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In Advice

Sultry silk wedding dresses

July 21, 2020 No Comments

If you’re not one for tons of detail and over-the-top design, a silk wedding dress may just be the perfect fit. This fabric is luxurious and glamorous all on its own, and needs very little to take it to the next level.

Silk is a natural protein fibre produced by insect larvae to create cacoons. While many insects can produce silk, it is the fibre of the moth caterpillar that is traditionally used in textiles. The fibre is woven into the fabric we know today, and gets its shimmering appearance thanks to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre that refracts incoming light at various angles.

Silk works best for a paired down look. Opt for a simple frame like a slip or A-line gown to use the fabric to its best potential. Because of its delicate nature, it drapes beautifully so silk looks especially stunning when used to create a cowl-neck.

Here are some some dresses to show that silk can be used in a variety of ways to produce any style you want.

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Feature image: Unsplash

In Advice

Decor ideas for intimate wedding tables

July 21, 2020 No Comments

We predict micro weddings will be a massive trend for the remainder of 2020 and even 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With strict regulations on guest lists, couples will have to be much more discerning when it comes to their wedding party.

Micro weddings may seem limiting but they actually allow for so much more opportunity because your budget doesn’t have to stretch to accommodate a large guest list. With less guests, your money can truly be spent on those luxurious and special parts of a wedding that you might not have been able to afford otherwise.

Just because you’ve only got one or two tables does not mean that they have to be boring. Now is the time to go bold with design. Think of extravagant overhead installations, unique lighting and explosions of floral bouquets.

Here are a few ways to make your intimate wedding table look grand:

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Feature image: Pexels

In Advice

Show some leg: Daring wedding dresses with slits

July 21, 2020 No Comments

If your legs are your greatest physical asset, show them off! A slit is incredibly flattering on a number of body shapes and dress styles as it softens a look and allows greater movement in your gown.

It’s important to consider height and placement when opting for a slit. Depending on how comfortable you are, your slit can be knee length high or extend all the way to your upper thigh. It all relates to the overall look you want.

You also have options in placing your slit on the sides, the middle or even the back of your dress. The back and front slits are typically to accomodate stiffer fabrics as it allows for more movement, while the side slits are all about drama. Placing your slit on the side puts your leg on full display. Just make sure to not veer too far off onto the side to avoid having to stick your leg out to get the full effect of the slit. Aim for creating the slit right where the dress naturally touches your legs.

If you’re unsure of how to pull of this trend, take a look at how these stunning brides have done it.

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Feature image: Unsplash

In Advice

Best wedding-related Instagram pages to follow for inspiration

July 21, 2020 No Comments

Instagram is a treasure trove of inspiration. Anything you would want to know more about can easily be found through a simple hashtag.

With so many details involved in your big day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When planning your wedding, the fastest and easiest way to find inspiration is to consult this much-loved app. From your flowers and food to your wedding dress and seating chart, you can find unique ideas on Instagram thanks to thousands of wedding vendors from all over the world.

Instagram has a handy ‘save’ function, which allows users to bookmark posts they love. You can organise these bookmarks into separate collections, making it even easier to group your thoughts together in a cohesive way. It’s like your very own inspiration board, but online.

If you’re planning a wedding and don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up our favourite wedding-related Instagram pages from South Africa and beyond that have been giving us major #weddinggoals.

Wedding Concepts SA

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Wedding Wire

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The Wedding Bliss

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Kleinfeld Bridal

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCl7Spilyb8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Precious the Planner

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Black Bride 1998

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Zavion Kotze Events Company

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Green Wedding Shoes

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traditionalweddinginspo_za

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Here Comes the Guide

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Feature image: Pexels

In Weddings

Moroccan wedding traditions span 3 days or more

July 21, 2020 No Comments

Morocco is filled with a rich culture dating back many years. Their wedding traditions incorporate their culture’s morals and values and are quite elaborate occasions.

A traditional Moroccan wedding can last up to seven days, as it includes several ceremonies that occur prior to the actual wedding. Music, dancing, outfit changes, customs, and traditions all play a huge role in Moroccan weddings.

