Ah, weddings. Such a whimsical, elegant affair. Also, perhaps unfortunately, NOT the place to pull a sweatshirt over your head.

Beauty can’t keep you warm, it’s sad but true…and even if a wedding falls in the middle of winter, you’re expected to dress to a certain standard no matter how cold you get. That makes it important to dress right in the first place. Otherwise you’ll be left shivering in the middle of the dance floor while everyone else busts their moves around you, just trying to soak up some of that priceless body heat.

Of course, men will be just fine in their suits – in fact, they probably suffer in summer as much as women suffer in winter. Well, fair is fair, and I guess it’s our turn now. At least we get to try out our different favorite styles while they’re stuck wearing the same thing all year round…

But fear not – these winter wedding outfit ideas can go the extra mile of warmth.

Satins & velvets

These fabrics are heat-insulating, so they’ll do the best job of keeping dress velvet you warm all through the night.

Long sleeves

No matter what’s happening on the bottom half, long sleeves will be your best friend on the top half. It’s no secret that that discreet under-arm area under contains a significant amount of our total body warmth, which is why it’s important to protect it at all costs. And there are so many ways to make long sleeves wedding-chic: pair them with a solid floor-length dress, a slitted floor-length dress
, or even a shorter dress. Legs simply don’t get as cold as our upper half, but when they do – grab a seat and cocoon yourself! You’ll be warmer in an instant.

A long or short-legged jumpsuit

Yes, classy jumper season is upon us. There’s no better way to cover yourself from head to toe for warmth (and modesty!) than a slimming jumper that still shows off your figure.

Shawl

When the outfit just isn’t warm enough, a shall is a classy extra outer layer that can be easily added or removed.

Gloves

It may not be the 20th century anymore, but that doesn’t mean gloves need to go anywhere. Keep your arms warm and give your outfit some extra oomph with this unexpected outfit accessory.

Built-in cape

Whoever invented this is simply a genius. Long and flowy but warm and cozy – and most importantly, built right into your outfit!

Asia is the largest continent on the planet, made up of 48 countries in total, containing roughly 60% of the world’s population. It covers a similar area to both of the Americas put together, so it wasn’t too difficult to find over 35 things that would stun anyone who sets foot in Asia for the first time. If you’ve never visited Asia yourself, you may be surprised at how different our cultures, tradition, sights, and landscapes are. Check out this list of weird and wonderful things that you might be missing out on.

Singaporeans take their fondness for their own personal space to the next level with these antisocial vests. As you can see, the vest can be worn on top of any sort of clothing and has big spikes protruding from it, to ensure that other people keep their distance.

The spikes are pretty offensive looking, but they’re not really solid enough to do anyone any serious damage. We definitely see the benefits of owning one of these vests when you’re forced to take busy public transport, but you’d definitely get some strange looks!

Another amazing temple site that can be visited in Asia is called the Bagan Plains in the Mandalay region of Myanmar (formerly Burma). Here you’ll find over 10,000 temples, 3,000 monasteries, and 1,000 stupas, all within a land area of just 40 square miles.

Myanmar sits just above Thailand and is often visited as part of a larger trip around South East Asia. Another popular trip to take at sunrise, tourists can take in this impressive site with a view from a hot air balloon. What an atmospheric and serene start to the day!

With so much focus on the use of single-use plastics recently, including their devastating effect on our oceans and rivers, many countries have stepped up to try and reduce their usage of plastic. Supermarkets in Thailand were some of the first to start using banana leaves to package their foodstuffs.

Seeing this change first-hand is one you won’t forget. Firstly, it looks great in the supermarket aisles and it’s also really nice to support a supplier that’s doing its bit to reduce the amount of plastic they use, encouraging you to do the same.

If you find yourself in South East Asia for the first time, we highly recommend that you visit the bat caves in Battambang, Cambodia. You won’t find Batman or Robin for that matter. But, you will see a lot of bats. A LOT of bats.

You’ll want to hike up to the bat caves just before sunset to see the bats, in their tens of thousands, leave the caves as the sun sets for the day. The sheer number of bats leaving the cave all at once darkens the sky with a streak of black.

Time for a strange invention that we’ve only ever seen in Asia — the butter grater! Much of Asia is far too hot to leave your butter out on the countertop at any time of year. And we all know that it sets way too hard when it’s kept in the refrigerator.

Being able to spread butter on bread, without tearing it apart, is all about getting the right temperature. The butter grater, however, solves all of your spreading problems. Just leave your butter in the fridge or freezer, where it keeps for longer and then just grate it as you need it!

Something that stuns most people when they go to Asia for the first time is that the locals just love to eat chicken feet. Predictably, they’re pretty grisly and chewy, but Asians absolutely love them and it’s likely that you see them all over the street barbecue stalls.

You won’t just find them on barbecues, but also raw or boiled and then vacuum packed for sale in supermarkets and convenience stores. Most Asians think that the feet are the best part of the bird and unlike the US, the breast is the cheapest part of the chicken to buy!

China is home to the world’s largest man-made waterfall that is an incredible 350 feet high. The water is electrically pumped up the building to then cascade down the front of the building into a tank below. It really is a jaw-dropping sight to behold.

The Guizhou province of China already possessed the country’s largest waterfall, but now you can visit the country’s largest natural waterfall and the world’s largest man-made waterfall all in one trip! Apparently, it costs the Liebian Building around $118 per hour to run it.

If you happen to come across a bunch of people dressed up like this, chances are you’re in Japan. Also known as Kigurumi, Kigu, or Kig, dressing up in this way is a type of cosplay that involves a full character mask and costume.

Even if you don’t attend a cosplay event, you may still see Animegao Kigurumi in some cafes around Japan that have their waiters and waitresses in full costume. Depending on the complexity of the costume, cosplayers have been known to spend $1,000 on getting their costumes just right.

The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands in total and only around 2,000 of these are inhabited. The country is famed for its outstanding diving spots, but there’s a lot to do on land, too! This other-worldly site will stun those that have never been before.

Although to be fair, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol are one of those sites you can never bore of. With that said, they can even stun those that have been there before. You can ride to these hills on a scooter in around an hour a half from the popular tourist area of Panglao.

If you’re a fan of chopsticks, then maybe you’ll be a fan of these chopstick fans! Don’t you just hate it when you’re hungry and your food is just too hot to eat? Well, with the help of a cooling fan attached to your chopsticks, you can eat that much faster.

OK, so noodle soup can have a tendency to stay hot for ages, but is there really a market for these noodle-cooling mini fans? Whoever invented this must have been very impatient when it came to eating!

Coconut water is extremely healthy for you, but in the states, it’s usually sold in cartons or cans with a ton of sugar added to it for a sweeter taste. Fresh coconuts are nature’s own electrolytes and are great for your bone health and metabolism.

Coconut vendors are very popular in the warmer parts of Asia and the guy selling you one will skillfully crack it open in under a minute, which is sure to stun people visiting Asia for the first time. Providing coconuts with ring pulls, however, is next-level convenience.

The Coca-Cola brand already has Coke, Coke Light, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, and Vanilla Coke among other flavors. Until recently, all the different varieties contained a caramel ingredient that made the sugary drink its distinctive brown color.

You may be surprised to see Coke Clear on the shelves in Asia, however, as the caramel color is not included and it’s replaced instead with a lemon flavor. Pepsi already tried this back in the ’90s with Pepsi Crystal, but it never took off.

Anyone that’s ever had to put eye drops in their eyes knows how difficult it can be. It’s often easier asking a friend or family member to help out and even then it can difficult not to flinch when you see it coming!

We guess Asians like to solve problems like these. With the help of these glasses, putting in eye drops has never been easier! You’ve got a larger surface area to dispense the drop onto and then the funnels make sure they drop right into your eye.

When you first see this photo, you might think we’re joking. But, believe us when we tell you that the facekini is actually pretty popular in countries like China. The facekini can be worn all day long without you ever accidentally catching a tan.

In the western world, we love our suntans so it’s not unusual to see people tanning on beaches or in tanning salons at every opportunity they get. In Asia, on the other hand, the paler your skin, the better. Cue the facekini, which helps prevent a tanned face.

