StyleSchool

Long scarves are one of the few truly timeless fashion accessories out there. They look good with everything and always make you feel a little more put together. Now Love Quotes, the scarf brand favored by Lindsay, Hillary, Sienna, Nicole et al. is launching a Spring/Summer 2009 bridal range featuring a rainbow of shades perfect for not only you but your bridesmaids as well.

The scarves are made of Italian linen and viscose (so soft!) and feature chic knotted fringe on the ends. Some of the new bridal shades include Morning Glory (a soft, hazy periwinkle), True Love (a deep crimson), and Solar (a vibrant yellow). Truly, whatever your wedding colors, there’s a Love Quotes scarf to match. There are also a few new scarves made of Italian linen with lurex for the bride who craves a little bit of sparkle on her big day.

And Love Quotes scarves are not only perfectly on trend, they are fashionably philanthropic as well. Ten percent of the net proceeds are donated to various children’s charities, and each scarf comes with a little quote about love (hence the name). If you’re wondering what to get your girls, this could be a great way to not only show your appreciation to them, but to also bring a little bit more love into the world.

To check out the whole line, visit singer22.com.

—Laura Wasson

Welcome back to our weekly dose of wedding inspirations. Read on for some help choosing quotes, colors, and an exotic locale for adventurous honeymooners.

One only has to look at the discarded flowers, leftover food and trucks filled to the brim with returned chair and table rentals to understand the environmental impact that a wedding can have, especially if vendors are coming in from faraway locations. But one hotel in Hawaii is offering a way to make marrying a little greener.

The Four Seasons Hualalai (fourseasons.com/hualalai) now offers a "sustainable nuptials" package for couples who want to marry at the hotel. With the help of an eco-friendly planner, the hotel has incorporated tons of new services that will help ease your wedding's impact on the environment, from using bio-degradable and sustainable plates and napkins to illuminating your reception with natural beeswax candles. They also use locally grown produce and flowers (and lots of them—they'll scatter two thousand dendrobium orchids at your wedding site!). The hotel will even issue you a carbon credit to remedy the environmental impact of your plane ride.

With all the great options Hualalai now offers, you'll definitely have a wedding that's both romantic and easy on the earth. And that's certainly a great way to start a new life together.

—Jessica Derschowitz

Allow me to introduce the brand-new wedding cake feature on StyleSchool! Every two weeks we’ll be checking in with the bakers and decorators from around the country for their take on what makes wedding cakes great.

What better way to kick off the fun than by chatting with my absolute favorite—Charm City Cakes. While the bakery has garnered tons of fame from their Food Network show, “Ace of Cakes”, the team really does make gorgeous, innovative cakes. I spoke with Anna, the Artistic Director, about her favorite cakes and what makes her bakery the best.

How’s Charm City Cakes different from other bakeries?
We really strive to make cakes that are challenging and truly original. We constantly seek out new techniques and brainstorm way things can be done better. Even though we take our jobs seriously, we’re big believers in doing everything with a sense of fun and humor. After all, it’s just cake!

Why do you enjoy working on wedding cakes?
It’s just such a tough aesthetic to nail perfectly—to not be overwrought and to not be plain.  When it’s done just right, though, it is so rewarding, design-wise. But aside from trying to make a perfect cake, just seeing and hearing the clients’ reactions make it all worth it.

What’s been your favorite wedding cake so far?
This was actually a cake designed for my best friend’s wedding—to be involved was such an honor! We decided on a six-tier cake that was faded from light to lime green with elegant branches and cherry blossom flowers (see above). What was really great was that we used three flavors: red velvet, white chocolate raspberry and peanut butter cup!

What’s the most unique wedding cake you’ve ever designed?
One year I decorated a cake for a couple that was really into Legos, so we decided to do a traditional three-tier wedding cake that looked like it was being built by Legos with a crew of Lego men (click here for a picture)! The idea was that the cake was made of Legos and the men were in the process of draping the fondant and applying the roses. So, in part, it was a wall of toys and in other parts it just looked like a regular cake. It was an awesome project.

Any advice for couples choosing their wedding cake?
I’ve noticed that clients get really into completely matching the cake to their theme, color, dress and/or invitation. Even though that can sometimes be appropriate, personally I like to use those things as more of a suggestion to the overall design. To me, the idea of a cake having to match the napkins is a little much.

To schedule an appointment with Charm City Cakes, call 410.235.9229. “Ace of Cakes” airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. Eastern Time on the Food Network.

