AisleDash

Janet Jackson has been dating producer Jermaine Dupri since 2002 with no thoughts of marriage -- she's been divorced twice already. However, Jermaine feels differently about getting legally hitched, and while he's not demanding marriage of Miss Jackson (assuming he's nasty), he has let her know that he's unhappy with her lack of commitment.

The singer has realized how important getting married is to her diminutive darling, and has agreed to focus on planning an intimate wedding when she finishes her tour this fall. A source told the National Enquirer, "They want a very simple wedding in Paris with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. The wedding won't be extravagant, but they do want their families and friends to be there." You know, since Paris weddings with a major landmark as a background are never extravagant.

We're not sure we actually believe the rumors, but we do love Janet, so rest assured that if more comes of this, we'll let you know!

This past week was Paris week. We searched high and low to help you find the best ways to plan a Paris-inspired wedding. If you plan to travel to Paris, we know a wedding planner who can help you.

Your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner will be the crème de la crème when you give it a French twist with these party ideas. First, set the scene with French style invitations. Depending on your budget, there are many different decorating schemes to choose from. For more formal parties, you can have the wait staff dress in blue and white striped shirts and berets for a fun extra touch. Second, create more ambiance with French inspired activities. For larger parties, you can hire a caricature artist and juggler to entertain guests in the style of a French boardwalk. Smaller get-togethers can be enhanced with fun movies set in France, such as French Kiss or, for a bit more "ooh la la," something like Femme Fatale. For bridal showers, have someone come give the gals French manicures (technically, they're not really French, but who doesn't love a manicure?). A French-inspired menu offers a variety of choices. Go formal with wine and cheese, fondue, truffles and tarts or keep it casual with croissants and berries and Eiffel Tower cookies.

A sophisticated option for your bridesmaids, the Jackie O by Black Halo is a slim shift dress with the added interest of geometric short sleeves and a sexy cowl neckline. It's perfect for a dressy daytime wedding, particularly if the wedding is happening at a courthouse and is followed by a lunchtime reception at a gourmet restaurant.

C'est si bon!

If you're having a Paris wedding, then you must have a hairstyle that matches your theme. There are many updo's and romantic curls that can go fabulously with your dress.

But the best styles are French-inspired. Of course. We're going to recommend three different hairstyles to help you look your best on your wedding day. Then, stay tuned as we later come back and show you how to accomplish these terrific styles.

First, there's always the classic chignon. And there are many great ways to do a chignon. It can be simple and sleek, or wildly complex and amazing. Take a look at some of our examples in the gallery.

Next, you can do a french braid. It's elegant, and if you pull a few strands loose near your face, it's quite romantic as well. Tuck in a few small sprigs of a favorite flower, or some crystals - even a small tiara - and you've just stepped it up to another level.

Finally, think about a french twist. We love the versatility and sophistication. You can smooth a twist back so tight it'll look like you just had a face lift. Okay, so maybe you're not going for that look. But with it smoothed down, and tucked tightly, you can create a formal look. For something slightly less formal, loosen the twist just slightly and pull some tendrils out near your face. And to go even more informal, leave part of your hair untucked at the top and hanging over the back of the twist.

Watch for our how-to post so you can recreate these fabulous styles!

If you agree with Kristen that you can't drink champagne all the time, and you've decided to choose yourself some nice French wines for your wedding ... Well, they're French wines, aren't they? They'll need to be presented with style!
There are all sorts of ways to accessorize your wine. The most obvious is wine charms. You can buy them in just about any theme you can think of -- wedding, of course!, but also any hobby or interest the two of you have, or simple beads to match your color scheme. You can purchase them or, using a few simple items from the jewelry section of a craft store, make your own. There are cork place cards, decorative wine stoppers, elegant wine bags, and many more.

We're kind of partial to these wine cork candles. It looks like you're burning the corks, but you're not! Available from Beau-coup, each candle can be put into an empty wine bottle, and burns for two hours. Of course, you could always use the standard fall-back of real, actual candles (in your wedding colors!), popped into real, actual bottles, as well.

Most of us are familiar with the traditional hope chest where young girls gathered and stored all the personal and household things they would need when they grew up and got married. In France this is called a girl's trousseau. The word literally means "bundle," and a gal's trousseau would include her Sunday dress, everyday clothes, lingerie, and linens she had embroidered with her new family's initials. In Victorian times, the contents of a lady's trousseau were a sign of class and wealth, and the very wealthy trousseau had thousands of dollars worth of dresses, robes and lace embellishments.

It's an idea that is certainly out of date in this day and age when registries and bridal showers are designed to outfit the couple with things for their house. But a bride certainly needs some new things to suit her new life. Create your own trousseau by getting a pretty box or basket or even a new suitcase. Fill it with a few new outfits, accessories, and household items you can use to pamper yourself during your wedding planning, honeymoon and first year of marriage.

