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    In Advice

    Stunning ways to use string lights on your big day

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    Romantic yet whimsical, string lights are a favourite among couples for their wedding reception. These tiny lighting options make for a great way to illuminate your big day and set the mood all at once.

    Give a gorgeous glow by using twinkle lights in these stunning ways.

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    In Bridal Shower

    Why we have a bridal party

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    Weddings have been happening since time began and so many of the traditions we know and practice today have existed for decades. One such interesting tradition is the bridal party.

    It’s commonplace to see a squad of women and men flanking the bride and groom on their big day. Usually their closest friends, the bridal party is meant to support and assist the bride and groom throughout the wedding process. However, the origins of the bridal party is pretty unromantic.

    The Bible contains one of the earliest references to bridesmaids. In Jacob’s wedding to Leah and Rachel, both women had their literal servant maids present at their ceremony.

    In ancient Roman times, there needed to be 10 witnesses at a wedding whilst the couple recited their verses, acting as an early form of the bridal party. While the witnesses were typically all male, eventually it evolved to include women. The women had to wear identical gowns to the bride to confuse vengeful spirits aiming to thwart the newlyweds happiness. This is why bridesmaids typically wear similar outfits today.

    Groomsmen of this time had a pretty…interesting role. In various historical cases, groomsmen were said to kidnap brides from her family home and bring her to her groom. They would then stand beside the bride to make sure other suitors or family members couldn’t take her back.

    By the Victorian era, the concept of the bridal party as we know it today began to take shape. Speaking to Vogue, luxury wedding and event planner Gina Wade explains: “during that time, bridesmaids organized flowers and party favours but they also walked down the aisle carrying herbs, garlic, and grains to scare away evil spirits.”

    Today, brides typically have a maid/matron of honour and however many bridesmaids, and the groom has his best man and groomsmen. Modern couples are moving away from tradition, with some even opting out of having a bridal party altogether. At the end of the day, it’s what feels right for you. Your wedding should be what you want it to be, regardless of tradition.

    Also read: Bride chooses grandmothers as bridesmaids

    Feature image: Unsplash

     

     

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    In Fashion

    Wedding Attire: Semi-Formal

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    A semi-formal dress code is just above cocktail and below formal. The time and location of the wedding should help guide your outfit. If the wedding is in the evening, you should wear more structured clothing in darker shades, if it is in the day, wear light colours and fabrics.

    Men

    Wear a suit and tie or a smart blazer with a button down shirt. Pair your clothing with a smart pair of leather shoes.

     

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    Women

    Wear a smart, knee-length dress, jumpsuit, or smart pants or a pencil skirt with a nice blouse. Semi-formal outfits should be form fitting, especially for an evening wedding.

     

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    In News

    The strange origins of the garter and bouquet toss

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    A sign of good fortune, catching the bridal bouquet or garter predicts that the recipient will be the next person to get married. But have you ever wondered where this tradition comes from? Turns out, they have an incredibly odd origin story…

    You know the scene: the emcee calls all the single ladies to the dance floor for the traditional bouquet toss. Bridesmaids and guests jostle each other in preparation of the momentous occasion. The bride turns her back on her guests and hurls the bouquet, causing eager women to leap into a frenzy to catch the floral arrangement. It’s a fun, lighthearted moment during ones big day. However, it wasn’t always that way.

    Back in the day – medieval England to be exact – wedding guests were desperate to have a piece of the bride, literally. Wedding dresses were seen as positive signs of fertility and good luck, so obviously everyone wanted to get their hands on one. After the wedding, guests would clamour around the bride and rip pieces of her gown off her body as a keepsake. Guests in those days were pretty intense and would even follow the newlyweds into their bridal chamber and egg them on as they prepared to consummate the marriage. Yes, really. Understandably, newlyweds weren’t really into this.  To ward them off, the bride would hurl her bouquet into the crowd as a distraction before she made a quick exit with the groom.

    The garter was a popular piece guests aimed to grab from the bride. After the newlyweds consummated the marriage, the groom would toss the garter to the waiting crowd as proof that the deed was done. This piece of lingerie thus came to symbolise fertility and good fortune.

    In the 1919 book, “Wedding Customs Then and Now”, Carl Holliday writes, “The bridesmaids start with the weary bride to the wedding chamber when suddenly the cry arises, ‘Get her garter’… If the woman has been thoughtful, she has fastened it loosely to the bottom of her dress so that it drags in plain view of the scrambling ruffians; if she has not been a wise virgin, she may find her clothes in rags after the struggle.”

    Luckily, times have changed. Although I don’t know if a groom lunging underneath a skirt to retrieve the garter with his teeth makes this tradition any better. Think of the children…

    Image: Pexels

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    In Destination

    You can now get married by Chris Harrison at The Bachelor mansion

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    Fans of The Bachelor will be ecstatic to know that the venue where the famous reality show is set is now also available for hire as a wedding venue. To top it off, you can even ask celebrity host of the series, Chris Harrison, to officiate the marriage.

    Credit: Instagram/Chris Harrison

    Having been ordained as a minister, Harrison has since wed many a lucky couple who hit it off on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.

    The famous Villa de la Vina in Malibu, US, is a 200-years-old Mediterranean-style building with a range of luxury features that will make for the perfect wedding venue. The venue, that can host 350 people, has an infinity pool and picturesque views of the surrounding canyons.

    If you want to have an extravagant wedding at this lavish venue, you’ll have to contact them for official quotes, but according to Wetpaint, you can rent it out for an icy $2,100 (R17 745) a night for personal use so we can only imagine what a wedding might set you back.

