Bridal Styles

Bridal Styles bride Ashley has the best proof that ‘never say never’ is not just a saying, and it all has to do with one meant-to-be night in Brooklyn.

“John and I met on May 18, 2007 at Salty Dog Bar and Restaurant in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. The funniest part about all of this is I had just broken off an engagement about a week before, and while at the Salty Dog I saw a friend who said, “Maybe you’ll meet your new future husband here.” My reply was, “I would never marry someone I met in this place”…John and I met about an hour later through mutual friends at the bar. We hung out all summer, nothing serious, around September we made it official.”

Ashley and John, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

So, how did Ashley know John was the one? For the reason every girl imagines true love to feel like, over-the-moon happiness and a full heart!

“I grew up as daddy’s little girl, anything I wanted I got, my happiness was, and is to this day, my dad’s happiness…and I see that in John. I can honestly say that it makes John happy to see me happy, whether it’s happiness over a Gucci bag he just bought me, or being lazy on the couch and watching The Notebook or Friends, if I’m happy, he’s happy. And, not to sound too cliché, but he completes me. He’s got this very calm and laid back attitude that I’m severely lacking. When I get too worked up over things he brings me back to sanity. And he likes to snuggle…he’s a keeper!”

Ashley and her bridesmaids, distinctive bridal hair jewelry bracelet and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Sure they’d found a perfect match in each other, John proposed in a way right out of a romantic movie:

“August 1st, 2010 we went to Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean with my parents and my brother. The first night, as, the sun was setting, John told me we were going to meet my brother on the beach before dinner. He brought me down to the shore line, where my brother had written in the sand for him ‘Will You Marry Me?’. After I stopped screaming, John got down on his knee with the ring. It was incredible…he jokes around and says he’s still waiting for me to answer him because all I did was cry and squeak. My brother took some pictures for us…it was perfect.”

 photography – Visual Image

When the two returned from their wonderful trip, they began planning their wedding, with a lot of help from Ashley’s mom.

“My mom should be a party planner. She planned every single detail and went absolutely above and beyond for us. She was a bit of a momzilla you could say… but in a good way! She knows me so well, so I trusted everything she did and I loved every minute of it. If it was not for her and her friend Roseanne our wedding would not have been half as fabulous as it was.”

Ashley, crystal bridal headpiece bracelet and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

In the fourteen months leading up to their ceremony at Resurrection Church in Gerritsen Beach and reception at Skylight One Hanson (The Williamsburg Savings Bank), Ashley, John, her mom and Roseanne had a lot to do!

“It was a bit of a challenge because we literally just paid for the space and had to bring in EVERYTHING. Our caterer had to bring in ovens! It was crazy. To this day, my mom doesn’t know how she pulled it off, but she did. There were hundreds of e-mails and phone calls over the course of our engagement. John was pretty quiet through the whole thing. His main concern in life is for me to be happy, so just sat back and watched everything unfold, occasionally laughing at my craziness! (lol) John’s only request was for our DJ, but other than that it was all up to me…..and my mom!”

Ashley, unique bridal hair jewelry, bracelet and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Despite some tricky logistics, together with her mom, Ashley planned the wedding she’d envisioned:

“My biggest, biggest goal for my wedding look was for it to be unique, something people have never seen or experienced. I didn’t want a ballroom or country club. I wanted people to walk away and be like “WOW! I’ll never go to a wedding like that again.” Pink is my color, but I know that pink could be obnoxious if it’s overdone. So I paired it with black to give it a modern look. I saw myself, as most brides do, as a princess. All brides are beautiful, but I needed something to make me, I guess, “pop”, which is why I dyed my shoes fuchsia for the big day. We also did things to honor our likes and personalities – I surprised him with a Yankees garter and pink champagne was passed around throughout the night. Since our caterer was making everything from scratch, we were able to choose foods for our cocktail hour that we really enjoy, like mac and cheese bites and pulled pork sliders. The whole night was really a tribute to us because we had a hand in every single detail down to the tables and chairs.”

Ashley, bridal hair jewelry, bracelet and earrings – Bridal Styles Boutique, photography – Visual Image

Décor and details in the works, Ashley could focus on what was really important…her wedding-day look!

