Amber & Erik | Destination Wedding | Private Island in Punta Cana

The Plans & The Prep

Highschool sweethearts, Amber & Erik, had spent the past year planning the PERFECT destination wedding in the beautiful Dominican Republic. After being together for 10 happy years, they decided to gather thirty of their closest family and friends (who, I must say, are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met!) and travel to a beautiful country to celebrate their love. Through the prep & planning, and after spending the past week with Amber, Erik, and their families, I can tell how much they truly value time spent with their family.
So, we packed our bags and off we went to Punta Cana!

The Morning Of

2/20/20 – The wedding day was finally here! Amber is one of the sweetest, most bubbly people that I know and I absolutely LOVED getting to spend the morning of her wedding with her. She didn’t seem nervous at all, and instead took in every moment getting ready with her girls. Erik woke up with some nerves, but those went away as soon as he turned around and saw his beautiful bride during their First Look. I’m a sucker for a cute groom reaction, and Erik did not let me down!

 

 

 

The Wedding Adventure

I call this part of the Blog an “Adventure,” because it certainly was! In order to get to the private island for the ceremony, we traveled by bus for about a half hour to the beach of the Caribbean Sea. Then we loaded onto a small boat, which brought us to a larger boat – where the reception would later take place. The water was clear all the way to the bottom, and the most beautiful shade of blue. This part of the day felt like an excursion itself!
Once everyone was on the larger boat, we sailed across the Sea taking in the breathtaking views and the warm sunshine. The drinks flowed, laughter ensued, and I don’t think there was a single person without a smile on their face. It was amazing! After about a half hour boat ride, we made it to the private island. In order to get to the island, we had to get back into the smaller boat which took us directly to shore. The locals were kind enough to even carry the women off the boat, so they didn’t have to get their feet wet – that’s good customer service!
And so the time to say “I Do” was finally here! Amber & Erik’s ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The private island was stunning, but the ceremony, officiated by Erik’s father, was just as beautiful. It included the Shannon family Bible, and an emotional moment of silence in loving memory of the family members who had passed. There were lots of tears, there were lots of laughter, and overall it was a perfect, family-oriented way to commit to one another.
Following the ceremony, the rest of the night was spent on the boat for dinner and the reception. Every little detail was perfectly thought out, and as we sat and ate dinner looking out into the blue Caribbean Sea I couldn’t help but think that everything about this day had just been PERFECT. I should mention one of my favorite parts of the night was the emotional speeches given by Cody (Best Man), Sam (Maid of Honor), and both Amber & Erik’s fathers. The rest of the night was filled with lots of laughing, and dancing as we sailed away in the Sea.
What an amazing Adventure.

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Garncarz!