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Weddings

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Nicolas Cage is a married man! The famed actor secretly tied the knot with girlfriend Riko Shibata on February 16 in Las Vegas. This is the actor’s fifth marriage.

Cage recently confirmed his private nuptials to PEOPLE Magazine, saying “It’s true, and we are very happy.”

According to his rep, the wedding was a small and intimate affair hosted at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Their wedding date was specifically chosen to honour Cage’s late father’s birthday.

Cage rocked a Tom Ford tuxedo while bride Shibata stunned in a handmade Japanese bridal kimono. Joining the festivities was Cage’s ex-wife Alice Kim, with whom he has remained close friends.

This is the fifth marriage for Nicolas Cage. He was previously married to Patricia Arquette from 1995 to 2001, Lisa Marie Presley from 2002 to 2004, Alice Kim from 2004 to 2006 and Erika Koike for a whopping four days back in 2019.

ALSO READ: The bizarre marriages of Nicolas Cage

Picture: Instagram

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down for a highly anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey and revealed more than a few bombshells about their relationship and the Royal Family. Among the shockers, they dropped that they secretly tied the knot before they walked down the aisle in front of the world.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex admitted to Oprah that they said I do’ to one another in private three days before their televised wedding on May 19, 2018. It was just the two of them and the Archbishop of Canterbury present for the secret nuptials.

Oprah had asked Meghan what she was excited about in their new life after they officially left the Royal family, and the Duchess replied, “Just being able to live authentically… it’s so basic but it’s really fulfilling.”

She continued, “I was thinking about it, you know our wedding—three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. We called the Archbishop and we just said, look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world. But we want our union between us, so the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

South Africans wanting to watch the bombshell interview can tune in to MNet at 7.30pm on Monday night.

Picture: Instagram / Sussex Royal

The Department of Home Affairs has officially resumed a wider variety of services, now that the country is back at Level 1 lockdown.

On Thursday, March 4 the Department began allowing South Africans to apply for and collect their passports, as well as register their marriages among other services. This comes after marriage services were temporarily suspended on January 12.

The following services will be resumed during Alert Level 1 lockdown:

• Re-issues of Smart ID Cards and identity documents
• Registration and solemnisation of marriages
• Amendments and rectifications
• Late registration of birth for all categories
• Applications and collections of passports for all categories

The citizenship service remains temporarily unavailable. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi urges citizens to remain cautious and follow COVID-19 health and safety protocols when visiting a Home Affairs office.

“We do not want our offices to be super spreader sites. We urge everyone who visits our offices to observe social distancing, sanitise their hands regularly and to wear their masks properly, covering their noses and mouths,” he said.

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Your wedding day is a special moment, one you’ll want to look your absolute best for. If you’re not afraid to show some skin and ooze class and sophistication, a glamorous dress is perfect for you.

Glamour comes in many forms, but ultimately it means to be alluring. As such, design details that pique the interest are key. Think extended trains, a form-fitting silhouette and off-the-shoulder cuts. Add some applique or lace detail to top it all off and you’re set.

If you’re in need of some inspiration, look no further. Here are some brides giving us ultimate glamour:

 

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Wondering where to put your phone on your big day? A purse seems like the logical option, and luckily the sweet new trend is to carry one come wedding day.

A bridal purse comes in handy to store your essential items like your cellphone, lipstick, perfume, pain pills for the inevitable headache you’ll get and notes for any speeches you may plan on making. It’s also another accessory to complete your bridal beauty.

Make sure to match your purse to your bridal outfit for a cohesive look. Whether you are rocking lace or pearls, fringe or satin, your purse can follow suit.

Here are some bags we are absolutely obsessed with:

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Classic and stylish, buttons have been a popular trend in the wedding world for decades. Grace Kelly famously rocked buttons down her bodice to connect the delicate lace of her wedding dress when she married Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1952.

Channel the Princess of Monaco and incorporate buttons into your bridal look. The most common way brides choose to do this is down the length at the back of the gown in place of a zipper closure. You can also add buttons to your sleeves for a Victorian feel if you opt for long sleeves.

Here are some brides looking cute as a button with this trend:

 

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Engagement rings stacked with stones are not a new idea, however, incorporating a more clustered design has exploded in popularity.

