South Africa is officially moving to Level 1 lockdown from midnight on Sunday, September 20. With this shift comes an easing of restrictions, which may benefit the wedding industry.

Under Level 2, weddings were allowed to continue but for no more than 50 people, and a host of health and safety measures must be adhered to.

In his televised address, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Level 1 has less strict regulations on gatherings. While the safety regulations will likely remain in place, couples may be able to increase their guest list. Instead of a blanket number of 50 people, social gatherings will now depend on the size of a venue.

“Social, religious, political and other gatherings will be permitted, as long as the number of people does not exceed 50% of the normal capacity of a venue, up to a maximum of 250 people for indoor gatherings and 500 people for outdoor gatherings,” Ramapshosa said in his speech.

“Health protocols, such as washing or sanitising of hands, social distancing and mask-wearing, will need to be strictly observed.”

Ramaphosa also announced that the country would begin a gradual reopening of international travel, subject to various containment and mitigation measures. This means that destination weddings are on the cards again.

Travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that have high infection rates. A list of countries will be published soon based on the latest scientific data.

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A couple in Maine, America hosted a small, rustic wedding celebration for 65 of their closest family and friends in early August. This event started a massive COVID-19 outbreak that, to date, has infected 176 people and contributed to the deaths of seven people who were not even in attendance.

In mid-August, the Maine Centre for Disease Control and Prevention opened an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak associated with the wedding reception at Big Moose Inn in Millinocket on August 7. According to state officials, guests did not follow social distancing and mask guidelines. The event also violated an executive order that has limited indoor gatherings to 50 people.

At the time, a total of 24 individuals associated with the event tested positive for COVID-19. Of that total, Maine CDC had identified 18 individuals who attended the reception and 6 others who had close contact with reception attendees. All of the confirmed cases were Maine residents.

Speaking during a virtual press briefing, Maine CDC Director Nirav D. Shah stated that this number has since risen to 176 and resulted in seven deaths. Six of the deaths occurred at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison, Maine.

“More generally, related to the Millinocket wedding events, I mentioned there have been 176 cases, and including now, the six individuals who have passed away at Maplecrest. A total of seven individuals, who have passed away with COVID-19, resulting from and related to the August 7 wedding in Millinocket.”

None of the six individuals from the rehabilitation centre had attended the wedding, although a staff member from the facility did.

A 38-year-old woman from the United Kingdom is celebrating a milestone, as she recently reached her one year anniversary with the tree she married in 2019.

Mother of two Kate Cunningham said ‘I do’ to an elder tree at Rimsose Valley Country Park  in order to bring attention to how green spaces in the area were being destroyed.

The Daily Mail reports that she changed her last name by deed poll to ‘Elder’ after the species of tree she married.

I’m hopelessly ‘treevoted’ to protecting and preserving our #greenlung #saverimrosevalley The Elder is looking well groomed in this one!…x… pic.twitter.com/LlYqm50lhg

— Kate Rose Elder Fuller (@KateRoseElder1) October 1, 2019

The marriage idea began as a way to prevent the local government from building a bypass road that would run through the Valley.

The world’s longest married couple with Down Syndrome have reached a new milestone. The pair are celebrating 28 years of marriage, and are more in love than ever.

Gareth Tobias (56), and wife Deana (58) have been together ever since they met as teenagers at their local community centre in 1981, reports The Sun.

“I thought he was nice and he liked me because he thought I was good looking,” Deans told the outlet.

“We got engaged when we were on holiday in Blackpool, it was on my birthday and it was me that proposed to him, but I knew he wanted to get married.

They tied the knot in 1992 after an 11-year relationship and have lived in Penrith, Cumbia ever since. Like any couple, they have had their ups and downs. However, the good far outweighs the bad.

“We are together all the time except when he is at work and we have lots of laughs and we look after each other,” said Deana.

Gareth added: “When I’m not working we go to the club together and play dominoes. I like a pint of bitter and Deana has a Wkd Blue. We’re very happy together.”

Their neighbours and community have embraced them too. Gareth’s sister Julie Titterington explained that the couple are famous in the area.

“They’re well known in Penrith and people look out for them, especially at the club and The Lounge where they also like to pop in for a drink. As the years have gone on they do a little bit less than they did.”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

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Megastar Julia Roberts is a fan favourite across the world. She has starred in iconic films like ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Erin Brockovich’ and ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’.

Interestingly enough, her 1999 film ‘Runaway Bride’ seems to have inspired some real life events. In 2005 a woman named Jennifer Wilbanks left her then-fiancé John Mason days before they were meant to say ‘I do’, and her story of what happened is truly wild.

Wilbanks and Mason had planned a lavish affair, featuring a 28-member wedding party and over 600 wedding guests.

It seemed like tragedy struck when the bride suddenly vanished without a trace in the days leading up to their wedding. Her disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt, with family and friends expressing that Wilbanks is simply not the type to just run off.

It turned out her family was wrong.

A few days after her disappearance, Wilbanks called her fiancé on a pay phone and told him she had been taken hostage while out for a run. She alleged a couple had driven her from Duluth, Georgia to Albuquerque, New Mexico where they proceeded to sexually assault her in a van. Her kidnappers allegedly released her a few days later.

However, this harrowing tale was not true. Wilbanks later recanted her story once the FBI got involved, and admitted she had left Georgia willingly on a bus due to personal issues.

Her false abduction story earned Wilbanks two years of probation, 120 hours of community service and ongoing mental-health counselling. She also had to pay back some of the costs the sheriff’s office incurred while searching for her. Today reports that the search party cost the sheriff’s department $60 000.

Mason moved on from the ordeal and married a woman named Shelly Martin in 2008. Wilbanks appears to have gotten her happily-ever-after too. She has been in a long term relationship with a man named Greg Hutson since 2010.