When Taya Wyss was introduced to her future husband, Adam Koets of the New York Giants, the two bonded over the nerdy term “RAID” and are now on their way to matrimonial bliss. Wyss recently appeared on the TLC network show “Say Yes To The Dress: NFL Brides” on Aug. 3.
The pair have been Guttenberg residents for four years, although they’re frequently away since travel is part of Koets’s NFL career.
Nerdy introduction
The couple was introduced by Wyss’s best friend, Laurie Ruegamer who is married to Grey Ruegamer, another team member of the Giants, at a tailgating party. Koets was interested in Wyss’s profession and when she mentioned she works in the data storage industry his response was “RAID!”
“I will look at this dress ten years from now and still think it’s beautiful.” – Taya Wyss
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“You can imagine how flabbergasted I was,” said Wyss. “He threw out this term that only nerds know. He instantly had my attention. It was an instant connection.”
The proposal and nuptials
Koets proposed at Laurie and Grey’s charity event, Ruegy’s Readers, which took place in Vegas.
He popped the question in front of all their friends, the people that had seen them fall in love. The party was a wig party and Koets was wearing one during the proposal. They have been engaged for nearly two years.
They will be married on Feb. 16 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, but the festivities will commence on the 14th, Valentine’s Day which is also Wyss’s birthday. It will be poolside and guests have been told to wear “beach black tie.”
“We’re just elated,” said Wyss. “It’s really about getting all of our favorite people that we love together.”
Her favorite part of the TLC episode was the description of why Koets was perfect for her, footage that will be incorporated in their wedding video.
The non-traditional gown
It was a friend of Wyss, Jessica Duplessie, who suggested she sign up for the show. Wyss was surprised when she was contacted. She filled out a questionnaire about her life, her expectations for the gown experience and a description of her friends. The concept of the show is to follow brides as they shop for their dream wedding dress at Kleinfeld, a bridal salon.
She believes she was chosen due to her “very outgoing personality.”
“I’m so glad I did it because it was really neat to see myself in a dress I’ll be wearing on my wedding day,” said Wyss. “I was really impressed they made me feel so comfortable. I did not anticipate walking away with my dress. I was pleasantly surprised that the staff was extremely knowledgeable.”
She admitted the dress was not the main priority. Wyss is six feet tall and curvy. Her concern was the dress would make her look huge and unflattering. She was unaware of the dress prices, so she was shocked when she realized the first one was $26,000.
“I’m sure if I just won the PowerBall, I’d probably be walking away in that dress,” said Wyss. “It was absolutely stunning and I’m sure it would be stunning on anyone that tried it on.”
Wyss thought it was a great opportunity to show that NFL brides can be frugal. Her budget was $15,000 and the dress chosen is a blush $2,800 Dennis Basso sweetheart mermaid gown.
Initially when Camille Coffey, her bridal consultant, brought the dress Wyss thought she was crazy. Although, after trying it on she knew she had found her gown.
“I walked out of that room knowing that no matter what my friends said, that was my dress,” said Wyss. “It looks like a very modern wedding dress and that’s what I wanted.”
She wanted something timeless.
“I will look at this dress ten years from now and still think it’s beautiful,” said Wyss. “I wanted a timeless dress that was going to accentuate my body.”
She also wanted to show that brides are alike.
“The dress is a great part of it but I think it’s nice to show the audience that there are a lot of down to earth people in the NFL community,” said Wyss. “I’m just like any other bride, wanting to find the right dress.”
She was worried that editing would make her appear to be somebody she’s not.
“They were very true to my personality, true to the experience,” said Wyss.
Vanessa Cruz can be reached at vcruz@hudsonreporter.com