StyleSchool

Absinthe is back. The century-old liqueur, once banned in the U.S. for it’s rumored hallucination potency, has resurfaced without the phantasm effects. The anise tasting spirit is making a splash at New York hotspots like the Kobe Club and Waverly Inn, and has started appearing at weddings and events as well, says celeb party planner David Stark, who is getting a ton of request for Absinthe bars for affairs he is organizing.

So, why not add a little oh la la to your reception by augmenting the usual champagne fountain with one designed to serve absinthe ($47, drinklucid.com). The art deco-inspired vessels dispense ice water and are used to prepare a glass of the "green fairy" in the traditional French manner: pour the liqueur into a glass, rest a flat, slotted spoon, on which you’ve placed a single sugar cube, across the rim of the glass and slowly drip cold water over the cube so that the sugar melts into the glass.

Cheers!

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

Are you dreaming of having a destination wedding but hate the idea of putting your nearest and dearest through all the hassle of travel? Now you can have your (wedding) cake and eat it too! Savvy brides who dreamt of getting married at a chic, far-flung resort but were put off by the logistics of pulling together a wedding far from home have been flocking to so-called urban resorts. These hotels combine beautiful surroundings and tranquil spas with the sophistication and convenience of a major urban center. At the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, for example, brides (and their maids) can indulge in a fatigue-fighting therapeutic mud wrap the day before, get married in a garden terrace overlooking the marina, and have an outdoor reception with a view of the picturesque Coronado Island Bay Bridge and the city skyline—all while staying within five minutes of San Diego’s lively downtown and Gaslamp Quarter. And with city ceremonies becoming more popular, thank Beyoncé and Jay-Z, whose New York City nuptials gave the practice a hipper profile, who needs to get out of town to have a spectacular wedding?
--Sharon Boone

If you’re looking for a great gift for your bridesmaids and are tired of
seeing the same set of generic chandelier earrings, opt for something they can use and reuse: the PanTouch digital picture frame. Priced at an affordable $120, all your girls need to do is insert a memory card (hopefully nothing too scandalous from your bachelorette endeavors!) to create a veritable slideshow of the best moments. I promise it’s easy to maneuver - no instruction manual required! While there are many digital frames out on the market, the PanTouch is unique for its touch screen interface, which allows the user to flip through photos as they were in an album with a exclusive “page turn” effect as well as easily navigate through hundreds of pics. The design is sophisticated and sleek, totally worthy of display in your studio apartment or grand foyer. And if you have a Wi-Fi connection, you can download music that can be played through the built-in speakers. Perfect for adding a soundtrack to your ultimate photo montage. The PanTouch is availabe at major retailers nationwide.

--Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

If having a makeup artist and hairstylist on hand for all of your last minute touch ups is over your budget, here are five beauty essentials that will keep you looking flawless from the time you say “I do” until the photographer has taken the final shot.

1. The Multiple
Between greeting your guests and posing for pictures you won’t have time to pull out your entire makeup kit to reapply. Instead, keep Nars The Multiple ($37; sephora.com), an all-in-one cream to powder stick, on hand to warm cheeks, eyes and lips all night long.

2. Blotting Papers
If things get too steamy on the dance floor, tone down shine while maintaining your glow by discreetly patting away excess oil with powder-free blotting papers. Our favorite: Bobbi Brown Blotting Papers ($20; bobbibrowncosmetics.com).

3. Eye Shadow Primer
Put an end to those messy eye makeup meltdowns. Before applying shadows and liners, prep eyes with Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion, ($16; urbandecay.com) for smoother, long lasting, crease-proof eye makeup that won’t budge. So go ahead and cry if you want to.

4. Dark Circle Primer
If you need more than concealer to cover those dark circles, try Khuraira’s Dark Circle Complex Primer ($30; khuraira.com). This orange cream masks blue pigments in dark circles to create a neutral base true to your skin tone. Follow up with your favorite concealer for a flawless finish.

