Bridal Styles

Adelya and Gerard met in college when their friends thought it would be fun to introduce law student Adelya to future police officer Gerard. The two became fast friends but didn’t start dating until several years later. Over time, something changed and, slowly, Adelya realized that Gerard was the one.

“Because we were friends, we knew a lot about each other, the good, the bad and everything in between. Once you see someone for everything they are and still want that person as your spouse that’s when you know he or she is the one. And that is how I knew Gerard was the one. He was a great man, a true family man and was excellent with children, which was very important to me! He was a protector and a defender of people he loved, kind, serious, yet quirky and I loved all those qualities about him.”

Adelya & Gerard, art deco crystal bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

Gerard had also fallen head over heels for Adelya and planned a proposal to sweep her off her feet.

“On January 8, 2010 he took me on a planned horse and carriage ride through Central Park. In the back of my head I thought maybe today was the day but I wasn’t too sure. After about 30 minutes of riding around, I heard really pretty music. I thought, ‘That’s it! He is proposing!’ but it was just a restaurant playing music. After another 10 minutes of riding around, the tour guide said ‘We are now at Bethesda Terrace, one of the most beautiful and romantic places. You may want to hop off and take a picture.’ I thought ‘Oh this is nice’. Then, out of nowhere, a guy started playing what was supposed to be our first dance song, Michael Bolton’s I Promise You on a saxophone. I started to smile, tear up and all of that good stuff! Gerard knew I wanted a very private proposal so he led me onto the snowy steps of Bethesda Terrace and said something like; ‘You know I love you more than anything in the world, and that I have wanted to marry for a long time… will you marry me?’ There were some tears, many smiles, and kisses. After that he took me to the Top of the Tower restaurant where we had a very romantic dinner with gorgeous views. It was truly a great day.”

Adelya, dramatic bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

With a lot of organization and a little help from her family and Gerard, for the next year and half, Adelya planned her wedding. All while juggling law school, exams, graduation and studying for the bar.

“It was a bit stressful, especially the last 6-7 months. I was in my last semester of law school, there were final exams, and then I graduated May 13th. After that, I started a prep class and long study sessions for the July NY Bar Exam. Since I knew this in advance, I planned a lot of the bigger vendors and details beforehand. However, certain things like the DIY menus and programs I did, seating chart, & RSVPs had to wait. It was very difficult during those last few months!”

Adelya & Gerard, crystal bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

Right away, Adelya and Gerard planned for their June 5th wedding and ceremony to take place at Woodbury Country Club in Long Island.

“We had booked Woodbury Country Club as soon as we got engaged. Gerard and I fell in love with this venue because of its stunning outdoor area that reminded us of Miami. Also, they had delicious food, which was really important to us! The staff was so wonderful – we loved them! My Banquet manager, Jeff, was amazing to me, and answered all my questions. even when I sent them late at night!”

Adelya & Gerard, unique bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique Images by Duet Photography

Though planning the wedding and finishing law school became stressful, Adelya didn’t let it affect the fun she had choosing her wedding day look!

“I wanted something that screamed, regal, sophisticated fun and romantic. I know that’s not asking for too much! lol. The colors I chose were White/cream, lavender and light pink, and I think I more or less achieved my vision! My dress was by Galit Couture, a designer in Brooklyn who makes really blingy, stunning, showstopper dresses. When I heard of her in the early 2000’s, I told my mother I wanted to get married in a Galit Couture dress! I remember seeing both on her website and in her store, and wanting to cry I was so in love with it!”

Adelya & Gerard, spectacular crystal bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

With the wedding gown of her dreams chosen, Adelya knew exactly where she wanted to go shopping for her accessories…Bridal Styles Boutique!

“When I was a child of about 12, I would pass by all the sparkly beauty at Bridal Styles hoping one day when I married that I could wear one of those creations! I love bling, but not tacky bling and Bridal Styles had the most stunning, unique and BLINGY pieces I have ever seen! Yes, people copy them, but I knew I wanted an original Bridal Styles design! The way I chose my piece was by first deciding how I wanted to wear my hair, which was down flowy and pulled back on the side to create a dramatic and sexy look. When I met with Edward I couldn’t choose which piece I wanted because there were sooo many gorgeous ones. I was with my mom and she couldn’t choose either! Then Edward said, ‘Hold on I have this new piece I just finished. It’s very art deco looking.’ I asked him to show me, and when he did, I had to have it!! It was soooo me! Big yet not tacky, and with such beautiful detailing! I couldn’t wait to wear it on my wedding day!”

