Black is not just a colour for mourning. For decades, white has been synonymous with weddings for its symbolism of purity. White is traditionally expected. However, while many are afraid of including this dark-hued colour in weddings, black can actually bring much class and sophistication to your big day. Take a walk on the dark side and think of bringing this dark tone into your wedding.
Here are a few way to incorporate black into your wedding that won’t look morbid.
All engagement rings are unique in some way, sure. But some are more unique than others! Since it’s something you’ll be wearing for the rest of your life (hopefully), it’s quite a big deal that you love it. Some leave the ring-choosing to their significant other, while some make it very clear that if they are ever being proposed to, they want to choose the ring themselves.
We found some not-so-traditional rings. And you won’t believe your eyes.
1. I will rock you
This unpolished, earthy-looking ring has a very magical charm to it. Enough to melt a heart of stone.
This one is inspiring for many reasons, but mostly because it doesn’t try to outshine everything else. We love the way it catches the eye and the design truly complements the hand.
It’s your big day and all your guests are waiting to see you and your partner arrive at your wedding. Wow your guests by arriving at your wedding in style with these creative ideas:
Jurassic Park is an iconic and nostalgic film that kickstarted a love of dinosaurs in many. However, this Michigan-based couple took their love for the prehistoric animals to the next level when they threw a dinosaur-themed wedding.
Hali Aleese McFadden and Sean James Lenney met through mutual friends five years ago at a restaurant. Both had a deep love for the dinosaur-centric film franchise, Jurassic Park. When she was younger, Hali had even wanted to become a paleontologist, although too many rocks involved deterred her, leading her into a career of wedding planning. Similarly, Sean grew up loving dinosaurs as a result of the film franchise. He claims to have watched the original film every day while growing up.
Fast forward a few years, and the couple became engaged in August 2018. Hali knew that she wanted to incorporate her love for dinosaurs into her big day. She turned to Pinterest for inspiration on a dinosaur-themed wedding.
“Being me, I always pre-thought what I wanted for my wedding,” Hali told Fox 2 Detroit. “So I Pinterested it to see if it’s really out there. I found all these awesome ideas of how to turn on the theme but still keep it elegant.”
Coming from a crafty family, Sean knew that they could work together to bring their wedding vision to life. It soon became a family affair, with many members coming together to bring movie magic to reality.
Using styrofoam, duct tape, paper mache, and much help, Sean’s father was able to build two large dinosaurs to display at the wedding. His sister, Jacqui, made some of the smaller dinosaurs that lined the wedding tables, and also scoured the internet for anything dinosaur-related that could work for the day.
The couple wed on October 25, 2019. Guests entered the venue through massive brown doors with a “Jurassic Park” sign welcoming them. Escort cards were propped up with miniature dinosaur figures.
Tables were decorated with figures of every known dinosaur species, and guests sipped on the official drink of the evening, Dino DNA. Even the bridal party were kitted out in theme. Bridesmaid’s wore flip flops with tiny dinosaurs adorning them, and groomsmen concealed Jurassic Park t-shirts under their suits.
The traditional bridal pillow that carries the rings was replaced with a golden Brachiosaurus figure transporting the ring around its neck.
The pair even reached out to Jurassic Park star Chris Pratt. “I literally Instagram-messaged Chris Pratt to come to this. You know, one of those ‘just in case you’re in Michigan this weekend, this is going on by the way’ messages,” said Hali.
Church weddings are so last year. This couple decided to be different, and prove that they were in it to win it by getting married whilst running in one the biggest off-road marathons in the UK this past weekend.
Luretta Spearing and Jon Sharkey from Dorset, UK, met through their shared love of long distance running. They have been together for six years, and have a child together. When they initially got engaged, getting married whilst running a marathon was not a thought in their mind.
“We were engaged for over a year before a conversation one evening led us to question if it would be possible to get married mid-marathon.” Luretta told The Argus UK ahead of the wedding. “I had already entered the Beachy Head Marathon as it is one of my favourite marathons, so we thought it would be a good choice.”
“We wanted our wedding to be about us, and what better way than doing the thing we both love.”
Within three days, all enquiries were made and everything was arranged.
The Eastbourne Beachy Head Marathon is one the biggest off-road marathons in the UK. Formerly known as the Seven Sisters Marathon, it is popular for its scenic and challenging route through the South Downs National Park countryside.
The marathon covers a 26.2 mile (42.16 metre) course that includes over 300 steps and 14 gates, passing through Jevington, Alfriston, Litlington, Friston Forest, the Cuckmere Valley and Seven Sisters, including Birling Gap and Beachy Head.
The marathon saw 3000 entries, some of which included friends of the engaged couple.