The Garconne, by Parisian designer Cymbeline has a certain je ne sais quoi that made it stand out from the collection of tres chic gowns from that designer - it must be the unorthodox pairing of heavy fabric and airy lace that gives the impression that the whole thing was put together on a whim. Ah, nobody does layers like the French!

Okay, maybe that's not true. Maybe you can drink champagne all the time. But, we promise you, there are likely to be a couple of people at your wedding who, aside from the champagne toast, might steer clear of the bubbly. And so, in honor of Paris week here at AisleDash, we'd like to introduce you to some lovely French wines.

It will come as no surprise to you that there is a seemingly endless list of fabulous French wines from which to choose, so before you decide to try them all, you might want to do a bit of research. We really liked Wines of France in large part because it has a "Quick, what should I drink?" section where you can view wine suggestions dependent upon your criteria.

You can view by flavor by selecting your preferred tannins, body, and power. Or, if you know you want to serve a Cabernet franc, you can get suggestions based on just that. Perhaps it's important to you that the wine perfectly compliment the meal -- just sort by dish!

If you've chosen Paris as your wedding destination, you are in for quite a romantic backdrop. There are few -- if any -- places more romantic than "The City of Light." Paris is obviously known for the romance it evokes, but it's also known for a few other things: culture, terrace cafes and art (just to name a few).

If your wedding day will be held in Paris, France, your romantic theme (thankfully!) can also extend to your invitations. You can choose a simple, classic invite or something with a French toile pattern or, even, one with the Eiffel Tower accenting it.

For a few more Parisian invitation style suggestions, take a look at the gallery below.

Once you've picked the best champagne to serve at your Paris-themed wedding, it's time to shift your focus to the glasses you'll use to toast it with. Many venues offer flutes for your guests to use during the first toasts, but it's sometimes nice to hand-pick the flutes you and yours will use for your first sip of champagne as husband and wife. You can pick a personalized set or funkier glasses to match your colors or even Parisian flutes to accent your Paris-perfect wedding.

The benefit of purchasing your own toasting flutes (with your own tastes in mind) is you are able to take the glasses home with you and toast your marriage as often as possible, especially on each and every wedding anniversary.

Check out the gallery for even more styles of fun, funky and classic champagne flutes to fill up with the perfect bottle of champagne.

What's the mystique of French women and their scarves? The carefully-chosen square of silk, folded just so, twisted like this, knotted like that -- and, voilà! Perfectly casual, utterly sophisticated fashion.

If you want a French look to your wedding, put your bridesmaid in simple and sophisticated sheath dresses, and accessorize with a beautiful silk scarf. Each woman can choose her own scarf, each tied the same, or all tied differently. If you haven't the first clue how to tie a scarf, this site has several options. Experiment a bit! There's no one right way to wear a scarf. See what you come up with!

We've already mentioned that we think a fun purse is a great gift for bridesmaids, and if you're having a Parisian-themed wedding, we still think it's a great idea. Of course, you also need a fabulous bag for yourself ...

We've got it right here -- the Eiffel Tower Bag by Timmy Woods. Granted, they're $375 a pop, so, even if you won't be able to give one to each of your bridesmaids, you might be able to splurge and get one for yourself! There are always other Parisian gifts to give your girls.

This purse isn't only good for your wedding, either. It's one of the bags being featured in the Sex and the City movie, carried by none other than Miss Carrie Bradshaw herself. So not only will you be a beautiful bride, you'll also be a serious fashionista any time you carry it!

Truffles. The ultimate in sweet, creamy bite-sized balls of sinfully good decadence. Chocolate luxury. For a French flare to your reception, how about truffles as your wedding favors? They come in just about any flavor known to man (or woman). They can incorporate liqueurs or nuts or fruit. They are traditionally dark chocolate, but are also made from milk and even -- though purists shudder at the thought -- white chocolate.

Since they are obscenely rich, a little goes a long way. You can buy truffles in bulk for economy, knowing that they are intended to be savored, not gulped by the handful. One or two truffles, arranged artistically in pretty packaging, make for a perfect, Parisian-sophisticated favor.

Italy has pasta and wine, England has fish and chips, and Spain has tapas, but no country comes closer to decadent dessert heaven than France with their impossibly gorgeous pastries.

Just allow your eyes to gaze upon the wondrous delights showcased in the gallery and you'll soon see why France holds the prize for pastries. Whether or not you're having a Paris-inspired wedding, treating your guests to delicate petit fours or divine cream puffs is sure to garner plenty of smiles.

Also, if you're adhering to a vegan lifestyle and feel like baking, you can find a yummy vegan petit four recipe here. Très bon!