Here are some of the ongoings of a Moroccan marriage:

Drib Sdak

In Morocco, the actual marriage happens before the celebration, in a ceremony called the Drib Sdak. At this small ceremony, the couple sign the marriage contract with their family members present as witnesses. They are also accompanied by an Adoul (a notary).

Hammam

A few days before the celebration, the bride undergoes a process of purification. The bride gathers all the women in her life, who accompany her to the hammam (public bath or additional sauna). She will get her hair washed with ghassoul (a type of clay) and be pampered with a massage, waxing, and more. This lasts a full day.

Moroccans also take part in a version of the Henna party, most popularly celebrated by Hindu people. The Henna party happens the day after the Hammam.

The beginning of the real celebration

The third day is when all the efforts of the pre-wedding occasions come together.

Guests and the wedding party gather at the wedding venue. Thereafter the groom arrives with his family. The last to arrive is the bride, who is escorted in an amaria (a roofed platform carried by a few men).

During the festivities

Once the bride exits the amaria, she will sit on an elevated couch with her new partner and guests will be allowed to come take pictures with the pair.

Just before the meal is served, the bride often changes into a second outfit. After dinner and some dancing, the bride will change her clothing again. This time, into an outfit called the “Labssa Fassia”. The groom also changes into more traditional clothing (from his wedding suit).

One last change of clothes happens before the cutting of the cake and the last dance.

Parade

After the festivities, the newlyweds leave the venue in a car parade. They will stop at various locations along with their route home, to capture some photographs.

Once they arrive at the groom’s home, his mother will welcome the couple with milk and dates.

Feature image: Unsplash

In Emotional

City comes together to celebrate blind man on his wedding day

July 21, 2020 No Comments

The power of love can bring us all together. That’s exactly what happened this past weekend in Yemen as the city of Aden came together to celebrate a stranger on his wedding day, after he posted a plea for wedding guests.

Mohammed Ali Abdullah married his life partner on July 18. Prior to his big day, he took to Facebook to write an open invite to his wedding, saying he did not have that many friends.

“Hello, my name is Mohammed Ali Abdullah, or as they call me, ‘Mohammed the blind’. I’m so happy that my life has become tinted in rose, although I don’t know what that looks like, but I hear roses are beautiful. I have finally found my life partner,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“I have few friends and wish you can all be my friends and join me in my celebrations, as I want to prove to the world that I also have the right to be happy like other normal person. I will not see you at the wedding, but I will feel your presence,” Abdullah said.

This post quickly went viral, encouraging the city of Aden to join in on the festivities. The hashtag ‘We All Are Your Friends’ began trending

A blind man in Aden got married today. Prior to his wedding, he posted this Facebook post as an open invite for anyone to come, mentioning he had only a few friends

The hashtag #ابشر_كلنا_اصحابك ( # We All Are Your Friends) was started & the whole city attended?❤️ pic.twitter.com/fXjRkmrB7w

— pedRo (@SouthYMN) July 20, 2020

It quickly became a massive affair, with local businesses and companies reaching out to offer the groom gifts and financial support for their big day.

Come wedding day, hundreds of locals took to the streets to meet and celebrate the newlyweds.

In Celebs

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz celebrate decade of marriage

July 21, 2020 No Comments

Spanish superstars Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have been married for 10 years. The actors recently flew to the Algarve in Portugal to celebrate this milestone achievement.

Bardem and Cruz are a notoriously private couple. They met in 1992 on the set of Jamón Jamón, but didn’t begin dating until 2007 when they reunited on the set of Vicky Christina Barcelona.

They managed to keep their relationship under wraps for years, making their first red carpet appearance together in 2010. In this same year, the pair secretely tied the knot in an intimate, family-only wedding in the Bahamas.

Over the course of their relationship, they have starred together in many films.

Both Bardem and Cruz agree that keeping their relationship out of the public eye is the healthiest for their marriage. “Penélope and I, we have to protect the ‘us,’” Javier told Vulture Magazine.

The couple have two children together: nine-year-old Leo Encinas Cruz and seven-year-old Luna Encinas Cruz.

