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    New York Bridal Fashion Week kicked off digitally in early October, offering stunning trends for brides-to-be for the 2021 season.

    Although designers were given challenging circumstances with production halted across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they soldiered on to create unique shows to inspire us all.

    A major trend this wedding season appears to be inspired by the pandemic itself. With the various restrictions around the world, many have opted for more relaxed and less traditional looks to reflect the mood of the current climate.

    More jumpsuits and shorter dresses were showcased in shows this season, although they did not sacrifice style. Many designers went theatrical with volume and fabric. Detailed shoulder work, detachable capes and fun fabrics were the moods of the day. Tulle, lace, feathers and ruffles continue to be popular in the wedding world as well.

    Here are a few of our favourite looks that graced the (digital) runway:

    Oscar de la Renta

    Vivienne Westwood

    Elie Saab

    Naeem Khan

    Marchesa

    Jenny Pakham

    Galia Lahav

    Picture: Instagram / Oscar de la Renta

    Couples will often go to great lengths for a truly unique wedding photo, but some locations are a step too far. A British couple learned this the hard way and is now under fire for posing on live train tracks in North Yorkshire.

    The unidentified couple is now unwillingly the face of a new campaign to educate people on rail safety.

    In a Twitter post, the national Network Rail in Scotland called the photoshoot ‘plain stupidity’, and urged residents to practice basic rail safety at all times.

    British Transport Police Superintendent Alison Evans explains that anyone walking across a railway line is putting themselves in danger.

    “Every time someone strays onto the rail network they are not only putting themselves at risk of serious, life-threatening injury but also delaying essential journeys.

    “Passenger and freight trains are still using the railway 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing much-needed services of transporting people and goods. Please, stay off the track”.

    According to Network Rail and British Transport Police, there have been 5100 trespassing incidents over their summer months, and 1239 incidents recorded in September, their worst recorded month in the last five years.

    Picture: Twitter / Network Rail Scotland

    A wedding does not have to be fancy and stuck up. Modern weddings are all about individuality and doing what feels right for you.

    Throw the rule book out of the window and cater your big day to your tastes, literally. If you love comfort foods and childhood favourites like grilled cheese, pizza, and burgers, why not incorporate them into your big day?

    The key here is in how you serve it up. Doing miniature versions of your favourite snacks wrapped up in cute packaging can easily elevate it. Opt for more premium ingredients like gruyère for your grilled cheese, or kobe beef for your sliders to make your canapès more gourmet. Add unique dipping sources and garnishes for a more fancy finish.

    You could also hire food trucks to dish out the foods, adding a fun element to your big day. Another option is to create unique displays like a cookie wall, hanging pretzels, or simply serve your snacks in cute individual bowls.

    Here are some snacking ideas guaranteed to be a big hit.

     

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    Picture: Unsplash

    A proposal is always a sweet moment, and when it goes perfectly, it can bring some serious tears of joy. This public proposal at a theme park really had people feeling the love, and has since gone viral.

    In a video shared to social media, believed to have been filmed at Hopi Hari theme park in Brazil, a couple can be seenstanding on a flight of stairs when one of the men suddenly goes down on one knee and takes out a white box.

    His partner stands in shock as the proposal ensues. Instead of responding, he walks away and rummages through his bag to pull out a white box of his own.

    Clearly the pair are on the same wavelength, and secretly planned to propose to each other on the exact same day.

    It is uncertain when the video was first shared, but it has since racked up a whopping 28-million views on social media. It went viral when it was reshared to Reddit, and the app’s users could not believe how romantic and sweet the moment was.

    “This really is a testament to their love that they are literally on the same page at the same time,” wrote on Reddit user.

    “That made me cry, too beautiful,” wrote another.

    Picture: Screenshot from video

    Weddings are such a happy time and everyone is in the spirit of giving. One couple felt especially generous and spent their wedding day buying coffee for homeless people in the area.

    Jordan Cuff and Bhavana Gupta from Cardiff tied the knot on October 19 in a small intimate ceremony at the Cardiff City hall. The young couple got engaged in May last year and had planned to have a big wedding of 80 to 100 guests but the COVID pandemic tampered with their plans.

