Put Your Face on the Cappuccino
Seven ways to make your wedding feel extra-personalized.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Michael Breach) |
Latte Art
Save the best party trick for last
Bushwick-based cappuccino artist Michael Breach will set up a coffee bar and craft your facial features or those of your loved ones in foam atop his custom brews. Couples usually provide him with photos in advance, but he can also take a quick iPhone snap of a guest for an on-the-fly request. Each cup takes about six minutes to complete.
From $1,000 (plus espresso-machine rental and travel); baristart.com.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Jing Yu) |
Piñatas
Your heads filled with candy
Celebrate a new life together � by hitting each other in the face. Artist Jing Yu makes portrait piñatas of the bride and groom stuffed with candy, confetti, and knickknacks inspired by their interests (a past piñata exploded with dachshund-shaped air fresheners and Wayne Gretzky action figures). After Yu receives a few photos of the couple, it will take from two to three weeks to create a 16-inch-diameter, round papier-mâché mold in your loved one’s likeness topped with paper hair and accessories.
Prices start at $250 per head; bunnycorpse.org.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Happy Menocal) |
Family Crest
Not just for the one percent
Thanks to Brooklyn-based artist Happy Menocal, you don’t have to be a Rothschild to have your own family crest. After a brief interview, Menocal will combine tidbits that she’s gleaned�a shared love of ladybugs, for example�with your favorite flowers and colors as well as your wedding date and venue to create a hand-tinted print. The crest also comes with a layered digital file so you can use elements of it to personalize place settings and programs.
Prints start at $800. Email [email protected]
for an appointment.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Little Miss Mrs) |
Mad Libs�esque RSVP Cards
What a _____ couple
Amanda Burton, of New Jersey�based custom-stationery company Little Miss Mrs, will send you a customization form on which you can indicate wording requests. �Some couples allude to how they met or the groom’s bad dance moves,� she says. Burton recalls that one same-sex couple from California included Prop 8 in their card (�I/We exclaimed _______ when Prop 8 was overturned!�).
Reply cards start at $2 each, and cards for the reception at $1 each, at littlemissmrs.com.
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(Photo: Courtesy of City Winery) |
Wine
You do the grape crushing
If even the finest French Bordeaux doesn’t feel special enough for your nuptials, take part in City Winery’s Barrel Membership program and create your own vintage. The year-long process involves working with CW’s chief winemaker to pick out an ideal varietal; next, coming in for a grape-crushing session at the Tribeca space; and finally, meeting with its graphic-design team to figure out bottle size�ranging from half-�bottles to nine-liter Methuselahs�and label design.
From $1,800 for the three-case minimum to $10,000 for a full barrel; 155 Varick St., nr. Vandam St.; 212-608-0555.
The First Dance
A waltz of one’s own
Whether it’s just a few twirls, a Fred-and-Ginger lift, or a full-on, bridal-party flash mob that you’re envisioning for your first dance, the instructors at New York Wedding Dance�who specialize in everything from ballroom to modern�will design a routine to suit you. On average, couples take about 12 lessons before wowing their guests by expertly boogieing to Elvis, waltzing to Norah Jones, or re-creating the Black Eyed Peas�on�Oprah extravaganza.
Lessons start at $97 per couple; 1261 Broadway, nr. 31st St., Ste. 309; 646-742-1520.
Lipstick
Just-so shade of red
At Bite Beauty Lip Lab’s Soho storefront, which opened last spring, discerning brides can work with technicians to design a one-of-a-kind lip color that will complement their skin tone as well as their wedding palette and general vibe (a bright red for a Wythe Hotel affair; an understated nude for an upstate barn hoedown). After the color-selection process, it’s time to pick out a scent�vanilla, mango, and violet are popular �choices. The custom tint is available in a tube, balm stick, or pot.
From $36; 174 Prince St., nr. Thompson St.; 646-484-6111.