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A Destination Wedding in Punta Cana

Aug 07, 2013

| By Angela Serednicki

It was a rainy afternoon in Paris and Rebecca and David stood huddled together underneath the Eiffel tower as they waited for the storm to pass. Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca spotted what she describes as a stereotypical French painter. "I...paint...you two?" the painter asked. “We didn’t have anything else to do, so we reluctantly agreed,” Rebecca explains. “After five minutes, he told us to come over and look at it. We turned the corner of the easel and saw a very detailed painting of a couple in our exact-same outfits, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was clearly way more than he had the ability to do in such a short time, and I started to laugh, thinking it was a stock photo,” Rebecca says. She took a better look at the painting, and grew quiet as she noticed that the man in the picture was down on one knee.

“Rebecca turned to me to say something but I was already on my knee with a ring in my hand," David says with a smile. Rebecca jumped back in shock, completely off guard. Covering her face and with tears rolling down her cheeks, similar to the pose that the painting illustrated, then she nodded. "A crowd of tourists who saw what was happening applauded as my new fiancée and I hugged for what felt like hours,” David recalls. The clever groom-to-be painted the photo himself, and mailed the completed masterpiece to the painter who agreed to help him pull off his surprise proposal.

The two married in a romantic beach ceremony in Punta Cana with 65 of their closest friends and family in attendance. “It was so beautiful having the sound of the ocean crashing in the background as we danced barefoot in the sand. It was so relaxing and it felt so intimate,” Rebecca shares. The couple agrees that the best part of their special day was when they stepped away from the festivities for a moment and stood back as they watched so many different people from all parts of their lives, dancing and celebrating together. “It was amazing to see everyone so comfortable with each other, and watch them genuinely becoming friends,” says David.

Rebecca Perez and David Stodolny, April 23, 2012, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Photography courtesy of Aron Goss from Calculated Style.

Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Riu Palace Bavaro Resort
Bridal gown: David's Bridal
Groom's attire: Guayabara shirt and linen white pants by Ralph Lauren from Macy's
Bridal party attire: David's Bridal
Cake and caterer: Riu Palace Bavaro Resort
Wedding planner: Magnolia Crisostomo
Hair: Mother of the Bride Makeup: DIY Flowers: Riu Palace Bavaro Resort
Stationery: Michael's