Congratulations to Rachel & Johnny who were recently married at NOW Larimar in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! The two celebrated amongst an intimate group of their family and friends all on the gorgeous Bavaro beach. The photos were shot by the fantastic HDC in Punta Cana. The full moon rising on the ocean and onto their table was definitely a sign of good fortune for the two! Wishing Rachel and Johnny all the best on a healthy and happy life together.

About Rachel and Johnny
Occupations: Rachel is a Massage Therapist and Johnny works with a Drag Race Team as Lead Mechanic.
How they met:  We meet through a friend that was trying to set Johnny up with Rachel’s roommate and turns out they were a much better match
What attracted Johnny to Rachel: We are both from up north. Rachel from Philadelphia, and I from across the bridge in New Jersey. We they had that in common along with our  love for the beach, and the water. The list goes on but we  just clicked.
What attracted Rachel to Johnny: At first it was his looks, but something just sparked and it was just so easy to be together, much easier than the thought then not being together. We could talk for hours and did starting the very first night, and haven’t stopped.
What was the best advice you received as a couple? Communication is key!
Engagement story: Oh! this is the best New Years Eve 2012. I thought the surprise was a romantic dinner he set up on my father’s boat, but nope we went up top to look for fireworks and he went to get some wine and called my name… I turned around to around to see WILL YOU MARRY ME! in lights on the sea wall and him on one knee with my dream ring. So unexpected! I cried and said YES!  The rest is history 🙂

The Wedding Day
Wedding date: February 15th, 2014
Number of guests: 12
Wedding colours: Whites, creams, and a touch of blush
Rachel’s most memorable moment: Johnny and my son standing together at the alter brings tears thinking about it!
Johnny’s most memorable moment: Seeing Rachel for the first time walking down the beach with her Grandfather. I had no clue what her dress looked like it was amazing!
Their advice to others: Go with the flow and don’t sweat the small stuff it’s your day so make every memory a great one!
Most romantic moment: Our first dance it was like no one in the world was there it was just the two of us we could’ve stayed that way all night.
Did you include any traditions in your wedding? We really wanted to but I guess got swept up in the day and forgot the breaking of the glass which we wanted to do, but we did include a sand ceremony joining us together as a family!
Honeymoon: A short stop in Puerto Rico to visit family was fantastic but since we had a destination wedding we choose to wait until our first anniversary for a real getaway!
The day in three words: Everything and More!

Wedding Details
Ceremony & Reception location: The Beach at NOW Larimar
Why did you choose this location for your wedding? This wasn’t easy! We had to think about everyone from all over and all ages and this was the perfect choice for our family and friends.
Bride’s gown: Marisa
Bride’s shoes: Barefoot
Groom’s outfit: Tommy Bahama
Type of rings: Rachel: Tacori, Johnny: David Yurman
Jewellery: The pearls my Grandmother made for me when I was born, My Great-Grandmothers engagement ring given to me the day before the wedding, earrings my Grandmother bought for me for the wedding, and an anklet my Mother got me for the wedding.
Wedding song: A Thousand Years by Christina Perry
Favours: Custom made beach bags from Etsy filled with Turkish towels, sunscreen, water, and bug spray!
Music: Everything fun to dance to but we aren’t big Country fans so not that.
Flowers: Roses and Tropical island flowers
Photographer: HDC Photo in the Dominican Republic
Hair: Brides best-friend Luisa Mejia
Makeup: Brides sister
Stationery/Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

Fun Stuff
Astrological signs (Rachel) and (Johnny): Both aries
What was old? My great-grandmothers engagement ring
What was new? My dress
What was borrowed? My handkerchief
What was blue? My underwear
What did you put in gift bags? Everything you could need at the beach in a custom beach bag.
Is there anything else that helps tell the story of the day? It couldn’t have been more perfect. Everything I imagined and more! We even got a bit of rain while I was getting ready, but they say that’s good luck right? Not too hot, nice breeze, and oh the New Moon we ordered, lol! We had no idea a moon could look so BIG. It couldn’t have been more perfect because it was the start of our new life together! Also made for some really cool pictures. The entire event was amazing. We went all out on the little stuff like fire dancers and bar and the food, wow, so amazing! The DJ and MC along with the Photographer and Videographer all felt like part of our family and we couldn’t have made this day happen without the help of Laura at LUXE!

Tell us about your experience working with LUXE Destination Weddings: Working with LUXE Destination Weddings made everything just so much easier to understand and so much less to stress about. They walked us through everything including picking the resort to how to set up a web page. When we were handed over to Laura who would be with us every step of the way including on site! We decided to just trust she knew what she was doing, and would bring our dream so life. Boy did she!! Everyone said it was perfect and they didn’t know how we pulled it off with not being able to see, touch and taste things. We can honestly say we weren’t alone and it couldn’t of happened without Laura at LUXE! We couldn’t have done it without her, she went above and beyond even giving up Valentines with her own Husband. We read a ton of things on Best Destination Wedding.com and everyone was freaking about not knowing things or hearing back from their hotel we couldn’t be happier to not have that added stress. We were really able to just put our trust in Laura and enjoy our day! She made our dream come true … so Thank You from the bottom of our hearts Laura you are amazing!!!!!!!!