Guys… my first destination wedding happened this past May and it was to celebrate my long time friends Courtney & Jay in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!!! SCREAMING!!! I’ll never forget when she asked me to come along and capture their day a year ago. I cried the happiest tears when she told me that I just “get her”, and that I have to be the one to photograph it. Seriously!? I love you Court. So, my fiance and I planned our first international trip together and the countdown to the wedding of the year was on!!! As the weeks passed us by and we anticipated the trip, I saw Courtney several times throughout the year & we planned, we gushed over details, we got hype about spending a whole week at an all inclusive resort & I could just see her vision as she talked to me about her wedding day plan. She told me 50 (YES 50!!!) people RSVP’d and were joining us in the DR for this wedding. I was like, wow that is an amazing head count for a destination wedding! I knew we were going to have a blast all coming together for this couple.. and man did we all hit it off the minute we said “Hi” and introduced ourselves.
But it was their welcome party that truly kicked things off. What began as a casual gathering at their “all white party” (btw everyone’s outfits were FIRE!!) turned into one of those nights you never want to end—full of laughter, spontaneous dancing, and bonding over cocktails under the stars. We came from different cities, different lives… many of us total strangers. But by the end of that night, and certainly by the end of the trip, we had formed something so special. We shared stories, celebrated love, and created memories that now feel stitched into our hearts. Courtney and Jay, thank you for bringing us together. You didn’t just throw a beautiful wedding… you gave us all a reason to connect, celebrate, and leave Punta Cana with sun-kissed skin (or serious burns & sun poison iykyk), full hearts, and a whole new circle of friends. Here’s to love, laughter, and lifelong friendships—made in PARADISE!!!!
