Wedding at Dreams Macao Beach in Punta Cana

Corey & Alicia

Every year or two we get the chance to photograph a destination wedding. We just got back from photographing Corey and Alicia’s wedding at Dreams Macao Beach in Punta Cana. This one was extra special since Alicia is Steph’s cousin. We got to photograph and hang with family the entire time we were there so that made this trip really fun. The best part about destination weddings is that they become multi-day events that we get to photograph. Corey and Alicia kept things really fun, and relaxed. They had a welcome night at the resort lobby bar welcoming all of their guests to the resort the night before the wedding. And the day after the wedding, they took a bunch of us out on a Catamaran Boat Tour for a few hours (still waiting on film scans back since we shot much of this event on film). Besides that, it was a lot of hanging out by the pool and enjoying time together.

The wedding day was a hot one! So hot that we’re pretty sure Josiah stopped sweating altogether… (we know…he was significantly dehydrated) a different type of hot than what we’re used to here in Philly. The second you hit that shade, it was twenty degrees cooler. But it didn’t rain and we’d take a hot, sunny wedding day over a stormy wedding day. With blue skies and no clouds above us, it was such a wonderful day for a wedding in paradise.

Alicia and Corey exchanged gifts and notes with each other before the ceremony. They seemed to be holding back some tears while reading. Corey continues to give green flag after green flag in his love for Alicia like fighting back tears during their informal rehearsal or kissing the note she wrote to him on the morning of the wedding, or the handful of speeches he gave (you know Corey loves to give a good speech, and he’s excellent at it) that kept saying how wonderful Alicia was. He continues to dote on her and you can see just how grateful he is to have her. Alicia looks happier than we’ve ever seen her when she’s with Corey. The way she looks at him, and her eyes light up. She’s found someone who can let her be truly herself, holding nothing back, and who supports her in every aspect of life.

When Corey and Alicia are around, they inject a certain level of happiness and fullness into the room infecting everyone with their joy. Being around them is easy and you feel lighter when you’re with them. Looking at all the laughter and smiles from their guests shared throughout the week, we have to assume they all feel the same way we do. We hope we captured the essence of all the joy and excitement that everyone experienced over the few days celebrating Alicia and Corey.

To Corey & Alicia:

Thank you both for bringing us along to document your wedding day. Spending the day alongside you was such a privilege and we’re so thankful you trusted us to photograph your wedding day. We couldn’t be happier for the two of you! It was such an incredibly fun trip, and despite the intense sunburn, we’d go back and celebrate with you all over again in a heartbeat. We can’t wait to show you all the photos and share the final gallery with you, but until then, we hope you enjoy this little preview of your wedding at Dreams Macao Beach in Punta Cana!