Congratulations to Scott and Mariel! My brother Scott just got married to Mariel, who grew up in the DR, and with her parents currently living there, wanted to have the wedding abroad. It was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
I flew over on Thursday with my dad and sister. The airport process was fairly smooth but some problems with the computer systems being slow. Blame it on Mercury retrograde.
We stayed at the Royal hotel in Santo Domingo, which truly had us feeling like royals. Rooms 443 and 444, we were on the top level with exclusive breakfast service. That night we had dinner with the groom and bride, and her family. It was so nice to meet Mariel’s parents, brother, his wife, and their two young kids. They were all so friendly and welcoming.
The next day, I got to do some exploring of the city. My dad and sister, along with aunt Mimi (dad’s twin sister) and uncle Phil, walked around and saw Diego’s home (son of Columbus) which has been impressively preserved since the early 1500s. I found it so cool to see this part of history and think about how it was to live during this time.
We also saw the Cathedral, which was breathtaking! They gave me a long skirt to wear upon entrance because I wasn’t allowed to go in with short-shorts. Luckily it was air conditioned. I took a few pictures, but there were certain parts of the cathedral considered too sacred for photography.
That night, was the wedding rehearsal and dinner. My brother would be walking down the aisle with my sister, and my dad with me. Followed by us were the groomsmen and bridesmaids. We practiced three times walking down the aisle. It was great to see Scott’s friends, a couple who I had met before, many of who I met for the first time but heard a lot about through the years. Afterwards, we all went out for dinner.
The restaurant was so beautiful, with all of these leaves and plants hanging over the ceiling and walls. We were there from daylight to sunset, and it certainly looks different comparing evening to night!
Early Saturday, we had a relaxing morning, in preparation for the big night ahead. The view was fantastic, with a refreshing pool.
Saturday afternoon was pretty stressful. I was a bit nervous for walking down the aisle in front of everyone, but I think that most of my nerves came from all of the stress that others were feeling. I know that Mariel and Scott had a lot on their plate. I could just tell by the way my brother was walking that he was feeling the anxiety! (The good kind!)
Julie and I met Mariel and her bridesmaids in the hotel room where we had our hair and makeup professionally done. It was crazy! I didn’t even recognize myself afterwards!
The waiting time between hair/makeup and the start of the ceremony was the hardest! So much anxiety! Finally, the wedding begun, in which there were many, many professional photos taken which I will definitely also be posting once they come out!
The ceremony was really lovely, Scott and Mariel both had wonderful vows written for each other. Afterwards, we headed to the party area to take more photos while the rest of the guests had cocktail hour in a separate area. Eventually they joined us and we danced the night away!
We were there until 1 AM. There was an open bar with specialty drinks including my favorite “The Ramone” (named after their cat.) The DJ was so fun — at one point, a bunch of people dressed up in these wild costumes came out and handed out masks. Overall, it was so exciting and thrilling!
Part 2 is next!
Crystal Aura Gaze 