“My dress….oh, that dress, I could stare at it all day. Maggie Sottero does amazing, amazing work. My dress, Maggie Sottero’s Virginia, was the first I tried on…and I cried.“

Ashley and John, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

On the search for something spectacular to complement her wedding gown and suit her style, Ashley visited Bridal Styles!

“I wanted to sparkle, and when I walked into Bridal Styles, all I saw was SPARKLE. I saw my headpiece in the display case and fell in love instantly, it was exactly what I wanted….I wanted big and I wanted bling! The earrings and bracelet I chose complemented it so well.”

Ashley and John, bridal jewelry and dramatic headpiece – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Finally, October 1 arrived, and from morning ‘till night, Ashley and John enjoyed every amazing moment with their family and friends:

“My parents moved out to Sea Girt, NJ a few months before and their house is magnificent, I knew I wanted my pictures done there, but I also wanted all of my girls with me. So, the night before we all went down and had a huge sleepover…it was the best thing for me! They kept me laughing and it was so nice waking up with all of them there. The day started early…hair and make-up came at 5 AM! It was such a great morning – we had mimosas and my parents had breakfast delivered! My photographer and videographer came by 11 AM to start pictures, which I think was when I started getting nervous, like this was really happening! The car ride to Brooklyn was surreal. I sat perfectly still and upright for 45 mins so I didn’t mess my hair or veil up! We pulled up to the church about 30 minutes early, and my driver was fantastic – he offered to take me to get something to eat! I actually wound up going to one of my dad’s friend’s house to use the bathroom…lol. When we got back to the church, it was just in time for my dad to help me out of the car. He started sobbing, and I lost my breathe for a second or two. Then that moment came… “Here Comes the Bride” started, those doors opened and…..wow. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people in that church. But once I caught a glimpse of my very soon-to-be-husband, a calm came over me and it became this amazing, out of this world moment. After our ceremony, we took a party bus with our bridal party to Red Hook for pictures and then went to our reception…which was out of this world. I watched as people walked in and their mouths dropped in amazement. The dance floor was packed all night, which was something else I wanted for our wedding day – just everyone dancing and have a great time.”

Ashley and John, dazzling earrings and headpiece – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

On a day that was even more wonderful than they’d imagined, Ashley and John’s most cherished memory was one look.

“Our favorite part was the church when those doors opened and I started down the aisle. A friend of mine watched John as I first started to walk down, and she said she’s seen grooms that have smiled and cried…but that John literally lost his breath and that it was the coolest thing she’s ever seen. I’m praying our videographer caught that on tape! John also loved the cake cutting because our cake was amazing…it’s going to be very hard waiting till October 1, 2012 to defrost that cake top in our freezer!”

Ashley, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Now that they’re newlyweds instead of soon-to-be-weds, Ashley and John have this advice for other couples in the middle of wedding planning:

“The morning of…eat! The rest of the day, take a moment here and there to just look around. When the doors to the church opened I waited a few seconds before I started walked to just look at everyone. At the reception, I literally just stood off to the side every now and then to take it all in and watch everyone having a good time. It actually slowed things down a tiny bit! Above all, it’s all about YOU…and your husband (lol). My husband says to just take a deep breath and it’s okay to let your emotions go…it’s your wedding day!”

photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, bridal hair accessory, bracete and earrings – Bridal Styles NY, photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, crystal encrusted bridal headband bracelet and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, elegant bridal earrings bracelet and hair accessory – Bridal Styles, photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, Photography – Visual Image

Ashley and John, bridal hair jewelry and earrings – Bridal Styles, Photography – Visual Image

Best wishes, Ashley and John! Thank you for sharing your day, memories and images with us!

Ashley and John’s wonderful wedding vendors:

Visual Image Photography – amazing amazing photos…as you can see!

Betty Bakery did our cake…delicious!

Paradise Florists – went absolutely above and beyond for our flowers, so unique and just stunning

Trio DJs – like I said, that dance floor was packed all night

Ludwigs Catering – we have been told countless times that our food was the best wedding food people have ever had!