Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Shipp/Toronto Life

This invitation by Elum Designs, called "Salon," is one of my favorite styles for a classic, traditional wedding. The letterpressed invitation and collateral cards are all tucked into a beautiful folder and presented in a sleek fold-top envelope. Plus, I love the elegant cream color and the classic typography.

See more invitation designs in our Invites Gallery and find a stationer near you in our local vendor listings.

If you have a wedding invitation you'd like to submit for the blog, please email photos and a brief description to Heather Lee at contact@brides.com.

—Heather Lee

Photos: Yelena Moroz

Last night, a few of my friends and I went to Brooklyn to roll up our sleeves for Etsy's Hands-On Valentine's Day event. Participants had the opportunity to craft their own Valentine's Day cards using Etsy's letterpresses [they have two types: tabletop and Vandercook presses (below)]. Prior to last night, I had always wondered why letterpressed cards were so pricey. Now, I get it.

When I arrived at the Etsy Labs in Dumbo, the room was buzzing—almost 350 novice printers were on the scene to try their hand at letterpress. I thought I'd start small. Breck Hostetter, co-owner of Sesame Letterpress, showed me how to print a sweet message onto a coaster—turns out, many of her clients use the coasters as wedding save-the-dates and favors. "They are so utilitarian and not terribly expensive," Breck says.

To print them on a tabletop press (above), first, you place the design, ink the press, and carefully line up the card stock. Next, you pull down a lever, pressing the design into the card (which creates a deep impression in the paper); this also transfers the ink onto the card. Easy! However, I can certainly see how making 100 coasters can be labor-intensive—each piece needs to be hand-fed into the press. All in all, it was great to learn how letterpress works. But for me? I'll leave the heavy lifting...umm...pressing to a professional stationer.

—Yelena Moroz

Photo: Katie Stoops

Photo: Brandon Kidd Photography

Photo: Via Little Green Notebook

Photo: Gertrude & Mabel Photography

Photos: Fairchild Archive (Glenn); Conde Nast Digital Studio (runway)

The role for which Glenn Close has earned a Best Actress nomination this year is about as unglamorous as they come. To inhabit Albert Nobbs—an Englishwoman posing as a man in 19th-century Ireland—Close stripped away any trace of the elegant, blond-tressed woman who's graced the Oscars for nearly three decades. But if Close wants to finally land her long-overdue Academy Award, we suggest she turn up the glamour this year to maximum drama.

Taken from the most dramatic bridal runway of the Fall 2012 season, Vera Wang's nude-and-black lace ball gown falls neatly into the actress' strapless-silhouette comfort zone, while offering an evolution to her standard red carpet style. We often see Close in solidly dark gowns, but a punch of detail, like lace appliqués mingled beneath layers of tulle, would boost her look from understated to undervalued.

Because that's what Close has proved herself to be ever since her stunningly costumed, fiercely acted performance in Dangerous Liaisons—defining a range that her performance in Albert Nobbs only punctuates.

See more of our runway-to-the-red-carpet gown picks for this year's nominated actresses.

—Phillip B. Crook

Photos: Luigi Menduni

"Yeah. I don't have anything to hide."
—Kareem T., 23

"Probably not. I'd make something up."
—Tarik F., 23

"I wouldn't be able to recall the exact number, so an estimation would have to do."
—Daniel C., 23

"There'd be some truth to my answer, but I don't think exact names and dates would be necessary."
—Mark S., 26

"Oh, God, no! I'd have to give a rounded number."
—Jeremiah S., 26

Photo: Jane Johnson Photography & Design

This elegant cake by La Joconde Cake Studio + Bakery is such a versatile design—the palest-of-pale-green hue makes it a lovely alternative to the classic white cake, while the crisp square tiers and mod pattern of intersecting circles (carefully piped in icing) lend the design a more contemporary feel.

Check out more wedding cakes in our Cakes Gallery, and find a wedding cake designer near you in our local vendor listings.

If you have a wedding cake you'd like to submit for the blog, please email photos and a brief description to Heather Lee at contact@brides.com.

—Heather Lee

Photo: Courtesy of Cover Girl (lipstick)

Rachel McAdams has logged some major on-screen make outs with Ryan Gosling, Eric Bana, Owen Wilson, and now, thanks to her latest role in The Vow, Channing Tatum. Kissing those handsome leading men isn't just an occupational perk, it's a scripted requirement.

McAdams recently walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of The Vow wearing a pale blue Vivienne Westwood dress, a 14k-yellow-gold-and-diamond ring by Le Vian, and a gorgeous bright pink shade on her lips. We asked our beauty department to recommend some similar lipstick colors to recreate her look (at least from the neck up!), and they suggested:

CoverGirl LipPerfection in Flame, $6 (pictured above)
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture #13, $30
MAC lipstick in Lady Danger, $14.50

Pick your favorite shade, then grab your guy and script your own Hollywood make out sesh tonight.