One of the things that shock people in Asia for the first time are the toilets and there are many reasons for this. Firstly, you’re often presented with a pan-style toilet rather than a toilet bowl and seat. And instead of a toilet roll, you have a water sprayer.

Seeing signs like this is all too common in Asia, especially in the venues that have adopted western-style toilets. People are so used to pan-style toilets, they’ll try to climb up onto the seat and squat from there. Muddy footprints on the seat provide evidence of this. Read the sign!

While the average life expectancy may be considerably higher in America than it is in most countries of Asia, the elderly population are generally a lot more active and flexible in Asia. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see them working out in public spaces.

People often get together in the local parks or riverside spots in the mornings and early evenings and then follow a sort of set work-out routine that one of them leads. It’s pretty low impact but certainly gets the blood circulating and gives your whole body a good stretch.

Floods are all too common in certain parts of Asia, with many countries being devastated year after year in monsoon season. We may stay inside when it’s raining out, but no amount of rain will stop Asians from going about their business.

You’ll see people riding bikes, motorbikes, and cars through water so deep you’ll be surprised that the motor vehicles are able to operate in it. Shoes can be often be seen floating down the street and makeshift floats help carry shopping.

Back in 2019, it was reported that giant pigs the size of polar bears were being bred in southern China. The giant pigs were bred in response to a national pork shortage as pig numbers were decimated by the African Swine Fever.

One pig in particular is said to weigh 1,100 pounds, which actually makes it even larger than the average polar bear. Now, that’s a whole lot of meat for one animal! One giant pig can fetch around 10,000 Yuan (around $1,400 US) at a meat market.

This huge gravity-defying golden rock can be seen in the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Mon State in Myanmar. It’s a well known Buddhist pilgrimage site and a great mystery to everyone in how the rock stays put, as it looks like it’s about to roll downhill any minute.

According to legend, the golden rock stays put due to the fact that it was perched atop a strand of Buddha’s hair. Another legend says that the rock was carried and placed there by a celestial king using supernatural powers. Hmmm…

Halong Bay can be found in Northeast Vietnam and has breathtaking views that stun everyone that visits, whether they’re in Asia for the first time or tenth time. Emerald colored water surrounds thousands of towering islands that are topped with rainforests.

It’s a popular tourist hub for the views alone, as well as more adventurous activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and scuba diving. Many of the islands are named after their resemblance to shapes, with one even called Teapot!

Angkor Wat, literally meaning ‘city of temples’ is the world’s largest religious site and is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world. This stunning city of temples can be found in the tourist hot spot of Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Built in the 12th century, the temple pictured is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site and is visited by roughly 2.6 million international tourists each year. Most day trips leave the city center well before daybreak so that visitors can enjoy the sunrise over this magnificent site.

This picture may not stun you at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that those masses hanging off the cliffs there are actually coffins. What you’re effectively looking at is a supremely unique and fairly unsettling type of burial site.

In China, they are known as xuanguan, which literally means hanging coffin. But, you won’t just see hanging coffins in China, as there are also sites in the Philippines and Indonesia. Some tribes like to hang their deceased instead of burying them!

Lideco in Hanoi is home to a famous ghost town, where you can wander the streets, in and out of abandoned buildings, without seeing a soul. You can see the jungle trying to reclaim the land already and you can even see plant-life growing inside some of the houses.

Most of these buildings were erected between 2007 and 2012. Over 600 French-style villas and mansions were constructed, but the building company never finished the project and only around one in every 20 houses is now inhabited. Such beautiful buildings wouldn’t stay empty for long in America!

Nowadays, almost every man and their eight-year-old kid has a smartphone. And while they’re also very popular in Asia, not everyone can afford one. Internet cafes can still be found in almost every town and city, but unfortunately, it’s rare to be offered any privacy.

In Asia, this guy decided to improvise. He’s obviously keen to keep his internet usage a mystery to fellow cafe goers by using his t-shirt as a private viewing window between his face and the screen. We do not want to know what he’s watching.

If you head to Osaka in Japan, then one of the things you may encounter will be this 16-foot slide into a giant toilet bowl. It’s a unique attempt by the Japanese to make learning about feces more fun and interactive.

The toilet bowl slide is actually part of a learning exhibition called “Human Waste and Earth’s Future,” and if you look more closely at the picture, you’ll see that you even get to wear a poop shaped hat while you’re there.

