StyleSchool

You’re a bride with refined taste, one who likes the finer things in life: caviar, foie gras, and chocolate. Yes, chocolate! The food that delighted you through childhood can be as refined as a four-star meal, you just need to know where to find it.

Chocolate doesn’t get more elegant than Chocolatines’ (chocolatines.com) Chocouture line. The experience begins with a stylish robin egg blue and rich mocha colored box that’s embossed to feel like lux lizard skin. Open the packaging to reveal four edible diamonds, encased in 72% dark chocolate settings, and hand painted in edible silver dust. And it gets better: they’re filled with champagne ganache. Needless to say, they’re delicious. Why should you be the only one walking away with a serious rock on your wedding day?

The perfect complement to these rich chocolates? The ultra luxurious Palmes d’Or champagne (palmesdor.com). The brut vintage 1998 is a bubbly blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir that’s 100% delicious. Embellished with the imprint of hundreds of pearls, this too is a marriage of the most refined kind. Who says you can’t have it all?

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

You’ve selected your wedding venue, china pattern, and honeymoon spot, but there’s still a significant decision awaiting you: your monogram. Don’t underestimate this task, because customization is key to a memorable affair. If you’re still searching for the perfect design, head over to Marry Monograms (marrymonograms.com) where there are more than 200 options to choose from, whether your taste is casual or sophisticated.

And then, once you’ve decided on a design, there’s so much to put your stamp on from stationery to tote bags. Oh, and now wine!

Tag your favorite wines from Northwest Cellars (northwestcellars.com) with a personalized label. Pouring a glass of 2004 Merlot is much more novel when the bottle reads “Rachel and Ben: August 14, 2010.” Pair a stippled monogram with a bottle of Northwest Cellars’ 2006 Chardonnay and you can’t go wrong!

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

In the spirit of Valentines Day, we must discuss chocolate (because a February 14th without cacao is like a wedding without cake). And speaking of cake and chocolate, we found the perfect marriage of the two. We adore Choclatique’s Wedding Cake Pieces as a variation on the popular mini cake trend. It’s just one of the amazing offerings from Choclatique ($3.50, choclatique.com), makers of delicious chocolate bites featuring decadent flavor combinations like Brooklyn Vanilla Malted, Saigon Cinnamon Carmel and Amaretto Latte Ganache.

Each piece of cake is a perfectly sliced serving of Strawberry-Angel Food Cream Ganache layered with white chocolate. Does it get much more delicious than that? If the white variety isn’t your thing, there’s also a Black Forest Cake, sure to satisfy even the most finicky chocoholic’s palette. In fact, there’s a menu of more than 150 mouthwatering flavors to choose from, so we encourage you to select something significant to serve guests at your wedding. Did you first meet your husband in the big apple? The N.Y. Egg Cream is perfect for your dessert tray. If he asked you to be his at an orchard in autumn, send everyone home with Caramel Apples that are shaped like their namesake fruit. With flavors so tempting, you don’t really need a reason to indulge, but it’s nice to have one.

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

He popped the question with the dazzler of your dreams and now you’re engaged. Congratulations! Gifts will soon begin flooding in, but you may also have the urge to buy yourself a little something.

If so, I found the cutest gift you could buy yourself in celebration of your engagement. Check out these adorable, diamond-shaped ice cube trays from CB2, Crate and Barrel’s more affordable line. Available in six of your favorite diamond shapes (think brilliant, emerald, and princess), you can fill every pre-nuptial party with the constant reminder of your perfect ring. And the best part is, you’ll be able to enjoy them over and over again.

At only $6.95 per tray, they’re an amazing steal. Just log on to CB2.COM right now to purchase your own set of “bling”.

--Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

It’s not officially winter until December 21, but we’re definitely starting to feel that cold weather creeping in. And while coffee and tea are great ways to keep warm, there’s nothing quite like a cup of hot chocolate.

If you’re planning a winter wedding, consider incorporating a cocktail containing hot chocolate into your event, or making one your signature drink. Event planner Shawn Rabideau (shawnrabideau.com), who’s created events for celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Barbara Walters, served this choco-concoction at a recent wedding he planned, and guests went wild for it:

Shawn Rabideau’s Hot Choctail

Weddings are the perfect time to start a collection. While some couples covet crystal, and others amass art, wine is certainly the most delectable option. 

But where to begin? We recommend you start with a quick click onto Bottlenotes. Once logged in, you can learn about, buy, discuss, and even share thoughts on wine. Want to know the best red to pair with a Spanish blue cheese? You’re bound to find an answer in this community, perhaps even in Evan Handler’s profile. He, like other celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, has a profile page on this social network for wine lovers.

With insightful tools like a winecyclopedia and bottletalk podcasts, you’ll be a wine expert by the time you start adding bottles to your online wine registry. But, if you still feel in the dark, take a peek at the Bottlenotes experts’ registries, or join a club to get a shipment of wines to sample and enjoy at home. We love the dinner party club ($89.95 for 3 bottles), perfect for young couples who love to entertain. Cheers!

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

On the eve of your nuptials, celebrate your marriage with a union of a different sort: the liquid kind. We found two great bachelorette bash beverages that are perfect, no matter what your party style.

If your crowd is the shot-loving kind, bring Dekuyper Bursts ($11) to the party. Keep the Kamikazes, Red Headeds and Washington Apples flowing without needing a bartender on hand to mix drinks.

If your gathering will be a quiet ladies night, then we highly recommend Seven Daughters Winemakers Blends ($15, 7daughters.com). The red and white varietals are an excellent introduction to the world of wine blending, without intensive classes, expensive kits and (potentially) disastrous trial and errors. Seven Daughters White Winemaker’s Blend has something for everyone, and includes Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and French Colombard,

So whether you down the Bursts or sip Seven Daughters, it’s sure to be a match made in heaven.

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant