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Weddings

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In Destination

The tale of the travelling wedding dress

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Who says you can only wear a wedding dress once? This couple decided to make the bride’s wedding dress worth every cent by taking it along on their travels all over the world. The images they’ve since captured are nothing short of amazing.

Jeff and Jennifer Salvage met online and quickly fell in love. Once engaged, they decided on a destination wedding to Easter Island, and thus needed a wedding dress that could travel in a backpack. Jennifer’s dress, a Maggie Sottero gown, made the long 7 000 mile (11 265km) journey from their home in the United States to Easter Island.

Impressed by how well the dress held up, the pair then decided to take it along with them on their travels. Almost 12 years later, Jeff has taken photos of Jennifer all over the world in her iconic wedding dress.

They’ve been dogsledding in Iceland. Credit: Jeff Salvage, One Woman One Dress.
Hiking in France. Credit: Jeff Salvage, One Woman One Dress.
Horseback riding in the Bahamas – Holland America Cruise. Credit: Jeff Salvage, One Woman One Dress.
ZERO-G Experience® in Florida. Credit: Jeff Salvage, One Woman One Dress.

Thus far, the dress has travelled 308 635 miles (496 594 km) and has been in 50 countries, including Albania, Argentina, Croatia, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

The pair typically go on two trips a year, and continue to do so because it keeps them close. “It’s very easy for couples to grow apart,” Jeff told Business Insider. “This is one way we have a common bond and drive.”

To see more images, visit their website: www.onewomanonedress.com

Feature image: Jeff Salvage, One Woman One Dress

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In Advice

Go green with these nature-inspired wedding cakes

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As couples turn more and more to natural finishes for their big day, plants are being given more and more power. Fresh, earthy greens are springing to perfection in wedding decor, from wedding bouquets to floral centrepieces. But what about your wedding cake?

As cake decorations, flowers are expected. So why not consider using leaves? They’re stunning, easy to gather and will add a fresh finish to your cake.

Here are some ideas to inspire you:

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Feature image: Unsplash

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In Drinks

Pros and cons of an alcohol-free wedding

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Considering an alcohol-free wedding can be stressful. We know that weddings are big parties and many guests will expect some drinks. We also know that you want your guests to have a good time. At the end of the day, however, it’s your special day and you’re free to do as you please.

Maybe you and your partner are not big drinkers or maybe you come from religious families who frown upon drinking. Whatever the reason, you have a tricky decision to make.

Here are some pros and cons of an alcohol-free wedding to help you make the best choice for you:

Pros: 

– Your expenses will be much lighter on the pocket 

Supplying all your guests with enough alcohol for the entire wedding can cost you a small fortune. You’ll also have to provide the drinks whether or not they consume all of it.

If you have an alcohol-free wedding, you save all of that money!

– There’s no risk of guests getting too tipsy 

Everybody has that one family member who tends to get a bit out of control with the drinks. There is always a risk of things getting out of hand when there are drinks involved.

Avoid all the potential shenanigans with an alcohol-free wedding.

– You can get creative 

There are tons of alternatives to alcohol, and the concept is not unheard of. Get creative with mocktails or other replacements. This is a chance for you to add more of your personality to your special day.

– Everyone gets home safely 

There will be no need for Uber, Taxify, or any other app. Guests will leave completely sober and will get home safely.

Cons: 

– The dance floor might be less lively 

Drinks do tend to lighten the mood; they definitely loosen your guests up more than anything else can. Without alcohol, there may be less mingling and dancing.

– No champagne toast 

Toasting to your marriage may be a bit weird without champagne.

– It’s against expectations 

Most guests expect to be served drinks at a wedding. This could lead to some disappointed or fidgety people in your audience.

Whatever you decide,  remember that this is your day!  You can do what you like. It is a good idea, however, to mention that the wedding is an alcohol-free zone on your invitation – if that’s the route you decide to take. It will save you a lot of unnecessary questions from guests on the big day.

There are in-between options too.  You don’t necessarily have to choose between zero alcohol or freely flowing drinks. A cash bar or a limited bar may also be possibilities to consider.

Also read: Open bar vs cash bar: what’s the difference?

Image: Pexels 

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In Advice

Get the look: Demi-Leigh’s wedding makeup

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Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters has been serving us looks for years, but her latest one might just be our favourite. The former Miss Universe tied the knot to American footballer Tim Tebow in spectacular style recently, and her bridal makeup has captured our hearts.

Creating her own spin on soft glam, Demi-Leigh’s makeup artist, Renee De Wit, worked with the models stunning features to enhance her natural beauty on her big day. Here’s how to achieve Demi-Leigh’s soft glam face beat.

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Using a mix of Smashbox Studio Skin and Chanel Ultra le Teint foundation, De Wit created a dewy, flawless base. She completed the face with the Sensai highlighting concealer, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in the shade Fresh Melon to give the cheeks a gentle flush of colour and the Dior Backstage Glow face palette to perfectly highlight Demi-Leigh’s cheekbones and the high points of her face.