Ever since Emily Rajakowsi showed off her unique, bold ring, combining stones together in a unique way has become acceptable and even more admired than the standard solitaire.

Clustered rings come in all shapes and designs but are especially great if you want to incorporate coloured stones into your ring, rather than the standard diamonds.

We’ve pulled a few cluster creations to inspire and surprise you.

 

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Residents are encouraged to comment on a new discussion paper on the possible adoption of a single marriage statute for South Africa.

Current South African law around marriage is fragmented due to the multitude of religions and cultures recognised under the Constitution, each with its own rules around marriage. Beyond this, there are separate pieces of legislation for same-sex civil unions and opposite-sex marriages.

The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) drafted two bills as alternative options to unify laws under a single piece of legislation based on the Constitution. The first option is the ‘Protected Relationships Bill’. The second option is the ‘Recognition and Registration of Marriages and Life Partnerships Bill’.

The Bills seek to:

– provide for the recognition of protected relationships or of marriages and life partnerships, entered into by parties regardless of the religious, cultural or any other beliefs of the parties, or the manner in which the relationship was entered into

– provide for the requirements for entering into a protected relationship or a marriage or a life partnership

– provide for the registration of protected relationships or marriages and life partnerships

– provide for the legal consequences of entering into protected relationships or marriages and life partnerships

– provide for matters incidental thereto.

There are a number of proposals that fall underneath the Protection Relationships Bill, including a shift in the definition of a monogamous protected relationship. Under this bill,  a ‘‘monogamous marriage or life partnership’ means the relationship of two people regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, to the exclusion of all others, unless dissolved by divorce or death of one or both parties

The Protected Relationships Bill refers to a ‘protected relationship’ as

– any subsisting marriage concluded in terms of the Marriage Act, 1961 (Act No. 25 of 1961) or any old order marriage legislation or any other prior legislation before the commencement of this Act

– any subsisting marriage or union concluded in terms of the Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006) before the commencement of this Act

– and any subsisting customary marriage concluded in terms of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act No. 120 of 1998)

– any subsisting monogamous or polygynous marriage or relationship concluded or entered into in terms of the tenets of any religion or culture before or after the commencement of this Act

– any life partnership, where the parties cohabit and have assumed permanent responsibility for supporting each other

In terms of option two in the Recognition and Registration of Marriages and Life Partnerships Bill ‘marriage or life partnership’ means

– any subsisting marriage concluded in terms of the Marriage Act, 1961 (Act No. 25 of 1961), old order marriage legislation or any other prior legislation before the commencement of this Act;

– any subsisting union or marriage concluded in terms of the Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006) before the commencement of this Act;

– any subsisting customary marriage concluded in terms of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act No. 120 of 1998;

– any subsisting monogamous or polygynous marriage or relationship concluded or entered into in terms of the tenets of any religion or culture before or after the commencement of this Act;

– any life partnership, where the parties cohabit and have assumed permanent responsibility for supporting each other.

The minimum age to enter into a protected relationship or marriage or life partnership is 18 years, without exception.

Respondents are requested to submit written comment, representations or submissions to the Commission by 31 March 2021 for the attention of Pierre van Wyk to the following address: The Secretary South African Law Reform Commission Private Bag X668 Pretoria 0001 E-mail: [email protected]

Read the full proposal here: dp152-prj144-SingleMarriageStatute-Jan2021

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Videography will be one of your biggest expenses and considering that it will last a lifetime, you can’t afford not to take the time to do your homework.
We’ve already highlighted a list of introductory questions you should ask your videographer before booking them. Once you’ve settled on one, there are a few more questions to ask to help finalise your perfect day. Here are some more questions to ask them before you walk down the aisle:

Have you shot a wedding at my venue before?

A good videographer will be able to efficiently identify the spots with beautiful lighting or figure out where to position themselves to get the best angle. Nevertheless, if your videographer has shot at a specific location before, they’ll know their way around and will get the job done more effectively than a videographer who has not. If your videographer has never worked at your venue before, suggest visiting the venue with them before the big day so that they have a chance to become familiar with it.

Which parts of the occasion will you shoot?

