feeling the spirit, and made a big promise. A single Facebook post gripped the nation for days to find out how this fairytale would end.
Last week, Brian Royalson Mdunge took to Facebook and posted on the group #ImStaying to announce that he would propose if the Springboks won the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
As we know by now, the Boks won the sports competition, bringing pride to the South African nation. This also meant that Brian had to hold up his end of the bargain.
Following the win, many waited in anticipation to hear the happy news of another engaged couple. However, no news came. For days, we were left with no updates, leading to the trending of #FindBrian.
“BRIAN!!!!!!!!! HALLOOOOO!!!!!! THE NATION IS WAITING IN ANTICIPATION!!!!! You had 24 hours to man up,” one comment read.
Brian has just broken his silence, although unfortunately it was not with good news.
“Hello Mzansi sorry to keep you waiting so long, but the lady rejected my proposal in front of my friends she said she’s not ready. I’m too embarrassed,” Brian wrote in his post.
Group members have rallied to support Brian through this tough time, sending him many words of encouragement.
“I’m so sad to read this news, ” reads one comment. “But she did not altogether say No. So hang in there, should your spirit tell you she’s worth waiting for. Amen. You stay blessed. Mwaj”
“Sorry Brian … She’s not ready now, if her unreadiness has to do with you, work on that… If not, give her time… She rejected the proposal, Not you! All the best bro..” another advised.
Former SA cricket captain Graeme Smith got married on Saturday to lawyer Romy Lanfranchi, the same day the Springboks beat England in the Rugby World Cup final. Early on Saturday, though, Graeme apparently made it clear that the Bokke formed a big part of the couple’s excitement on their magic big day.
According to YOU, the couple had a little boy together in 2016 and got engaged in 2018. They each have two children from previous marriages as well.
The two got hitched at the luxurious Beloftebos Wedding Venue outside of Cape Town. Both looked glorious, with Romy wearing a strapless mermaid dress and Graeme a black suit and faded pink tie. In all their pictures, the family of 7 are smiling and laughing lovingly.
Theirs was a classic tale. Two people from different sides of the track met and fell in love. Fast forward a few years, and they have become a power couple. Siya and Rachel Kolisi share a truly South African love story, one of love with trials and tribulations. This is how it all began.
When Siya met Rachel:
Siya and Rachel met at a dinner party in Stellenbosch back in 2012. They soon became friends, but Siya always liked Rachel. He eventually plucked up the nerve to ask her out, an experience he has described as scary. “I knew I liked her and had to tell her,” he wrote on their wedding website. “It was scary. I asked her to lunch and that’s when I told her. She played hard to get in the beginning, but eventually admitted it as well. The rest is history. We have a beautiful family and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Family first:
Siya and Rachel have a big, blended family. Their first son, Nicholas Siyamthanda, was born in 2015. Their second child, daughter Keziah, was born in 2017.
Siya’s young half-siblings Liyema and Liphelo also live with the family. Siya and his siblings share a mother who unfortunately passed away in 2009, causing both Liyema and Liphelo to bounce from orphanages and foster homes for years until Siya and Rachel were financially able to adopt them in 2014.
Because of Siya’s busy schedule, Rachel left behind her career as an event manager and marketing executive to become a full-time mother to their four kids.
The couple became engaged whilst sky high. Siya popped the question during a helicopter ride over Cape Town.
They married on August 13, 2016 with a beautiful ceremony in Franschhoek that had many South African athletes and other notable attendees present, such as Aisha Baker. Top Billing was on hand to capture their journey to the aisle. Watch their wedding insert below:
Their relationship has not been without difficulties. Throughout their longterm relationship, the couple have been subject to much racial abuse from members of the public.
Rachel has also taken to social media after women have reportedly tried to interfere in her marriage. In response to a woman saying Siya was her type, Rachel tweeted,”Siya is not ‘a type’. He’s a married man responsible for four children. Just a side note. I’ve been there for all the good times. But I’ve also been there for ALL the bad times. Honestly, this should go without saying. Respect my relationship and woman to woman. Respect me.”
She has also publicly spoken out about women trying to reach out to her husband via social media, including a fitness model that sent Siya provocative photos via Instagram.
A national hero:
From his humble beginnings in Zwide township outside Port Elizabeth to representing the nation at the Rugby World Cup, Siya’s rugby journey has taken him to heights he never imagined. In 2018, Siya became South Africa’s 61st skipper and the first black African to assume the role. Most recently he led the Springboks to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and brought the trophy back home, a third time for SA. His success will certainly inspire a new generation of South African athletes.
Of course, his family was there every step of the way to cheer him on.
One thrifty bride-to-be took all her would-be wedding guests for a ride.
Apparently, she and her husband opted for a crowd-funded wedding, then cancelled the wedding after receiving over USD 30 000 (over R440 000!) and pocketed the money. Friends and family alike were outraged, and understandably so.
According to Digg, the would-be bride posted a message to a Facebook group to say that the wedding has been canelled for now, but did not provide concrete reasons why. Screenshots from her Facebook message were posted to Reddit. In the meantime, the couple plan to use the money for a “honeymoon”, after which they will supposedly reschedule the wedding. Here’s the best part: They said they will re-open the fund once the wedding had been rescheduled to welcome any further donations.
Credit: Reddit
Some guests, who have already gotten leave for the supposed wedding, were very upset and called the bride “greedy”. She responded by saying she felt attacked, and that since they donated the money as a gift, it doesn’t matter how she spends it.
This after loved ones selflessly donated hard earned money for what they believed was a worthy cause. Beware ladies and gents. No good deed goes unpunished.
Tim and Bekah Blakely-Savage of Texas were ready. Their wedding day was beautiful and all was in place. Next thing you know, Mother Nature crashes in full force during their wedding photoshoot, sweeping them off their feet and leaving them soaked! The couple took it in their stride, laughing and yelling as it turned into a fun spectacle. Here’s how it unfolded:
“We didn’t necessarily intend on trashing the dress, but the ocean had other plans,” Bekah captioned the photos. Luckily, she even managed to salvage the gorgeous dress. “Shoutout to the world’s best dry cleaner who still managed to get all the spots and stains out,” she wrote in the comments section.
The photoshoot has since gone viral on Reddit, collecting more than a 1,000 ‘upvotes’ since being posted. It has also received a lot of love from other social media users.
“This looks like a photo from an epic romance movie!!! So beautiful!!!” wrote one commenter. “Your union has been blessed by the Earth! How wonderful,” said another.
This might just have turned out even more perfect than intended.