If you find yourself in the Shandong Province in eastern China, it’s well worth visiting the Jiaozhou Bay area to see the Qingdao Bay Bridge, which is the world’s longest bridge. It officially opened as a road bridge in June 2011.

The bridge is over 36.48km miles in total, with the longest continuous segment of bridge being 25.9km. This one segment equates to just under 17 miles! The pictures of this bridge are stunning enough, even without actually visiting Asia.

One thing that always takes people by surprise during their first visit to Asia is seeing young children driving around on motorbikes. It’s not a common sight in the city, though, and we’re sure the traffic cops would have something to say about it.

However, once you get out to the villages, you’ll notice this on a daily basis. The driver will generally look between the ages of seven to 12, and he or she will always have two or more riders on board, too. We don’t even think they’re joyriding as it’s very common!

In the depths of northeastern India, a very strange sight to behold are the centuries-old bridges that are not built, but instead grown. A species of Indian rubber tree thrives here and it just so happens to have an incredibly strong root system.

Local tribes in Meghalaya noticed this long ago and decided to take advantage of the powerful roots by training them to go across rivers, by pulling, twisting, and tying the roots. Whenever the need arises, they simply grow a new bridge.

Something that never fails to stun people when visiting a new foreign land for the first time is the differences in architecture. Just like Chicago has the “Bean” to wow its visitors, Wujin, China has this incredible blooming lotus flower.

The floral structure was actually added to an already existing subterranean, two-story municipal building. This inhabited sculpture now includes exhibition halls, meeting rooms, and conference centers — all beautifully hidden amongst the sculpture’s lotus petals.

If you’ve never been to Asia before, then it’s unlikely you’ve come across such a mess of power cables running from here to there to everywhere, but you see it all the time in Asia. Can you imagine trying to find the one you need to fix?

It can be difficult to watch where you’re going when you’re walking around a city in Asia for the first time because you’re so busy looking at all of the tangles of wires hanging precariously above you! We’ve even seen electrical cables that shoot off sparks.

Asia is full of modest swimmers and while they may not be sporting the latest Muslim swimming fashions as pictured here, they will almost always swim with their clothes on. A large percentage of Asia is Muslim, but even Hindus and Buddhists cover up.

In many countries in Asia, they’re a lot more body-shy than us westerners. Plus, you have the added fact that they don’t want to tan their skin, in fact many skincare products have whitening ingredients in them, so keeping covered up is key.

People who haven’t been to Asia and actually experienced what it’s like to live with monkeys around, probably don’t realize how mischievous they can be. For some people, they are a constant annoyance while for others, these furry creatures are downright scary!

Imagine waking up to a troupe of monkeys destroying everything on your balcony and not being able to leave your windows open in case they invite themselves in and steal the TV remote. They look so cute but can snarl and hiss when they feel threatened.

Motorbikes are a much more common mode of transport in Asia than in the western world. With that said, in America, it would be very unusual to see more than two passengers on one motorbike. Here, however, we can see seven people riding on one motorbike!

If you’re visiting Asia for the first time, that’s sure to be a shocking site but after a few days of exploring, you’ll get used to seeing motorbikes being overloaded to the maximum. And not one of them is wearing a helmet!

Also known as Sky Caves, Mustang Caves are one of the world’s archaeological mysteries. A collection of around 10,000 caves that can be found in the Mustang District of Nepal. They are man-made caves that have been dug into the sides of the valleys here.

The reason they remain such a mystery is that the rockface into which they’re built is almost completely smooth and that some of the caves are around 13,000 feet above sea level. We can only reach them today with special climbing gear.

Another commonplace vehicle you’ll often see on the roads, overloaded to a dangerous level, is trucks. In certain countries, governments are starting to crack down on this, but companies operating on low-profit margins are often forced to get goods from A to B as cheaply as possible.

If it’s your first time in Asia, then you’ll see these overloaded trucks hurtling down the road, overtaking everything in sight, even on blind corners! As you can imagine, these trucks often fall over from the sheer weight of their goods too, so we look forward to increased regulation.