 

Smashbox Studio Skin available at Foschini Beauty for R580.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in the shade Fresh Melon available on Bobbi Brown.co.za for R490

The focus of this look is definitely the eye makeup. De Wit opted for a soft brown smokey eye, using the Urban Decay Born To Run Palette and Dior 5 Colours 757 palette to create a blended crease shade. Remember to diffuse the shadows outwards towards your eyebrows to create a catlike effect that is ultra feminine.

The lid shade comes from the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette. Chanel Waterproof eyeliner in Espresso smudged and layered with Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel liner pot mixed with Inglot Duraline sealer was used to achieve a soft angled liner.

Urban Decay Born To Run Palette available on Urban Decay.com for R800

Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel liner available on Superbalist R420

Line the lips with the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lip liner before filling in the centre with a warm mid tone nude. De Wit opted for MAC Retro Matte lipstick in Lady Be Good and the Bobbi Brown Brownie Pink lipstick. Of course, don’t forget to lock the look in with a stronghold setting spray. De Wit chose the Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray.

MAC retro matte in Lady be good available at MAC for R330.

Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray available at Foschini Beauty for R860.

Feature image: Instagram / Tim Tebow

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In Celebs

Inside the glamorous wedding of Mishka Patel and Donovan Loesch

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Much-loved Cape Town radio host and tv presenter, Mishka Patel, recently tied the knot to long time partner Donovan Loesch in an intimate ceremony in Stellenbosch. Mishka, who in 2014 was a finalist for Miss SA, presented tv show Pasella and is now a radio personality  at Good Hope FM, jokingly writes on her website she can’t believe she’s now a ‘wifey.’

Their wedding was stylish and lavish, but not the extravagant, over-the-top affair you might expect from an A-lister. There were only 55 guests, but Mishka said that’s exactly how she and Donovan wanted it. “They were a group of people who played a positive and significant role in our lives,” she told Sarie.

The two knew each other only six days when Donovan asked Mishka to be his girlfriend. Eight years later, they are more in love than ever! “I have a husband. How crazy Is that?” Mishka wrote on her website. “Some of you might think, after 8 years, ‘it’s about time’, but to me it feels like I met this guy, just the other day. How is this kind of love even real?”

“Walking down the aisle was not what I imagined. It was more. With my dad walking me down the aisle to get married, to become a wife, still gives me goosebumps,” she added.

In typical celeb style, Mishka wore two wedding dresses. Her first dress (worn for the ceremony) was a sleek JESUS PEIRO halter neck dress from Cathrine’s Bridal Couture. The second dress (for the reception) was a beaded strapless Casablanca dress called ‘Opal,’ also from Cathrine’s Bridal Couture.

Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

Wedding photographer: Samantha Clifton Photography

Image: Instagram

 

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In Celebs

Inside the extravagant Somhale white wedding

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Not one to be out done, Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo made sure his second wedding to husband Mohale Motaung was even more lavish than their traditional wedding of 2019. The couple, dubbed Somhale, threw an extravagant white wedding on Thursday, January 30.

The pair have been teasing details of the lavish celebration for months, and of course it was every bit as extraordinary as we would expect.

A host of celebrities were in attendance, including Minnie Dlamini-Jones, Casper Nyovest, Khanyi Mbau, DJ Zinhle, Shimza, Lerato Sengadi, Thando Thabethe, Ayanda Thabethe and Bonang Matheba. Guests were instructed to wear white and red-bottom shoes.

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Right after heading former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters wedding to Tim Tebow, celebrity planner Zavion Khotse headed this extravaganza. Their wedding flowers were imported from Colombia, Holland, Thailand, and Kenya.

According to reports, Somizi had three outfit changes, each of which were accessorised with different Christian Louboutin red-bottom shoes. Celebrity designer Gert-Johan Coetzee was at the helm of at least one of these looks.

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Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until next month to see more details. The wedding will exclusively be broadcast in a 4-part Showmax special from February 24, 2020.

“This is the final piece of the puzzle … the final celebration of our union … it’s been an amazing journey, so many events, so many friends, so much family and so much love. Thank you all for joining in via our social media,” writes Somizi on Instagram. “I’m very happy to announce that in weeks to come, you’ll get to see the 4part special of #SomhaleUnion exclusively on @showmaxonline from 24 February”

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Also read: Somizi and Mohale wed in lavish ceremony

Feature image: Instagram / Somizi

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In Advice

Glamorous bridesmaid dresses for a formal affair

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If you’re planning a glamorous affair, you’ll want your bridesmaids to look the part. Complete the look with bridesmaid dresses full of wow-factor.

Regardless of your colour scheme, some well placed sequins and fancy fabrics will provide the ultimate sophistication. Your best girls will be feeling fancy with full-length gowns made of luxurious fabric like silk, satin and velvet. Or go full-glitz with sequins, embellishment or tulle.

