1. Real Weddings

A Romantic, Traditional Wedding at the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, New Jersey

Envisioning a romantic wedding covered in flowers, Leydi Hernandez (26 and an assistant project manager) and Ashraf Habib (40 an

Envisioning a romantic wedding covered in flowers, Leydi Hernandez (26 and an assistant project manager) and Ashraf Habib (40 and a general manager) fell in love with the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, New Jersey, and put their own spin on every accent. DIY succulent escort cards, flourishing centerpieces and a bloom-covered wedding cake were just the beginning. As all 285 guests entered the estate’s grand ballroom, they found their names nestled in potted succulents. Hand-assembled by the couple and Leydi’s family, each one brought out her favorite gold hue alongside a natural detail. The same regal gold, green and ivory color scheme carried into the reception. Ornate gold stands with 3-D designs towered over the tables with cascading orchids, roses and eucalyptus from Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design. The couple’s red velvet wedding cake further resembled a garden in itself. The same flowers surrounded its base and topped the five-tier confection. Regal gold piping on every layer as well as Leydi and Ash’s monogram only added to its allure. Of course, it didn’t end there. Asya Photography documented their entire day, including a dessert-filled after-party and seemingly cloud-covered first dance, below.

Leydi’s bridesmaids stood out during their romantic fete in chic floor-length dresses. Her sisters matched in lavender looks by Jim Hjelm Occasions with lace-cap sleeves and ruching along the bodice. Her other bridesmaid wore the same dress in pink, while her junior bridesmaid sported a floor-length blush dress with ruching along the top and custom lace-cap sleeves. “They all looked so beautiful,” Leydi says. “I happened to find that style, and they all loved it.” To show off their personalities, the women wore their favorite makeup and jewelry.
“I really wanted texture and movement for our flowers,” Leydi says. The pros at Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design crafted a cascading bridal bouquet to fit her vision. It overflowed with white orchids and seeded eucalyptus. Pink roses and astilbes filled the center, matching her bridesmaid bouquets.
The couple four flower girls! Leydi’s nieces as well as Ash’s goddaughter all took part in their wedding. They sported classic, A-line Fattiepie dresses with satin bodices, high necklines and full tulle skirts. Highlighting the couple’s natural venue, they finished their looks with pink rose and eucalyptus flower crowns.
“While dress shopping, I had a very clear picture in my head of how I wanted to look,” Leydi says. She wanted something romantic, elegant and covered in lace. After a trip to Kleinfeld, she found it. On their wedding day, Leydi twirled in a classic white mermaid-style Dennis Basso dress. To customize the gown, she added an illusion, off-the-shoulder lace bolero that extended into chic sleeves. (Her friend made it.) The delicate design highlighted Leydi's lace overlay on the dress. Her cathedral-length veil matched it with a romantic lace trim.
The couple’s youngest attendants started their procession at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church with a burst of personality. One of their four flower girls walked down the aisle in a classic white tulle Fattiepie dress and pink rose flower crown. She spread romantic pink and ivory rose petals throughout the aisle as she went. Leydi’s nephew, the couple’s ring bearer, walked beside her in a formal black-and-white tuxedo. “I had to convince Nicholas to be our ring bearer,” Leydi says. “I sold him on the idea that he was the security guard for the rings.” To fit the part, he even wore a pair of sunglasses and carried a gold mini safe during their ceremony.
Even their formal ceremony had some custom flair. They held the service in Ash's family's church, St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church. Along with practicing traditional elements, such as the crowning ceremony and exchanging rings, Leydi and Ash had their good friend officiate a segment in Spanish. (This way, her Spanish-speaking parents could understand a part of their day.) “It was really special,” Leydi says.
“For Ash, it was important that we got married through his church. So, we had a traditional Coptic Orthodox ceremony at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church,” Leydi says. “The church itself is full of gold ornaments and grand chandeliers, so we didn’t think it was necessary to add much to it.” Only white bows and romantic rose petals marked the aisle as the couple walked up the aisle.
Ash topped his lapel with a classic and custom design. He took the natural white garden roses and seeded eucalyptus boutonniere from Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design and paired it with two heartfelt charms from Leydi. The first was an image of his brother, who had died four years earlier. The second represented her. “My sister has always told Ash that I'm his lucky 'lady' bug,” Leydi says. “So I found a vintage ladybug pin, which he also attached to his jacket.”
Their wedding party was the picture of sophistication and romance. Each groomsman stood out in a dapper black-and-white tuxedo from Men’s Wearhouse. Their bold, mismatched pocket squares from Mrs. Bow Tie added a twist to the ensemble. Each bridesmaid or junior bridesmaid stood beside them in her own lavender, blush or pink floor-length dress. The lace-cap sleeves, pastel hues and varied hairstyles added to their chic looks.
After seeing succulent escort cards on Pinterest, Leydi fell in love with the idea and instantly wanted the same for their celebration. After they ordered 300 succulents online, the couple spray painted pots from Michael’s gold and worked with her family to repot every plant into them. On their wedding day, the couple matched every accents with a neutral place card. Elegant, cursive font stood out in shades of black or green.
Like her bouquet, Leydi wanted every centerpiece to be abundant and unique. She worked with Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design to create just that. Lush white hydrangeas, seeded eucalyptus and pink roses popped against their tall gold stands. The ornate 3-D accents along the bases only added to its eye-catching design.
Every centerpiece stood out with a natural and regal design. Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design topped each other gold stand with overflowing white orchids, pink roses and eucalyptus. To give it an even more romantic design, clear glass orbs with tea light candles cascaded down from each one.
Leydi and Ash wanted gold absolutely everywhere! So it was no surprise that metallic decor popped up on their sweetheart table. On top of white orchids and tea light candles, they decorated the reception seating with grand, gold marquee lights. It spelled out “Mr. & Mrs.” for a personalized touch.
While they originally wanted “All of Me” by John Legend as their first dance song Leydi and Ash picked something more personal. “One night we just sat down together and started listening to different songs,” she says. “Ash recently bought Ed Sheeran’s album and ‘Tenerife Sea’ just caught our attention. We loved it; the lyrics just say it all.” Together, the couple swayed around the room for their first dance. The fog along their dance floor made it look as if they were floating on a cloud.
Talk about extravagant! Their wedding cake highlighted Leydi’s love of gold, their ornate flower designs and a bold monogram for one stand-out design. The team at Palermo’s Bakery filled the confection with red velvet and coconut cake in between cream cheese and dulce de leche filling. White velvet covered each tier below regal fondant and gold piping. To match their centerpieces, the couple’s florist from Pink Dahlia Floral and Event Design topped the dessert with a pink peony and circled with base with bunches upon bunches of pink roses, white hydrangeas, seeded eucalyptus and mauve roses.
"A couple of weeks before our wedding, we met with Sal Travis from Sal Travis entertainment and gave him a CD with Arabic music and Spanish music,” says Leydi. “The only thing we told him was to mix those two with any mainstream music. When I tell you I did not stop dancing all night, it's because I didn’t.” After a fun-filled night on the dance floor, Leydi and Ash weren’t ready to let the party end. So, they marked the reception with a grand, 285-guest-strong sparkler exit!