—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

Q: I recently started wearing black eyeliner and love how it looks on me! The only problem I have is it always bleeds and smudges. How can I avoid this?

A: This is an age-old problem and can pose an even bigger threat to a potentially teary-eyed bride. Luckily, makeup has advanced and with the use of primers, waterproof liners, and some quick fixes your eyes will be smudge-proof in no time.

Use a Primer: Like the one you use to paint your walls, eye primer helps set shadow or liner that is applied on top of it. Urban Decay’s Sin Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($17; urbandecay.com) will keep your penciled eyeliner from bleeding and add a bit of shimmer-sheen to the eyelid as well.

Go With Waterproof: Liquid eyeliner is a great substitute for an eye pencil. Make Up For Ever’s waterproof liquid eyeliner (in black or brown, $21 each; sephora.com) will not only smudge at all, but with it’s thin application brush you can draw a line as thin or thick as you’d like.

Expert Trick: So, you don’t have primer or a waterproof liner on hand to fix smudged eyeliner? A great cover-up is to not reapply your eyeliner pencil, but to smudge it even more. Smudge it all the way across your lid to create the look of a soft, smoky eye. Just use your ring finger and gently dab the eyeliner you’ve applied outwards and up. This also helps blend crooked mistakes and is a great day-to-evening change for your look.

—Josephine Keo

The best new thing in the world of bridesmaids? Lela Rose's new bridesmaid dress collection.

Lela, who created bridesmaid dresses for Jenna Bush’s wedding, recently opened her first boutique in New York City and is now giving all brides the opportunity to outfit their bridal party in her gorgeous frocks.

Far from traditional, Lela's dresses feature rosette appliques, which are the perfect feminine touch. Even better, the silhouettes are stylish, chic and flattering.

And don’t fret about finding the perfect color because these dresses come in 14 different shades. Just select your palette and let your maids find the perfect fit for their body type. To view Lela’s entire collection, log on to dessy.com.

—Erica Blick Sigel, Associate Fashion Editor

Click here to view Lela Rose's bridal collection.

In weddings, there’s so much emphasis on how one particular question was asked. And certainly, the way he popped the question is an important detail, but there’s another time when an affirmative is crucial—when you ask your friends, “Will you be my bridesmaid?” After all, it’s no easy task planning the bachelorette party and catering to a bride every whim. So, why not sweeten the offer with a sugary bite?

Gracious Bridal’s “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” cookies (graciousbridal.com) are a personal and thoughtful way to ask your friends for their time and support throughout the wedding planning process. You can customize your monogram, select a color palette, and set the tone for your wedding with one cookie.

For busy brides, these cookies take mere seconds to order. Each colorful confection will arrive in a white gift box, packed with festive crinkle paper and a personalized note. With a package so enticing, how can anybody not say, “I do.”

-Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

A new president and another week of amazing wedding inspiration from around the web. Here's what we found:

If you and your husband-to-be are anything like most newlyweds, writing thank-you notes does not rank high on the list of things you're excited to do. But alas, they must get done, so why not use some amazing stationery?

I love these bright, flat note cards by Prismera Design (prismeradesign.com) and they're perfectly sized for thank you notes. All four color options (orange, blue, green and red) bear unique, hand-drawn sea-life motifs that are sure to catch your guests' attention. Plus, by sending these thank-yous, you'll be doing a good, "green" deed—each card is made from 60% post consumer recycled materials and comes with a 100% recycled kraft brown envelope.

Hopefully, with cards as special as these, writing your thank-yous will be a little more tolerable. And remember, guests should receive a thank-you note within 3 months of sending their gift.

—Jeanine Edwards, Associate Editor

It’s safe to say that a great amount of time and effort goes into planning a wedding. After the flowers have been finalized, and the cake design settled on, many brides suddenly find themselves stumped: what to get the bridesmaids?

Jewelry is always a good choice—after all, your girls will keep these pieces forever. And if you’re looking for pieces that are more personal than your average silver or gold necklace, check out egjewelry.com. The site allows you to customize each piece with your choice of stone and metal. Plus, there are plenty of beautiful options to choose from so you can get your kid sister a sassy pair of earrings and your maid of honor an elegant pendant.

Best of all, this gem of a site is having a forty percent off sale until January 25th, so their already wallet friendly prices are virtually sliced in half.

So if you’ve been wishy-washy about your attendant gifts up to now, here’s your opportunity to get them something truly special.

—Laura Wasson