    Picture: Instagram

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    In Fashion

    Trending: The bridal backlace

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    You’ve seen it, you’ve loved it, but you keep thinking: ‘Can I wear it?’ The answer is yes! Wedding gowns that come with a backlace is the epitome of elegance. The fun part is, if your dress does not come with one, but you have an open back, you can opt for a necklace with a back. That means it will be short at the front and have a backdrop hanging down your back. Here are some inspiration from different kinds of backlaces, suited for different styles.

    Dainty

     

    Pearly

    Glitzy

    Layered

    Rustic

    Pendant

    Picture: Etsy.com

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    In Accessories

    Dresses we love: Applique

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    Applique – various fabrics sewn onto netting or other transparent fabric – creates a lovely, romantic appearance for your bridal look. It allows you to show some skin and yet still look classy and tasteful. It suits brides with a feminine style and a love for detail. Applique designs can feature anywhere, like the back, sleeves, neckline or veil. Here are some of our favourites.

     

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    In Advice

    How to avoid family drama at your wedding

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    Everything is organised: Your dress, your hair and make-up. The catering and photography are all systems go and you and your spouse-to-be are super excited for the big day. There’s just one issue left to tackle: the guests. You both love your families, but they can be a handful. This cousin is angry with that aunt, and that uncle hasn’t spoken to this one’s dad in years. Hopefully, you or your partner’s family members are mature enough to behave well at the wedding for your sakes and not ruin your day. But you never know!

    So how do you handle family feuds on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life? Here are some things to keep in mind to help you prevent the much-dreaded drama:

    1. Be smart with seating arrangements
    When it comes to practical things like seating, be mindful of who sits next to whom. Of course, it might not be possible to keep everyone happy, but you can at least try to arrange it in a way that arguments will be least likely to break out.

    2. Never get involved in the details
    Remember, if it’s not your fight, it’s not your place to intervene. You have bigger things to worry about! For you to try and get in between will waste energy and emotional resources you’re supposed to save for joyous moments. Keep out of it as far as possible. When either of the parties involved try to drag you in, just calmly but firmly say something like “I understand that it’s tough for you, and I really appreciate that you’re here for me. I will not be able to talk to him/her about this, but why don’t you join me on the dance floor? I love this song!” This way, you move the attention away from the issue and hopefully remind them that you’re all there to enjoy the wedding.

    3. Try to give everyone equal attention
    Again, don’t choose sides. It’s important that you show everyone you are happy for them to be there for you and that you appreciate and love them all equally. Avoid spending too much time with any particular person or table so as not to create more friction.

    4. Communicate beforehand
    If things are that serious and you’re worried it might actually get out of hand, it might be wise to talk to each of the parties involved separately before the wedding day. Schedule a coffee date or write them a personal email explaining that you are looking forward to spend time with them but that you also expect them to behave a certain way on the day out of respect for you. Make it clear that you want them to be comfortable, but that you can’t control everything. Ask them to consider you and your partner during the day and set their differences aside.

    5. Enjoy your day – regardless
    At the end of the day, you have to choose whether you will allow other people’s behaviour to upset you or not. We know this isn’t always easy, but for one day you are allowed to focus on you and your own joy. Focus on the happy moments and the well wishes, the delightful food and beautiful surroundings. This is meant to be a celebration of love and all you should really be concerned about is the fact that your partner can’t stop smiling at you.

    Picture: Pexels

     

     

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    In Celebs

    Pinterest shadow bans plantation wedding content

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    You won’t be seeing any images from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ 2012 nuptials on Pinterest and The Knot anymore. The prominent websites joined other platforms taking a stand by placing a shadow ban on all images relating to plantation weddings.

    Pinterest, The Knot Worldwide, Brides and Zola recently announced that they would be making changes to their platform that would restrict all references to plantations, as well as any language attempting to romanticise these locations as wedding venues.

    Those searching for such content will receive a notification that the images may violate Pinterest’s policies. The sites will no longer work with vendors that are plantations or attempt to romantacise such locations.

    This means that images from Ryan Reynold’s and Blake Lively’s 2012 wedding held at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, have now been shadow banned from these popular sites.

    This move is in response to a campaign led by racial justice organization, Color of Change, who argued that the weddng industry was glamorising and capatalising sites of human rights atrocities.

    “The decision to glorify plantations as nostalgic sites of celebration is not an empowering one for the Black women and justice-minded people who use your site,” Color of Change wrote to the Knot Worldwide executives. “Plantations are physical reminders of one of the most horrific human rights abuses the world has ever seen. The wedding industry routinely denies the violent conditions Black people faced under chattel slavery by promoting plantations as romantic places to marry.”

    Many plantations in America thrived off slave labour and became places of human rights abuse for the people forced into these demeaning positions. As such, they’ve become painful reminders of a dark and sordid history for many African Americans who descended from such slaves.

    “Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Plantations represent none of those things,” said a Pinterest spokesperson. “We are working to limit the distribution of this content and accounts across our platform, and continue to not accept advertisements for them.”

    “We want to make sure we’re serving all our couples and that they don’t feel in any way discriminated against,” The Knot’s chief marketing officer Dhanusha Sivajee told Buzzfeed News.

    Image: Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

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    In Decor

    Alternative outdoor wedding arches

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    Wedding arches have come a long way from the simple dome structures they used to be. Now popular in both indoor and outdoor weddings, the wedding arch can be a beautiful symbol of the home you and your partner will build together. This tradition is, of course, one more way for you to decorate and create a focal point. Here are some creative ideas that are perfect for your outdoor wedding.

    Tree hugger

    Full circle

    Blown away

    Free spirited

    Modern vintage

    Draped in love

    Rustic flair

    Floral fun

    Feature Image: Instagram/Foreverlyafter

     

     

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