When you visit the fruit and veg aisle of your local supermarket, you expect to see the usual — bananas, apples, grapes, and oranges. But, if you’re in Asia for the first time, then the fruit section of the supermarket might come with more surprises than you’d expect!

Not only are lemons much scarcer than you’d imagine — and much more expensive when you do find them — but you’ll also encounter a variety of fruit that you could never dream of. Dragon fruit, rambutans, lychee, and durian are far more common.

Yonaguni Submarine Ruins are situated off the southern tip of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, approximately 100km East of Taiwan. It’s clear to see that these submerged ruins are man-made stepped monoliths, yet no one knows who built them or where they came from.

Neither the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs or the Okinawa Prefecture recognizes the site as having cultural significance and therefore there is (unfortunately) no funding when it comes to preservation or research on the site. It seems that the Yonaguni Ruins will forever remain a mystery to us.

The amount of plastic floating around in our oceans has hit mainstream news all over the world recently. However, there is nowhere in the world where the truth of this sorry situation hits home as much as some coastal countries in Asia.

Miles-wide islands of plastic debris float around the ocean with currents and end up on beautiful white beaches in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, Asia has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to education on human waste, but we could all do more to help.

If (or when) you visit Asia for the first time, yet another thing that might knock your socks off is how cheap Gucci handbags are, as well as Armani shirts and other designer wear. We’re not going to lie — the saying, “If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is” comes to mind…

And that’s because unless you buy it from an official store, then it’s most likely a knock-off. The copies are generally extremely well made, so there’s a good chance you might even be able to tell the difference.

Earlier, we showed you a picture of the toilet slide in Japan, but it may still be stunning to learn that toilet slides aside, Japan is still pretty poop-obsessed. Well, compared to other countries, that is. Let’s take a moment to also observe their poop-themed restaurants.

Yes, you heard that right — restaurants! While it may be considered to rude to mention poop at your dinner table, in Japan they’re certainly not shy of poop reminders at the dinner table and will actually serve you your main dish in a toilet-shaped bowl!

A capsule hotel — also known as a pod hotel — is definitely a different accommodation than most westernized individuals are used to. Each guest occupies a capsule or a bed-sized pod that either has a curtain or door.

In Japan, capsule hotels have been stereotypically used by businessmen who may have missed the last train of the day to make a return trip home. Now, considering the lack of space in these pods, these kinds of “hotels” definitely aren’t for the claustrophobic.

Believe it or not, there is an irrational fear of the number four in many East Asian cultures — including China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. A phobia called tetraphobia, many individuals in Asia consider the number four to be unlucky.

The roots of this suspicion go back to China in which the words “death” and “four” sound almost the same. The number is so feared that you may not even see it in an elevator to indicate the fourth floor because most apartment buildings and hospitals skip the number altogether.

The sticks that you see here are called mimikaki (literally, “ear rakes”). They’re used in homes all over Japan in order to muck out all the wax that forms inside of the ear. They’re basically Japan’s version of what we know as cotton swabs — ya know, Q-Tips?

Now, although the Japanese picks aren’t exactly sharpened, they are fashioned with a curved tip to facilitate the scraping of wax from the ear canal. And while so many cultures have their own version of this tool, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe to use…

In Vietnam, it’s not uncommon to see people riding around on motorbikes with a ton of baggage. In fact, it would be a little strange if you didn’t see this during a visit to the country.

With almost 90 million vendors and consumers buying and selling something on virtually every street corner, it should come as no surprise that Vietnam is the perfect place to capture scene after scene of cargo being carried on the back of motorbikes. After all, it’s a quick and efficient mode of transportation…

Long Neck Village is a tribal village located in the northern hills of Thailand. There, you’ll meet the Kayan Long Neck Hill Tribe. Over the years, the Kayan tribes have become somewhat of a “tourist attraction,” mostly due to the fashion that the girls and women wear.

The women wear stacked brass rings on their necks, although girls only start wearing these coils around the age of five — and more are added as they get older. These brass rings push the collarbone down and compress the rib cage, giving the impression of a longer neck.

Now, this is definitely a site you’ll want to see if you ever find yourself in Indonesia. The Gala-Gala Underground House is a subterranean man-made cave located in Indonesia.

