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Gertrude Hawk Chocolates dubbed best chocolate by Times Leader readers

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Pizza Perfect voted Best Square Pizza and Best Wings by Times Leader readers

<p>PITTSTON &#8212; When she began preparations for her November wedding, Kristen Osenkarski, of Hughestown, knew exactly where she&#8217;d look for her bridal gown.</p><p>&#8220;My best friend came here for her wedding last year, and every dress she tried on was beautiful,&#8221; Osenkarski said, her glance taking in a rack of gowns at Gerri Bridal in Pittston.</p><p>Osenkarski has had a successful search at Gerri Bridal, too, where she said owner Judy Monko and her daughter, Michelle DeBiasi, have made her feel &#8220;absolutely, 100 percent&#8221; pampered and well cared for.</p><p>Many Times Leader readers agree; they voted Gerri Bridal the Best Bridal Shop in this year&#8217;s Times Leader Readers&#8217; Choice Award contest.</p><p>&#8220;Michelle really knows, when she sees the bride, what will flatter her,&#8221; Osenkarski said. &#8220;I thought I wanted a ball gown but I didn&#8217;t end up with that.&#8221;</p><p>Because the bride-to-be is quite petite, Monko said, a ball gown with a full, Cinderella-type skirt would overwhelm her. DeBiasi found her a different style gown she loves but, we must point out, the gown Osenkarski is wearing in a Times Leader photograph is NOT the one she will wear at her wedding.</p><p>She agreed to model a different one so her guests and especially her groom, David Tetlak, will see her gown for the first time on her wedding day.</p><p>Gerri Bridal likes to maintain that wedding tradition, along with other customs, Monko said.</p><p>&#8220;We tell the brides their gown is &#8216;something new&#8217; and we give them a garter to be their &#8216;something blue&#8217; so they just have to find &#8216;something old&#8217; and &#8216;something borrowed.&#8217; &#8220;</p><p>The shop itself is a family tradition, now in its third generation.</p><p>Monko&#8217;s mother, Regina Jerrytone, used to work at the former Zimmerman&#8217;s bridal shop in Wilkes-Barre where there was another Regina, so her co-workers called her Gerri, a feminine version of the first two syllables of her last name.</p><p>The original &#8220;Gerri&#8221; opened her own shop 50 years ago in Pittston, where her daughter Judy pitched in to help &#8220;since day one.&#8221; Granddaughter Michelle has been at the shop since babyhood, Monko said, remembering how she went into labor at the store, delivered the baby at the hospital and, a few days later, stopped by the store to introduce the new arrival to the seamstresses.</p><p>Michelle DeBiasi practically grew up at Gerri Bridal where she&#8217;s developed a knack for helping brides find something that makes them feel like a queen while expressing their personality and enhancing their beauty.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody&#8217;s got their own unique style and unique taste,&#8221; DeBiasi said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s fun about this business. It&#8217;s like fitting the pieces of a puzzle together.&#8221;</p><p>Within the next few weeks, mother and daughter Monko and DeBiasi are looking forward to moving Gerri Bridal a few blocks away from its old location on North Main Street to the New Rose Building, a mural-covered structure on South Main Street, still in downtown Pittston.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Kristen Osenkarski, of Hughestown, models a wedding gown at Gerri Bridal Shop, Pittston. This one is beautiful, she said, but she&#8217;ll wear a different one at her November wedding. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Gerri-Bridal-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kristen Osenkarski, of Hughestown, models a wedding gown at Gerri Bridal Shop, Pittston. This one is beautiful, she said, but she&#8217;ll wear a different one at her November wedding. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Gerri-Bridal-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michelle DeBiasi, co-owner of Gerri Bridal Shop, shows Kristen Osenkarski, of Hughestown, some contrasting styles of bridal gowns. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Gerri-Bridal-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Michelle DeBiasi, co-owner of Gerri Bridal Shop, shows Kristen Osenkarski, of Hughestown, some contrasting styles of bridal gowns. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Times Leader Readers’ Choice Award for best bridal shop goes to Gerri Bridal of Pittston