Videographers regularly specify the number of hours that they’ll shoot, but which sections of your wedding fall within those hours, isn’t always clear. It’s practically a given that major events, such as your ceremony and first dance will be shot, but if you’d like the pre-drinks gathering or a session with your photographer to be included, ask if they’ll cover that as well. If you don’t have clarity on what’ll be shot from the get-go, you may end up with a video you’re not particularly fond of.

Which equipment do you use?

Videographers arriving at weddings with colossal cameras on wheels or other equally obtrusive tools is a thing of the past. Nowadays, most videography apparatus simply consists of a camera and a tripod. You want to ensure that your guests don’t feel intruded on, so check the size and types of equipment that’ll be used.

If these are large, ensure your venue is able to accommodate this without any interruption to the celebrations taking place. It’s also a good idea to find out whether the videographer will make use of a wireless mic as wires all over the place could be hazardous while no mic could mean your vows and speeches aren’t audible.

How do you edit the footage?

You’d naturally want an exquisite final product and this can only be achieved with high-quality editing methods. Ask your videographer to describe the procedure they follow when editing. The most reliable way of editing is to upload the film negative on a computer and then make the necessary adjustments on-screen. Some videographers use an in-camera editing method that involves attempting to get flawless shots the first time around to lower production time and costs. This could, unfortunately, result in a second-rate product.

Which music will you use?

The ideal music will blend seamlessly with the visuals to inject energy and stir great emotion. Be upfront with your videographer about the kind of music you’re crazy (and not so crazy) about, so that your video is a reflection of your personal tastes. Nonetheless, bear in mind that your videographer will have a firm understanding of the type of music that will be suitable so you need to have faith in their judgment. Don’t forget to ask whether they’ll use licensed music as the use of unlicensed music could mean getting into trouble with the law.

Will the video be in high definition (HD)?

In this day and age, HD television is becoming increasingly popular. Some might even say that it’s become a norm. A video in HD will have sharper visuals that display finer detail – something you shouldn’t compromise on, especially if you’re blowing your budget on one of the best videographers in the business.

When will the final video be ready?

Apart from a skilled videographer and top-notch equipment, another necessity for producing a stellar wedding video is sufficient time. After all the footage has been placed in a suitable order, music needs to be added and colours corrected, which can be time-consuming. Each videographer will work according to a unique timeline but the entire process could take roughly eight weeks, with some videographers taking as long as a year! If you’re itching to see the final product, ask your videographer if they’ll put together a trailer so you can get a sneak peek.

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Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has become world-famous, not least of which for the glamorous and lavish lifestyle of the 1920s it so dazzlingly displays.

Nearly a century later we find ourselves in the roaring 20s again, and the iconic style of the much-loved era still inspires fashion.

If you are a hopeless romantic like Jay Gatsby himself, draw some inspiration from the timeless love story for your wedding. Here’s how.

Decor:

Think everything glittering and gold. This is your time to shine. Opulence is the word of the day and colour schemes revolve around black, white and gold. Play with textures like boas, ribbons, beads and metals.

Dress:

The 1920s fashion style played with flowy fabrics and lots of layers. Combine with different textures like sequins, beads,  pearls and faux fur, and you’ve got a winner. Short sleeves and open backs are all the rage. Kit out your bridal party in some fabulous champagne tones.

Hair:

Curls, curls, curls. The very famously uniquely set-curl style of the rich and famous is back again. Remember, a feathery or sequinsy headband is a must. An updo to the side is a classic, but you can also wear your curls down with an accessory on one side.

Makeup and nails:

Bold and beautiful, don’t hold back on your makeup. Dark, smokey eyes and bright red lips will have you feeling confident as ever. Your nails can boast art-deco shapes and once again, glitter!

Suit:

Hubby gets to go in style as well. A bow-tie is the answer to all his questions. A top hat will look exceptionally dapper and add a buttoned vest for the finishing touch.

Bouquet:

Stick to all white flowers and add some feathers. Keep it sparkly with extra accessories like pearls.

Cake:

You get to play with shapes and tones and textures all the more! Square is the way to go, accessorised with the shapes and colours of your decor.

Pictures: Pinterest

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