Court room romance
THE moment Quintelle Gabriel saw her nervous groom’s naughty smile, she knew she had made the right decision to spend the rest of her life with him.
This was in complete contrast to her feelings when she first met Riyadh Adams in court in January 2012.
The two were on opposite sides. Quintelle, 25, an attorney, was representing a man who had been arrested by Riyadh, 31, a policeman — and Riyadh was opposing bail.
“Quintelle was stubborn,” he said. “A week after meeting at court I offered to take her to lunch, but she declined my offer. After I suggested I would take lunch to her, she finally agreed to meet.”
His bride said: “Naturally we fought with each other until eventually a friendship developed.”
By the end of last year, the couple had moved into their home in Sherwood, western Durban.
On New Year’s Eve, Riyadh had planned to ask Quintelle’s father for permission to marry her, but unfortunately the meeting did not take place. So, an hour into 2013 and still determined to have Quintelle as his wife, Riyadh proposed.
When she said yes, the wedding planning began.
The couple had envisaged a simple yet classy event at an elegant venue with a beautiful view of Durban. They settled on Coastlands on the Ridge Hotel.
Instead of conventional wedding cards, the couple gave Perspex boxes to their guests. Inside were scented invitations printed on a cream and silver floral pattern. The guests were also given a silver organza bag to hold their monetary gifts to the couple.
The wedding took place on August 24.
“Every girl dreams of their wedding day,” said Quintelle.
“A day of love and magic that will leave an imprint in her heart forever, but for me it was the day I married my knight in shining armour.”
Riyadh was bowled over when he saw Quintelle walk down the aisle dressed in a strapless ivory gown with gold embroidery.
And Quintelle thought Riyadh looked dashing in his charcoal-grey suit with white shirt and silver waistcoat.
With Riyadh being Muslim and Quintelle Christian, the couple decided to have a nondenominational ceremony during which they exchanged vows in front of their close friends and family.
Riyadh said that once his proposal had been accepted, he and Quintelle took charge of all the planning and preparation.
They settled on having the room decked out in cream, white and silver for a crisp, simple yet elegant look.
Instead of seating the guests at numbered tables, they chose words such as peace, wisdom, loyalty and friendship to indicate where everyone would sit.
The 150 guests were served starters of samoosas, spring rolls and chillibites followed by a sumptuous buffet that included roast lamb, seafood paella, lamb biryani, chicken curry and vegetable biryani.
At the dessert station was an assortment of pastries, chocolate éclairs, soji and vermicelli.
Shortly before taking to the dance floor to the strains of their special song, No One Else Comes Close by Joe, the couple cut the wedding cake.
It was a three-tier fruit cake covered in white icing and silver butterflies and topped with a light enclosed in white chocolate.
The cake was very special to the couple because it was made by Riyadh’s mother, Yasmin.
The female guests also had a treat to take back home: mini cakes made by Yasmin and packaged in Perspex boxes.
After the months of preparation and the magical wedding, the couple took a break by travelling to Cape Town to enjoy their honeymoon.
What he thought when he saw her on their wedding
day: “When I looked at Quintelle, I thought ‘wow’. I was taken aback and amazed by her beauty.” What she thought when she saw him on their wedding day: “I looked at Riyadh and thought today I am marrying my knight in shining armour.” How she describes him: “Riyadh is a loving soul that would go above and beyond to assist anyone, even to the point of stopping to assist a total stranger. He has a heart of gold and is extremely passionate and hard-working, especially when it comes to his career.
“He is an enthusiastic individual who is always on the go and looking for solutions to problems. If you say to Riyadh it can’t be done or you can’t do it, he will turn around and say: ‘Watch me.’ ” How he describes her: “Sweet, loving, affectionate and understanding at times.”