5. Hair Spray
Chances are you’ve spent some serious time and moola getting your coiffure perfect for your big day. To keep it in place all day long (without looking like you used a can of Aqua Net), we recommend Aveda Air Control Hair Spray ($24; aveda.com).

—Tasha Turner, senior beauty editor

When adding the finishing touches to your wedding look, consider going for something a little avant-garde. Follow in the fashionable footsteps of Carrie Bradshaw and opt for a feather hair accessory, whether it’s a dainty pin tucked into a chignon or a bold statement headband. We love Jennifer Behr’s delightful creations such as this ostrich feather comb ($325). To get this look, visit jenniferbehr.com.

—Erica Sigel, associate fashion market editor

If you’ve found yourself drowning in a sea of Post-its and paperwork in the months leading up to your wedding, then you know the last thing you need is more clutter. Luckily, there’s a new web-based service that helps you organize the chaos of wedding planning minus the endless scraps of paper and scribbled notes.

Wedsimple.com provides just about every service the bride-to-be needs, and includes a dizzying array of features. Are you planning a destination wedding? A Chicago bride can plan a Caribbean wedding while vacationing in New York without a second thought. The website automatically converts all your scheduling to local time. Would you like to know what percentage of guests have RSVPed? Put away the calculator, your virtual wedding planner will do the math for you. There is a small fee, but it’s worth the peace of mind—not to mention saving all those pieces of paper.

Botox injections are hardly a typical bridesmaid gift, but they are fast becoming a popular one. Brides, along with their mothers and maids, are adding plumping injections and chemical peels to their pre-wedding beauty regimen, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

Whether paid for by the bride as a thank-you for their friends’ help with all the wrinkle-inducing wedding planning, or by the bridesmaids themselves, these parties are becoming increasingly common. One trailblazer in the bridal party Botox boom, Dr. Fardad Forouzanpour, a cosmetic surgeon in Beverly Hills, told the Times that business for his Bridal Beauty Buffet rose by more than 40 percent in the two years he has been packaging his services for bridal parties. And don’t think this trend is limited to the L.A. jetset, according to the newspaper, in that same period of time, Susie Ellis, the president of spafinder.com has seen a 25 percent rise of similar parties nationwide.

These often-pricey procedures are an indulgent alternative to a simple pre-wedding night out with the girls; trust us, these are not your mother’s bachelorette parties. A typical evening includes consultations, injections, and plenty of alcohol (partially to dull the pain). Just don’t expect to get an appointment a week before your wedding! Salon appointments are almost as difficult to book as reception halls, and some dermatologists recommend a course of several treatments leading up to your big day. With a price tag of approximately $400 per injection, those treatments can quickly eat-up your wedding day budget.

But it’s the etiquette—not the expense—that is the biggest potential drawback: It’s doubtful Miss Manners or Emily Post ever tackled the question of how (or if) you should ask your bridesmaids to have their laugh lines and crow’s feet taken care of before your big day.

Click here for the latest advice and trends in bridal beauty.

Looking to bring your wedding up-to-date? Try going old school with a retro embosser from Kate’s Paperie. Weddings today are all about personalization, and we can think of no better way to add a personal touch than by stamping your monogram all over the place!

We adore this sleek desktop embosser as a wedding gift. Usher your soon-to-wed friends into marriage with the perfect tool to announce their union. Since Kate’s includes three interchangeable embossing plates, you could give the couple their monogram, future address, and one extra surprise. Your thoughtful gift will make sending all those thank you cards a breeze for the lucky couple. Best of all, you’ll delight in receiving a note created with your gift. You can’t say that about bed linens or a china pattern! Bonus points if you know whether the silver or gold model better matches their home décor (though either is a safe bet).

Couples needn’t hint for this gift or be disappointed if they don’t receive one. For $90 treat yourself.

We could kill hours punching-up personalized envelopes, journals, books, heck, even post-its. Better yet, invest in inexpensive note cards and viola, instant custom-made stationery that will last far beyond the wedding date.

Click here to browse more stationery ideas.