It was hand-carved and built out of limestone by a Jero Mangku Dalang (spiritual practitioner) named Mangku Bayasa throughout the ’60s — and it’s now open to the public for visits. Surprisingly enough, the construction process lasted for about 11 years, as the cave was built using only traditional equipment without using any machinery.

Since 1992, there has been a law in Singapore that bans stores and shops from selling chewing gum. Since 2004, however, an exception has existed for therapeutic, dental, nicotine chewing gum — but this can only be bought from a doctor or registered pharmacist.

It turns out that this ban came into place when chewing gum began causing maintenance problems in high-rise public-housing apartments, with vandals disposing of spent gum in mailboxes, inside keyholes, and on elevator buttons. And let’s not forget about the chewing gum left on the ground, stairways, and pavements.

Calling all singles! It turns out that South Korea has a day dedicated to those who don’t have a partner. Every year, on April 14th, people in the country celebrate what’s called “Black Day” — a day for loners and those who aren’t in love.

It’s a customary tradition to wear black clothing, eat noodles topped with a thick sauce that consists of black bean paste, and make jokes about the lack of romantic love in your life. If you didn’t get any presents for Valentine’s Day, well then, it looks like you can celebrate this event!

Okay, people. If you’re ever in Japan and decide to ride an elevator, make sure you’re not the first person to enter. Entering an elevator first means becoming the new elevator captain.

And with this title comes a ton of unspoken rules — the captain operates the control panel, holds the “door open” button, and presses all other buttons for the members of the trip. Now, if you want to avoid this duty entirely, just let someone get on before you when entering an elevator.

It’s no secret that Asian cultures love fair skin. But, just how far do people go in order to stay pale? Well, if the sun is out, then you bet your pretty little head that all the Asian women are walking around under umbrellas. The hotter the weather, the more covered they are.

That’s right — they even wear long sleeves, hats, gloves, sunglasses, scarves, and even face masks to protect their skin. And while this may seem a bit outlandish to visitors and tourists, this a normal part of Asian culture. Now it makes sense as to why Asian women’s skin stays so perfect no matter their age…

Eating insects is not at all commonplace in the western world and for this reason, it’s a sought-after activity in Asia, often just for the photo opportunity! Eating insects has become so popular among visitors in tourist hotspots such as Bangkok, you’ll find them everywhere!

If it’s your first time in Asia, then just beware that the vendors will even try to charge you for taking a picture of their wares these days! Choose between crickets, worms, cockroaches, scorpions, grubs, and even tarantulas! Yuck!

The square watermelon was originally intended to be a very practical advancement in the world of fruit. Not only will it fit more compactly in your fridge, but it’ll also sit on your counter more safely, as well as cut more easily.

These cubic melons were invented by Tomoyuki Ono in 1978 and were first presented in a gallery in Tokyo. These melons are grown in boxes in order to attain the square shape and have now become cost-prohibitive, sold at three times the cost of a normal watermelon.

Even if you’ve never been to Asia before, you’re likely to have encountered the loveable yellow animated character, Pikachu, before. Maybe in the form of a cuddly toy, or trading cards — but never as a bus, right?

In Japan, on the other hand, obsession with the animated form levels up and if you visit one day, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to ride on a Pikachu bus. Made by a Japanese company called Child, it’s official name is “Dream Bus: Mini Pikachu.”

Another note about toilets in Asia is that sometimes you’ll find them in the most unexpected places. Whether it be down a dark and scary alleyway or sharing with another restaurant on the next street, you just never know where your bathroom needs may take you.

It’s not always bad, though! As you can see from this picture, these urinals come equipped with a really nice view! Better than any we’ve seen in the western world, that’s for sure. We wonder whether the ladies have such a nice view…

If you’re afraid of heights, then you should look away now, or maybe it’s too late — sorry! Pictured here is the Coiling Dragon Cliff Walkway, which opened in August 2016 in the Hunan region of China, in the Tianmen Mountains.

The glass section of the bridge spans for just over 300 feet, some 1,000 feet above the ground! Not only is the Coiling Dragon Cliff Walkway the world’s tallest glass bridge, but it’s also considered to be one of the most terrifying tourist attractions in the world.