    Only Jordan’s family could make it to the ceremony because Bhaavana’s family is in Italy and they would have to isolate for 14 days on arrival for the wedding.

    Jordan came up with a creative alternative to having her parents present by making cardboard cut-outs of them.

    “We were allowed 10 people, including our photographer and videographer and then that perfectly fit the number of our immediate family and then last week they announced that the quarantine in Italy was coming into effect the day they [Bhavana’s family] were due to come over so they couldn’t come. So I ordered these cardboard cutouts  to take their place.” Said Jordan.

    They had the whole ceremony streamed on Youtube so extended family members could watch and be present on the day.

    The lockdown restrictions did not even allow them to host a post-wedding party celebration so instead, they decided to go to Jordan’s favourite coffee shop. While having their coffee, the couple decided to buy 30 homeless people coffee to seal off their day. The coffee owner says Jordan has bought 10 strangers coffee before this so this was no surprise.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGiU0RYgw7J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    The couple is planning to have a bigger celebration when the rules allow it.

    Picture: Unsplash

    Who doesn’t enjoy a good glass of wine? From gin to beer, champagne to whiskey, alcohol is a mainstay at any wedding.

    Beyond just drinking it, why not incorporate alcohol into your decor? Bottles can be used in in a variety of ways for  many purposes. Use empty bottles as a DIY seating chart, or pour some glasses of champagne to use as an escort card.

    Here are a few boozy ideas to inspire you:

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    Picture: Pexels

    Always dreamt of being a redhead or finally ready to try platinum blonde? But what if it doesn’t suit me, how will I maintain it and what if my hair breaks off? We dig a bit deeper and give you 5 things to consider before you colour your hair:

    1. Choose a colour that suits your skin tone

    When it comes to choosing what colour to go for, not only do you need to think about whether the colour you fancy will suit you, but whether the undertones of the colour will suit your skin tone. For example, there can be ashy or red undertones in brown colours, and it’s not that you can’t wear either, but one will be more complimentary than the other. Think about what colour you want to bring out in your face:

    – Cool-toned skin has pink or olive undertones

    – Warm-toned skin have more yellow or gold undertones

    As a rule of thumb, if your veins appear blue or purple, you probably have a cool undertone, whereas a greener appearance indicates a warm undertone. You ideally want to go for an opposite undertone when it comes to choosing your hair colour, so platinum blonde and chocolate brown would be the right undertones if you have a warm skin tone. Sound complicated? Well, it is, and that takes us to the next point…

    2. Leave it to the professionals

    Slow and steady wins the race and when it comes to making major colour changes, it’s no different. If your goal is to go from dark brown to blonde, it’s better to ease into it and go lighter gradually, every time you go back to the salon. If you simply don’t have the patience and want instant results, be sure to go the professional route and choose a reputable salon that uses the new WellaPlex system. It works at protecting the hair shaft, allowing for extreme colour changes with minimal damage to the hair cuticle.

    3. Subtle shade changes don’t fade as fast 

    A vibrant wash of violet will make a colour statement like no other, but with this comes the unfortunate reality that when going drastic in colour, the colour tends to fade faster than more subtle shade changes. Sometimes a simple tone change can give you the wow factor you’re looking for, by taking your current colour up a notch, giving you shine and richness without the commitment needed for a complete overhaul.

    4. Going lighter hides the grey

    If you are going grey and not quite ready to embrace it, lightning your hair colour works wonders at melting away those greys. This doesn’t mean you have to go blonde, even by adding some caramel streaks into your brown hair will work wonders at helping to prevent that strip of regrowth at the roots.

    5. Choose the right products

    You’ve taken the plunge and changed the colour, now don’t skimp on the aftercare. You want to protect the vibrancy of the shade for as long as possible, so start with making sure it’s conditioned properly. Colouring hair will make it more porous, which means it loses moisture easily and will then lose the colour faster too. To combat this, avoid over washing hair, use cool rather than hot water, and use a product that is colour protecting like the WellaPlex No3 Hair Stabilizer.

