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Guerdy Abraira Goes Glam on the Cover of The Knot to Talk Weddings, Career, & What's Next
Plus, The Real Housewives of Miami cast member reflects on her relationship with Russell Abraira and reveals her next career move.
When The Real Housewives of Miami returned for Season 4 in 2021 after leaving our screens in 2013, we were introduced to new cast member Guerdy Abraira, aka the ultimate wedding and event planner. The Guerdy Design boss shared the details of her incredible success on the show, revealing how she grew her business and kept it thriving even through a challenging cancer battle. (Guerdy later announced she was cancer-free at BravoCon in November 2023. Revisit that moment above.)
More recently, Guerdy accomplished another major milestone: She's on the cover of The Knot for the magazine's "celebration issue," and got the star treatment with a full spread in several stunning wedding looks. The cherry on top? Her husband, Russell Abraira, joined her to honor their union.
"For [The Knot] to see me the way I see them was pretty much a win-win opportunity and I think that we definitely made each other shine from this collaboration," the wedding planner shared with The Daily Dish of her experience, which proudly declared she "[spoke] into existence."
Unsurprisingly, Guerdy's "favorite" part of the photo shoot with The Knot (a leading all-in-one wedding planning platform and a one-stop shop for all weddings) was to take gorgeous pictures with Russell, to whom she's been married for over 20 years and has dated since they were in high school.
"It was very special because to get him out of his shell takes magic," she shared. "For me, he'll do anything, including this photo shoot celebrating our love."
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Guerdy Abraira shares details on her marriage proposal from Russell
Reflecting on their love story, Guerdy told The Daily Dish all about the romantic details that led to their long-lasting marriage.
"The proposal was the most simple proposal ever and that's the way I like it," she revealed. "As much as I love to plan weddings and so forth I think that when it's about love I want purity, I want honesty, I want organic — and that's all I got from him."
Guerdy explained that while taking a "night stroll" at Bal Harbour Beach, a village in Miami, Russell popped the question. "It was just simple. Simplicity is one of the hardest things to do, and I think that's what Russell and I do well and that's how we're always able to meet each other in the middle to make this love continue."
Inside Guerdy and Russell Abraira's Wedding Day
As for their big day, it may have been a step up from "simple," but it was nevertheless magical. Guerdy's signature creativity was channeled for a "Guerdified" event that took place on November 16, 2002, at the Ancient Spanish Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux.
"I was obsessed with the 'Espanola' theme because I had just come back from Spain," the Miami mom, who wore an elegant white gown with custom beaded straps explained. "I was dedicated to wanting to recreate this kind of ancient floral look, so I did [the] flowers for my ceremony [myself]."
Though her nuptials were perfect, there was a tiny issue Guerdy ran into on her wedding day. "[The] wedding planner that I hired did not show up. So we had a little bit of a glitch and someone came in her place that knew nothing about the plans," the mom of two shared with us. Luckily, Guerdy's professional training in the wedding space paid off.
"I decided to look away and just focus on the love in the air and just say, 'You know what? I've planned this to perfection' [...] so I was very confident in my timeline and that's where the professional in me comes in," she laughed.
Guerdy Abraira opens up about the challenges she has faced in the events industry
In her interview with The Knot, Guerdy opened up about the initial challenges she faced as a Black woman in the events industry, which, as the magazine explains, "wasn’t exactly known for its diversity" at the time. When she was starting out in the days before social media, she told The Knot clients would book her "sight unseen" and were "shocked" when meeting her in person for the first time.
While speaking to The Daily Dish, Guerdy reflected on how that has since changed.
"We live in a world now that is getting better and better and [The Knot Vendor Marketplace] gathered the best of the best diverse vendors for us to be able to shine and really cater to any demographic," she said. "The work is there and the trust is there. That's what matters."
Considering her place in her career, these days, Guerdy puts her focus on choosing "passion project[s]" to plan, looking at those that "elevate" her "aesthetically [and] creatively."
"I handpick my events and [...] they have to be somewhere that I probably didn't do a wedding yet," she shared. "I've got one that I'm considering in Montenegro. I have another one I'm considering in Minorca —this is what I'm talking about. Those are the Guerdified weddings that will truly be win-win for me and the clients."
Guerdy Abraira Reveals Her Next Career Venture
In addition to her event-planning business, Guerdy revealed to The Knot that she has another venture on the horizon: an "on-demand glam squad" app called Ring My Belle that helps connect people to hair, makeup, and other needs in their respective cities.
"I'm taking that portion of the wedding industry back in my hand because of the fact I couldn't refer glam teams to the wedding guests. It was always just for the bridal party," Guerdy told The Daily Dish. "But the wedding guests need glam too, so this is an on-demand service where it's direct from a consumer to the service."