Feature image: Instagram / Penelope Cruz Official

In Advice

All that glitters: Gold wedding cakes

July 21, 2020 No Comments

If gold is good enough for royalty and Olympic winners, it’s good enough for us! We love gold for its luxurious look, it adds a special sparkle to a wedding day without being overwhelming.

Gold is a unique colour in that it pairs well with almost any other colour. It works especially well with white or black for a more classic look, but can easily stand out alongside bolder hues like pinks, reds and greens.

Whether you want large explosions of colour or finer details, gold can work in any capacity on your wedding cake. We’ve rounded up a few glamorous cakes that prove why you should go for gold.

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Feature image: Pixabay

In Advice

Ways to reuse your wedding dress

July 20, 2020 No Comments

Wedding dresses are a major part of anyone’s big day but after the wedding, they tend to end up unused and stashed away in a cupboard.

Your dress doesn’t have to just sit in a closet and collect dust. To get the most out it, here are a few ways to reuse your wedding dress and create more special memories.

Donate it

Your wedding dress holds a special meaning but more often than not, it just becomes an ornament hanging in the back of your cupboard. Donating your dress will give someone else the opportunity to feel just as beautiful and glamorous as you did on your big day.

Get crafty

Wedding dresses tend to have much more fabric than others, which can be cut and crafted in new and creative ways. You can cut the dress down and use strips of material for making various home decor items or clothing. Satin and lace work well for this. Or separate the skirt and bodice to wear as stylish separates paired with more casual items.

Dye it

Along the lines of crafting, dying your dress will instantly change its look and make it an elegant evening gown which you can wear out to events or formal functions.

Turn it into a family heirloom

If you feel sentimental and would like to keep your dress, turning it into a Christening dress or princess-style dress for your child or younger family member is a meaningful way of re-using your dress.

Play dress up

Love Halloween, or any kind of dress-up for that matter? You can get seriously creative with your wedding dress for a themed party. Think zombie bride or fairytale princess!

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In Advice

Quirky wedding themes you’ll love

July 20, 2020 No Comments

With thousands of themes to choose from, it can be difficult to decide on a wedding theme. You don’t have to choose between his favourite superhero movie and your perfect all-white wedding-themed weddings allow you to get the best of both worlds. Combine your favourite pop culture and movie references for a wedding celebration with a unique twist.

Harry Potter

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No love potions needed here. If you and your better half are low-key wizards at heart, a Harry Potter–themed wedding is perfect for you. Why not send out a love-spell invitation or thank-you cards and feast on a Sorting Hat wedding cake? Then gift your guests with Harry Potter wands as wedding favours – complete with their names on the box so it will feel just like a trip to Ollivander’s.

The Wizard Of Oz

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Follow the yellow brick road down the aisle to meet your future partner and add a pop of colour to your conventional wedding attire by opting for sparkly red shoes just like Dorothy. Your decor can be farm-inspired with checked tablecloths and straw bales as seats, or add outdoor benches and Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion photo booth props if you’d like to give your guests a fun memento to take home. Just like Dorothy had a wish, your guests can write out cute wishes on small pieces of paper for you and your loved one.

Superheroes

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With the surge in superhero flicks, you can take your love for all things Marvel or DC to new heights. Whether it’s The Hulk, Superman or Batman, you can have it all! Ask your groomsmen to don superhero-themed T-shirts beneath their suits or have your guests dress up as their favourite characters – villains welcome too. For a more subtle approach, decorate a simple wedding cake with inside layers mimicking the colours of your favourite superhero’s costume or add a cute hero couple caketopper (think Batman and Catwoman or Superman and Wonderwoman).

Sports

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Are you a die-hard sports fan? Then incorporate sports trivia on your special day with sports trophies as flower vases or your venue decorated to look like the inside of an arena (or you could just have your venue at a sports ground). Sports jerseys can be used as bridal party outfits after the formal wedding festivities are out of the way and you can keep your guests entertained with a host of sport activities that double as the perfect props for pictures.

Carnival

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Feel like a kid again and make your wedding reception a carnival complete with fun games where guests can win prizes for participating. Serve foods casually by setting up food carts with hot dogs, popcorn in cute striped bags and even candyfloss on a stick, and decorate your tables with brightly coloured paper and an assortment of colourful sweets.

Feature image: Pixabay