Photo: Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio

Anda and Gabe spent their fifth date planning their sixth: a weeklong vacation to Paris. On their second day there, the couple said "I love you" for the first time. Two years later, Anda and Gabe married at Swedenborg Chapel in Cambridge during a late-afternoon ceremony. "We felt very strongly that our wedding should feel like 'Boston'—the goal was to reflect the dual images of the city as both traditional and modern," says Anda.

Anda wore a Manuel Mota for Pronovias gown and accessorized with a veil from Vows Bridal Outlet. Gabe sported a slim-cut Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo with a tie from Barneys New York.

The service included a processional to Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and a reading from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. The couple wanted to keep the ceremony decor simple. "The chapel itself is so beautiful—the candlelight and the architecture were all that was needed," says Anda.

After the service, the newlyweds and their 103 guests moved to The Hampshire House for cocktail hour before making their way into the venue's wood-paneled library for dinner. Surrounded by shelves of books, a marble fireplace aglow with flickering candles was the room's focal point. Round tables displayed a combination of tall and low centerpieces of orchids, garlic shoots, peonies, and lavender. All florals and decor were by Mimosa Fresh Flower Design.

The three-course menu included chilled cucumber and lump crab soup, beef tenderloin, lobster tail, Chilean sea bass, and stuffed tomatoes, all catered by the venue. Between each course, friends and family offered Champagne toasts. After diner, the couple cut their buttercream-frosted orange Grand Marnier cake.

Photos: Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio

Anda and Gabe took to the center of the room for their first dance to "My Favourite Book" by Stars. JetSet Sounds provided the evening's lighting and music, which had everyone dancing until midnight. But the festivities didn't end there: "We gathered for table service at the bar at The Liberty Hotel, where more than half of the guests stayed up partying past 2 a.m.," says Anda. "For Boston, that's pretty impressive."

Photographer: Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio || Bride's Gown: Manuel Mota for Pronovias || Bride's Veil: Vows Bridal Outlet || Groom's Tuxedo: Dolce & Gabbana || Groom's Tie: Barneys New York || Reception Site: The Hampshire House || Floral Design: Mimosa Fresh Flower Design || Reception Music: JetSet Sounds

Visit our Real Weddings page to find more modern style inspiration, and find your vendors in our local listings.

Video: Courtesy of IMAVEX

While a frenzy of reporters and photographers swarmed the stars of Super Bowl XLVI—New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and quaterback Eli Manning—rookie linebacker #53, Greg Jones, and his girlfriend, Mandy Piechowski, shared an intimate moment amidst the victory celebration erupting on the field.

Getting down on one knee, Jones proposed to Piechowski—and she said yes, but, "she was bawling," Jones told The Star-Ledger. "I was like, I don't know how long she's going to keep crying." Watch as this footage from the confetti-sprinkled field captures Piechowski putting on her ring for the first time, just moments after Jones surprised her with his proposal.

Find out about hosting your own Giants-themed wedding at MetLife Stadium, and see our pick for the best NFL groom accessory.

—Phillip B. Crook

Photo: Sarah Layne Photography

Photo: Color Issue

Photo: Via Faire Frou Frou

Photo: Courtesy of Akimbo Design

This invitation by Akimbo Design, featuring wedding details printed on actual sheets of thin wood veneer, would be the perfect match for a rustic wedding held in a barn or in the woods, don't you think?

See more invitation designs in our Invites Gallery and find a stationer near you in our local vendor listings.

If you have a wedding invitation you'd like to submit for the blog, please email photos and a brief description to Heather Lee at contact@brides.com.

—Heather Lee

A three-judge panel in the ninth US circuit court of appeals ruled 2-1 today that Proposition 8—a 2008 voter-approved measure restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples—is unconstitutional. "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California," judge Stephen Reinhardt said in the ruling.

The court's decision upholds the ruling of a federal judge in 2010 who found the measure to be a violation of civil rights. But Proposition 8's fate doesn't end with today's news. If supporters of the measure appeal to a larger panel (and they will), the US Supreme Court could eventually hear the case, creating a national precedent for same-sex marriage.

—Phillip B. Crook

Photo: Courtesy of Verde Studio

Photo: Courtesy of General Knot & Co.

Imagine how dapper your heartthrob would look in this 1960s Valentine's print bow tie ($68) from New England-based General Knot & Co. We can't get enough of the mini hearts or the fact that it's reversible.

Want more groom's style ideas? Click here.

—Stephanie Davila

Photo: Jenna Walker Photography

For a wedding held on a farm or in a barn—which is where today's featured couple Anna and Jesse hosted their nuptials—I love the idea of complementing the setting with a simple buttercream-frosted cake accented with rustic touches, like a handful of pinecones and a tree-trunk cake stand.

Check out more wedding cakes in our Cakes Gallery, and find a wedding cake designer near you in our local vendor listings.

If you have a wedding cake you'd like to submit for the blog, please email photos and a brief description to Heather Lee at contact@brides.com.

—Heather Lee