“We thought we’d have a quiet wedding but many friends decided it would be fun to join us so we’re really excited to be celebrating with our closest family and friends,” said Luretta.
On marathon day, the couple paused at the 9.5 mile point to hold the ceremony. Once the ceremony was over, they continued the race as man and wife. They celebrated their nuptials and relaxed their legs at their wedding reception the same evening.
There’s something about the official wedding kiss. Everyone holds their breath and witnesses an otherwise personal gesture with great anticipation. It just absolutely brings it all together. Like the old saying goes, “sealed with a kiss.” It’s the classic symbol of affection and love, and all the guests celebrate it with the couple on their big day.
Here are some of our all-time faves caught on camera.
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
When the Hollaback girl-singer said I do, that kiss was one for the books. She didn’t care a single bit about her trademark popping red lipstick getting smudged.
Cosmopolitan
Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling
These two lovebirds got married in style. With a classic dress, and a kiss to match. Super sweet.
Studio_M
Justin and Hailey Bieber
Yes, we know. It’s all over the internet right now and you’ve seen this one a hundred times. Still, we can’t help but love this sexy kiss. Let’s give credit where credit is due.
News.com.au
David and Victoria Beckham
Ready for a blast form the past? This iconic couple has been married for 20 years already (what!) and the fashion for that time was just… how do we put it? Different. However, the love stayed the same and this kiss is therefore a much loved one. What a Posh kiss as well.
Instyle.com
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio
True, this is not even a kiss yet, technically. But it’s very true to Marilyn Monroe. Teasing, flirtatious and completely in control, we love this wedding moment caught on camera.
You know the picture. The proposer suddenly lowers the knee to the ground, both hands clutching a tiny box. “Will you marry me?” they ask. It’s a picturesque moment, one we’ve seen reproduced time and time again. But why do we do it?
While proposing has actually been around for centuries, proposing on bended knee specifically has not always been the tradition. In the olden days, wedding engagements were seen more as business arrangements than the romantic, heartfelt scenes we know today.
Proposing on bended knee has no specific historical origin, and largely seems to be a more modern invention.
Most reports link the tradition to practices observed during medieval times.
According to engagementringbible.com, the tradition “dates back to the days of knighthood, chivalry and formal courtship (i.e. medieval times and beyond).” In these days, knights would bend the knee in front of their lord as a sign of respect and loyalty. Courtly love was the formal practice of romance. Knights would perform various deeds of service to prove their love for certain women. They would also kneel before the women as a sign of servitude.
Kneeling was and is a common occurrence across many religions. Much Christian iconography depict figures kneeling before their Lord as a symbol of service. For many entering their places of worship, they will kneel before the altar in a sign of love and reverence.
The argument goes that these two occurrences blended together and became a way for people to express their love, thus evolving into the modern day proposal. The bended knee became a symbolic way to prove your undying love and respect.
Nowadays, of course, people are not so strict about upholding this tradition. Many propose without kneeling, and the amount of women proposing to men has largely risen. Whether you kneel or not, at the end of the day it is about what feels right for you and your partner.
Food itself can be artwork and oh-so-pretty. Let’s not kid each other, we’re all here for the dessert. And you know there will be pictures taken, so you want them to look gorgeous! We found some super creative desserts to give you ideas. Even if you’re not a sweet tooth, you’ll love this eye candy.
Cookies
Ah, yes. An old-time favourite, and the perfect canvas. You can go crazy with different shapes and designs, or keep it simple with all of the same. Either way, these are great, even as a souvenir for guests to take home since it won’t spoil easy.
This one is an oldie but a goodie. There’s no one on earth that doesn’t like chocolate and if they say they don’t, they’re wrong. The beauty of this is that you can have guests dip in anything under the sun. Think fresh fruit, biscuit-fingers, or even donuts. The list goes on. Plus, it makes for a super pretty decor piece.
Delectable, smooth and decadent. Mousse is fancy and fun at the same time because you can make little artworks by packing different layers in a glass or glass bowl. That way, you can play with different colours. Or you can keep it as simple as chocolate. Stunning pictures all the way!
Almost seems like we left the most obvious for last, doesn’t it? We all know that macarons are highly Instagrammable. Scientific fact. And yummy too! Well, eat your heart out.
Every couple has a love story. All the moments in life come together to create the now. When a couple decides to get married, they bring with them all their histories. That is exactly what this British couple did.
Becky Brotherhood, 43, and Lee Markham, 45, have not had the easiest path in life and in love. To honour their journey and the past that made them who they are, Becky decided to don a wedding dress with patches made by her friends and family.
Becky and Lee met five years ago. At the time, Becky had just completed her battle with breast cancer that made her leave her past career of nursing behind to focus on her health. She began training to become a massage therapist to help people who felt that their body was turning against them.
Both Becky and Lee had children from previous relationships and had gone through difficult experiences.
They quickly fell in love and brought their families together, however, Becky never thought she would remarry. It was after Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding that she had a sudden change of heart.
“I’m not an avid follower of the royals, but something about their story – how sections of the establishment were sniffy or judgemental about Meghan, or the fact that she’d been divorced made her somehow less worthy – just really hit home on that day,” she explained to Metro UK.
“I felt that perhaps my decision to not marry was actually more about what people might think, and less about what I actually wanted, or how I felt about him.”
She then took the initiative and asked Lee to marry her over Facebook Messenger.
“So I asked him – and that fact that I asked means so much to me now: to hell with rules and tradition and what people think.”
When it came to planning the big day, Becky knew she wanted her wedding dress to tell a story, one where her closest friends and family could be a part of the creation.
“Standing in front of my soul mate at the age of 43, knowing that we both have rich histories and six children between us, it felt wrong to buy something new and off the shelf,” she explains. “It didn’t feel right and didn’t fit us as a couple.”
“One of the most special things about our love is that we love each other because of our pasts. They’re not something we have to look beyond or gloss over, and the family home we are both building right now is open and welcoming to everyone. We both have scars and losses – physically and metaphorically, and I wanted that to be reflected and held in every part of my dress, bravely, unashamedly, and with love.”
Becky, a skilled sewer, began designing and sewing her own wedding dress from an old sheet she found in her attic. Some of Becky’s clients gave her scraps of fabric and buttons that were sentimental to them for her to use on her wedding dress. This inspired Becky to ask her bridal party to make their own patches that she could then sew on to her wedding dress.
Friends and family came together to create patches. Credit: Becky Brotherhood/ Lee MarkhamThe patches all told a story. Credit: Becky Brotherhood/ Lee Markham
“I wanted it to feel like a tapestry of our lives… our children, our friends, and our families, and everyone who had made us into the people that we were – standing face to face vowing to spend the rest of their lives together,” she told HenHeaven. ” I wanted it to feel new and different … almost tribal, a coming together of everyone’s love and blessings for us, to hold me with every stitch.”
She hosted sewing lessons to show those less-confident how to do it. This recurring sewing session quickly became special bonding moments for those involved.
“It ended up being almost like a month-long hen do, where friends would come up, and we’d catch up, and spend quality time together too and with such busy lives, when does that ever happen? And it really felt like the dress captured that energy of reconnection too.”
She sewed the patches onto an old piece of welsh slate from the quarry next to where she had grown up. Also attached to the wedding dress were Lee’s father’s wedding ring, Becky’s mother’s wedding ring, the buttons from Becky’s sister’s gown, and from her mother’s jewellery box.
In the end, they created a unique dress with immense sentimental value.
On the wedding day on September 28, all her loved ones were around to see their creation and to celebrate the union of Lee and Becky.
“Seeing everyone that loves us, and supports us, and who have been there for us through tough times, and good times – seeing all those people rally round and just love getting involved, and creating such wonderful, heartfelt pieces of art, essentially, it’s like I felt lifted up on their shoulders and carried to the day.”
One size fits all? No! Not when it comes to your body shape.
Women come in all shapes and sizes and it’s so important to know your body type and shape to dress accordingly and accentuate your best features. There are many different body shapes and types, and each one is unique. To avoid your dress shopping experience being a stressful, it’s important to know and stick to what works for your body.
It’s also important to remember that very few women fall into only one category as we can have different features from various body types. Why? Because we’re beautifully unique!
In this upcoming series, we’ll be looking at all the different body shapes and some gorgeous weddings gowns that will accentuate YOU perfectly.
First up, is the pear shape.
A pear shape, also known as the ‘triangle’, is the most common body shape, where the hipline is wider than your shoulders. Flattering a pear-shaped body is all about highlighting the natural waistline and your more slender upper torso to balance your silhouette.
The classic A-line dress is a great starting point – with some embellishment details on the bodice to act as a focal point, it will naturally accentuate your waist. To balance your shape, consider cap sleeves, and off-the-shoulder cut or a fuller skirt that adds some movement. With that, you want to cinch in your waistline and create an hourglass silhouette.
If you are feeling a bit more regal, look at Meghan Markle inspired gowns and add a plunging neckline for a modern update, while necklines like the sweetheart cut will leave you looking femininely soft and romantic.
Steer clear of mermaid gowns or tight fit-and-flare silhouettes as it will draw more attention to your widest area which will, in essence, make the area look wider than it is.