Adelya & Gerard, crystal bridal hair jewelry – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

In addition to staying organized and having fun, Adelya alleviated the stress of organizing her wedding through the RSVPs:

“Because of my busy law school schedule, we did something different and did an online RSVP through mywedding.com (where we also had our wedding website). The RSVP system was so easy and guests utilized it well! We didn’t have that many older people (except our grandparents) attending, so most of the guests were computer savvy. We still had really pretty invitations but instead one of the inserts had the online RSVP info!”

Adelya & Gerard, dazzling bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

Finally, June 5th arrived, and it was time for Adelya and Gerard to say “I Do”.

“It was surreal! It really didn’t hit me that I was getting married until almost the second I stepped into my dress and put on my headpiece and jewelry! Because we had planned to have our ceremony and all our pictures outside at Woodbury County Club, Gerard and I were so afraid the weather wouldn’t hold up. But God was good to us and we had a beautiful day! I was soooooooooooooooo nervous walking down the aisle in front of all our friends and family! I even had a drink or two before the ceremony, which still didn’t help me with the nerves. But when I did, it was so exciting seeing Gerard at the end of the aisle looking at me! He looked so happy and I loved that! The reception was also fun! We had an awesome DJ who did our lighting and an Arabic drummer who made the night fun and full of dancing! Everyone told me how awesome he was and how much he added to the reception.”

Adelya & Gerard, art deco bridal hair accessory – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

Though the whole day was everything they dreamed it to be, for Adelya and Gerard, there were a few moments that stood out.

“My two favorite moments both took place during the ceremony. The first was when after I walked down the aisle, Gerard lifted my veil and kissed me on the forehead, which he does all the time so it was beautiful. I don’t think the rabbi was happy, but we loved it! Then, as the ceremony started, Gerard grabbed my hand and held it throughout the ceremony. We kept squeezing each other’s hands all throughout. The instant he grabbed it and kept squeezing, I started to tear!! Gerard’s favorite moment was when he first saw me walking down the aisle. Since we didn’t take any pictures before, he hadn’t seen me yet! He also loved kissing me on the forehead!”

Adelya & Gerard, bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

After returning from their wedding day and honeymoon as newlyweds, Adelya and Gerard have some advice for other couples planning their weddings.

Adelya: “Pick the right dress for you, one that you will have absolutely no regrets about! Even if your dress costs a little bit more and you could swing it, do it because there is nothing worse than seeing your dress in pictures months or years down the line and regretting your choice. My other advice is to really take a moment and reflect on the day, whether it’s looking at your guests dancing or just taking in the entire room in, just do it because the will fly so fast that you will truly want this moment.”

Gerard: “Give your opinions on things that matter to you like food, but be careful because it’s true, a happy wife does equal a happy life. So I let Adelya make all the other decisions in the wedding.“

Adelya & Gerard, elegant crystal bridal hair comb – Bridal Styles Boutique, Images by Duet Photography

Thank you Adelya and Gerard for sharing your day with us and best wishes!

Adelya and Gerard’s wedding vendors:

DJ & Lighting- International Sounds: “George, the owner and his team were excellent to work with! They made the night so much fun with the music they choose which alternated between Russian, Azerbaijanian/Azeri, Arabic and English and the lighting, which was very important to me was everything I wanted!”

Mesho Show: “Our drummer was beyond amazing! We wanted to add entertainment to our reception along with our DJ because we had so many different types of music in our wedding because of our different background. I am originally from Azaerbaijan and I needed Azeri music and Arabic music at my wedding and also needed a lot of English music, so with the help of my DJ and the drummer I was able to get what I had envisioned for our entertainment.”      

 Cardbox- For the Modern Bride: “I loved working with them because they got my vision! Stella the owner made my cardbox exactly what I had pictured in my mind which helped dd to the details of the day.”

Capriccio Ensemble: “Provided cocktail hour music. I had a cello and a violin and Natalie the owner who played the Violin was so wonderful to work with she helped me choose songs and genres of music and was really great!”