    Give your hair the extra TLC it deserves with #WellaPlex! Make an appointment with a participating salon for a Wellaplex in-salon treatment and receive a free Wellaplex No.3 home treatment to the value of R490.00! For more, go to: linktr.ee/wellaprofessionals_sa

    Picture: Unsplash

    Bell and Shepard have been together for over a decade and got married in 2013. The pair have been through a lot together and from what, we can see, they are also each other’s best friends. They just celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary, and appear happier than ever.

    They got married on October 16 in 2013.  The private couple did not say anything about it on social media but from their sweet anniversary posts in 2019, their anniversary is diarised.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BhH5Zjgh6O7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Bell and Shepard met at a birthday dinner in 2007, but they weren’t exactly into each other at first. After that day, they spent time and warmed up to each other and they have been inseparable since.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BhH5Zjgh6O7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    In 2009, they got engaged but made a promise to each other that they would not get married until same-sex marriage is legalized. When the Defense of Marriage Act was overruled in June, Bell proposed and they got married in October 2013.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-bB8YlZVf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    The pair live a very interesting life, their wedding proved that to many. Instead of the fancy normal celeb weddings, they got married in a tiny room in the Beverly Hills courthouse and Bell describes it as the best day of her life.

    They spent about $142 for their ceremony and they wore coordinating black outfits.

    Picture: Instagram / Kristen Bell

    Health officials in New York City were forced to shut down an ultra-orthodox Jewish wedding planned for Monday, October 19 that was expected to bring 10 000 guests together in Brooklyn, one of the city’s COVID-19 hotspots.

    New York has had 519 994 confirmed coronavirus cases and 33 477 deaths. It is the state with the most COVID-19 cases by far, although they currently have the lowest rate of new cases. 

    State health commissioner Dr Howard A. Zucker had the sheriff’s deputies deliver an order to the Hasidic synagogue, Congregation Yetev Lev D’Satmar, warning them to follow health protocols and limit gatherings to less than 50 people. A section 16 order was issued, which carries a $10 000 daily fine if violated.

    The synagogue claimed they were victims of “unwarranted attacks” by city officials. They said that the wedding, held for a grandson of the synagogue’s rabbi, would be attended by close family only, and that the public were invited to participate for a short period of time.

    The wedding will continue but will be restricted to an even smaller guest list of close family only. Leaders in the orthodox Jewish community are planning a mass prayer via phone for Tuesday, October 20 in response to the wedding’s shutdown.

    Picture: Pexels

    When the president announced a complete lockdown in March, everything was shut down, plans were on hold and people had to make do with the “new normal”.

    Couples that had planned to get married had to think of alternative ways to tie the knot as the different levels of lockdown were introduced.

    Like everything else, weddings were also starting to be virtual. That did/does not give wedding guests the reason or right to look sloppy, as it is still an important day, and pictures will be most likely taken too.

    Here are some different options for what you can wear to a virtual wedding.

    What to wear

    Attending a virtual wedding will naturally feel relaxed because you are in the comfort of your own house, but this does not give you the right to not dress up. You don’t have to wear a floor-length gown or a tuxedo and dancing shoes, but please don’t wear an oversized sleeping t-shirt with undone hair. Most people associate Zoom meetings with working from home, but a virtual wedding is not the place to wear your office attire.

    Dress up. Chances are that the couple has a theme, so honour that. Otherwise, a dressy blouse, a dress with some detail at the top, or a button-down shirt and tie will work. Make sure that your hair is neat and tidy as well.

    Set the scene

    Mind your background. Make sure it’s well lit so that your face can be seen clearly in the live stream.

    Create a wedding feel in your home, you don’t have to go all out and decorate but avoid the bedroom to attend the wedding. Look for a location with lots of natural light and try to face the light source. Make sure you’re fully visible to other guests. Make sure you tidy up your space a bit!

    Be on time

    On the day of the wedding, make sure you set up and you are early to avoid technical difficulties. Mute yourself quickly after signing in so you don’t delay the start of the ceremony. The couple should not have to stress about timekeeping.

    Gifts are still important

    Monitory gifts are convenient for virtual weddings. You can send gifts prior to the wedding so they can be part of the ceremony. There is still a wedding registry for a reason.

    Pictures: Unsplash