A Tropical Wedding in the Dominican Republic

Sometimes, love is right in front of you—or in this case, right next to you. Such was the case for Mariangel when she was seated next to Jeremy Burton on a flight from Puerto Rico to New York. “We struck up a conversation and talked the entire flight!” she recalls. Though their first meeting was fairly public, their proposal was sweet and private, with Jeremy popping the question in the couple’s apartment in New York City.

However, after an "intimate, romantic" engagement, Mariangel and Jeremy decided to celebrate their wedding with a much larger crowd—300 guests, to be exact—and invited everyone to join them in the Dominican Republic on April 7, 2018. “We wanted our wedding to feel like spring, so we used lots of color in our décor,” describes the bride of their vibrant ceremony decor and outdoor venue. The couple worked with Tres Eventos to plan their wedding in La Romana, a coastal city that is full of Mediterranean influences. (Fun fact: The town is also home to a wrecked pirate ship that belonged to William Kidd!)

Photographed by Ramón Redondo of El Marco Rojo, you don’t want miss this couple’s tropical wedding celebration in the Dominican Republic. Keep reading to see all the details, including the colorful wildflower bouquets, ribbon details, and beyond-epic ceremony site, below.

Mariangel had a whole gang precede her down the aisle, including both the wedding party and her close friends. The wedding party wore shades of blush, while her friends donned colorful dresses—all of their own choosing. She also had a special flower girl. “The flower girl’s dress was very special to me,” says the bride. “My great-grandmother made it for me to wear as the flower girl in my uncle’s wedding.” The youngest member of the bridal party topped the vintage gown with a colorful crown of flowers.

The bride wore a bohemian lace dress by Lihi Hod. "I knew it was my dress the first time I tried it on," she says. "It was soft, boho and elegant." She carried a bouquet of yellow and pink blooms while the groom, in a light blue linen suit by Suit Supply, had a coordinating boutonniere.

The ceremony took place with ocean views in the background. The couple took advantage of this view when planning and designed a long and dramatic aisle that led through a circular arch of greenery and onto a platform over an oval-shaped pool.

The bride had two very special escorts down the aisle. First, her grandfather escorted her for the first half of her walk, where they met her father and continued the rest of the way to meet Jeremy at the altar.

The couple’s ceremony was incredibly emotional as they chose to exchange personalized vows in front of their loved ones. The bride says the proceedings were full of laughter and tears.

Mariangel and Jeremy admittedly were in "sheer bliss" after saying “I do.”

As Jeremy and Mariangel shared their first dance, the moment was marked by a spectacular pyrotechnic display.

Guests donned hats and danced in a shower of confetti during the Hora Loca later in the evening, accompanied by music from DJ Ment. Looking back on their fun-filled Carribbean celebration, the bride had one piece of advice for brides-to-be. “Try to relax and enjoy the process,” she says. “It is just one day, and it will really fly by!”