Here are some ideas to inspire you:

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Feature image: Unsplash

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In Guys

Bride shocks groom with surprise wedding

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Sometimes, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. After a 6-year long engagement, this Canadian bride decided to take matters into her own hands and surprise her husband-to-be with a wedding.

Nicole Arnett and Daniel Knowlton from British Columbia, Canada, first became engaged in 2014. Since then, they’ve gone back and forth on what they wanted their wedding to be.

“We talked about so many different ideas and for one reason or another it never felt quite right when we got down to confirming it, or something happened and we pivoted away from the idea,” she explains. “We realised we didn’t actually want a wedding, which is why we put it off; we just wanted to be married to each other which were two very different things in our mind.”

The couple traditionally host an annual New Year’s Day beach party, and Arnett’s birthday is two days later so she figured this would be the perfect time to tie the knot since their friends and family would already be present. Within two weeks, she was able to plan the entire ceremony for less than $3 000 (about R40 000) – with the groom-to-be none the wiser.

“I never for a second worried that Daniel wouldn’t love this or be up for it,” she said. “I booked our wedding commissioner, which was necessary, booked a caterer and told Daniel, ‘I don’t want to be the one cooking today. It’s my 40th birthday the next day, so I’m just going to do this,’ and I just blamed anything out of the ordinary on that. I already had the dress from a friend’s wedding.”

“We just wanted to keep it [the wedding] really simple and unique to us so that was how I came up with: one, the surprise and two, making it a part of our favourite day of the year anyway, which felt very special and intimate.”

One New Year’s Day 2020, 35 of the couple’s closest friends and family gathered together on Bonnie Brook beach to celebrate love.

“I got up and said how happy I was that everyone was there and that I had a long to-do list this year for resolutions, and there was something that Daniel and I had been meaning to do for a long time but we’d never got around to, which was get married,” she explains. “He’d been filming me, and he just dropped his phone and he’s just staring at me with his mouth hanging open.”

Credit: Instagram / daniel_d_knowlton

After a quick outfit change, Arnett and Knowlton said ‘I do’ in front of their loved ones. Following their vow exchange, their guests serenaded them with Beatles ‘When I’m 64,’ and promptly sprang into the ocean.

Credit: Instagram / nicole.l.arnett
Credit: Instagram / nicole.l.arnett
Credit: Instagram / nicole.l.arnett

Congrats to the happy couple!

Feature image: Instagram / daniel_d_knowlton

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In Destination

Why do we go on honeymoon?

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First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes an awesome week-long honeymoon in Greece that eventually results in a baby in a baby carriage.

Almost every newlywed couple today goes on honeymoon, whether its a staycation or overseas trip. The term as we know it today refers to an often costly post-wedding trip newly married couples take together to celebrate their nuptials. But, as with everything else in weddings, this term has an interesting history.

According to the New York Post, the concept of a honeymoon can be dated back to the 5th century. The word ‘honeymoon’ derives from the old english ‘honey moone’. In these times, moon cycles were a measurement of time that typically lasted a month. After a wedding, couples were gifted with a moon cycle’s worth of mead, an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, and sometimes various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. This mead was meant to keep the couple happy, and also symbolised the sweetness of marriage. Mead was also said to be an aphrodisiac, so couples were encouraged to consume all of it within the moon cycle to heighten their sexual appetite and encourage fertility.

In 19th century England, newlyweds celebrated their honeymoon by going on a bridal tour to visit family and friends who were not able to attend the wedding. It was only by the late 19th century that honeymoons became how we know them today.

Of course, with time, things change. Today, couples go on honeymoon for a relaxing and romantic break together to ring in their commitment. This is considered the ‘honeymoon period’ when the couples is at their most loved-up.

Planning a honeymoon? Make sure to avoid these mistakes.

Feature image: Pexels

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How to: 3 Easy bridal looks with RED DOT Cosmetics
In Accessories

How to: 3 Easy bridal looks with RED DOT Cosmetics

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Whether you’re a super low-maintenance gal or simply want to cut costs by doing your own bridal make-up on your wedding day, these three easy-to-create looks using RED DOT Cosmetics will ensure you don’t go barefaced.

Watch the full video below then scroll down for the full list of products we’ve used. Bonus: Enter our competition to win a RED DOT Cosmetics product hamper worth R675 here.

Makeup products used in the video above:

Look 1

Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 11 Dark Brown
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 10 Twisted Brown
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 09 Nougat
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 02 Beige
Cosmetics Catchy Eyes Mascara
Cosmetics Velvet Touch Lipstick in 009 Matt Sweetness

Look 2

Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 10 Twisted Brown
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 11 Dark Brown
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 12 Dark Grey
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 05 Grey
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 06 Plum
Cosmetics Catchy Eyes Mascara
Cosmetics Velvet Touch Lipstick in 159 Boheme

Look 3

Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 02 Beige
Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow in 11 Dark Brown
Cosmetics Giant Pro Liner
Cosmetics Catchy Eyes Mascara

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