Our annual, stand-alone weddings issue just arrived—one of my favorites of the year. (This year, I've been promoted to senior editor.) Here are some of the front-of-book items (in full) I wrote for this issue. You can see them online here and here.
Band of Bold
Simple, unadorned wedding band may work for some brides, but you might be on the hunt for something more unique. You wear your wedding ring every day, after all. Consider these two rings, which give you more than just a symbolic reminder of your spouse. The first, made by Fabuluster and available on Etsy, uses a patented process to reproduce an actual fingerprint on the inside or outside of a silver, gold, platinum, or palladium wedding band. (Talk about one-of-a-kind.) You might not be able to hold hands all day, but you can walk around with his fingerprint around your finger (prices start at $210; etsy.com/shop/fabuluster). Or, if you want to stealthily steal glances at your affianced's face, there's the Cameo by Rux. On first glance, it looks like a normal wedding band with a few stylish ridges. But, if you look at it straight on from the side, the ridges actually form the silhouette of you're beloved's face, with a cameo-style outline of the forehead, nose, lips, and chin. Yes, the rings are really made using a photograph of your side profile (prices start at $1,700; cameobyrux.com). Colorful resin bangle bracelets can be ordered to match ($350).
Just Your Cup of Cake
Sometimes, a cupcake just can't cut it. To achieve the single-size portion and portability of a cupcake, you have to sacrifice the crunchy, fruity, fluffy, and otherwise structurally unstable layers that traditional cakes can provide. Never fear: The Brooklyn-based Bee's Knees Baking Company, which delivers to Westchester, has developed a way for couples to have their moist and sticky cakes and eat them neatly, too. Their cake-cups take single-serve portions of delicious layer cakes and puts them in either Champagne flutes or heavy-bottomed whiskey glasses (which can be customized for favors). Made from locally sourced ingredients, flavors include gingerbread layered with eggnog frosting and roasted walnuts, yellow cake with strawberry cayenne jam and peanut butter mousse ("PB&J"), chocolate cake infused with salted caramel and topped with a English-pecan-toffee crumble, and southern pecan pie infused with bourbon and chocolate, among others. For more information, call (718) 316-3092 or visit beeskneesbakingco.com.
Takes the Cake (Topper)
When you imagine a wedding cake, you inevitably think of the cake topper—the shining couple smiling down from the uppermost tier. Who are those people? Chances are, the out-of-the-box cake-topping couple bears no resemblance to you or the kind of wedding you're trying to create. No longer. Milk Tea cake toppers, available on Etsy, are fully customizable, matching (if you choose) the bride's and groom's attire, hairstyle and accessories, wedding color scheme—you can even add additional family members and pets. (Yes, there are finally cake toppers for brides with glasses and grooms with beards!) "I literally fell into making cake toppers," says Milk Tea founder/creator Brandi Thanaritiroj. "I had made one for my friend's wedding back in May of last year and just liked creating them. I come from a heavy fashion background, and when the economy hit our original business started to slow down so I thought, why not give the wedding toppers a try on Etsy? It seemed to really take off." Cake toppers start at $170 and can be found at etsy.com/shop/bthanari.
Be Prepared
You practice your vows. You've tried and re-tried on the dress. How else can you make sure you're totally prepared for the wedding? By picking up one of Ms. and Mrs.'s Wedding Day Survival Kit. The metal suitcase comes with everything you might need but would overlook otherwise: clear nail polish, extra deodorant, a sewing kit, stain remover, super glue, double-sided hem tape, extra earring backs, corsage pins, and even backup wedding bands. Or, be the best bride ever and get the chic mini versions as bridesmaids gifts, which come in cool metallic colors that'll probably match their dresses ($49 for full kit, $16 for minis, msandmrs.com).
