There was talk of rain, unbearable heat, blazing sunshine, threatening clouds and winds strong enough to bend the palm trees. Tropical storms, humidity, sudden downpours — even Hurricane Irma seemed determined to make an appearance at the ceremony.
Every day, Coralie and Juan, their 50 guests (and me) were constantly checking the latest forecast: The Weather Channel, Windguru, the Dominican Republic’s National Meteorological Office, and even Kelvin, the receptionist at Riu Bambú, who kept reassuring us that everything was going to be fine.
And he was right.
The stars aligned, Irma moved on, and we were left with an almost perfect day for a truly unique wedding — full of happiness and emotion, surrounded by sunshine, dramatic clouds and a sky that seemed to change colour by the minute.
Coralie and Juani had the wedding they had dreamed of. Barefoot on the sand, with the sound of the sea blending with the guitars, sunlight filtering through the palm trees, and even an incredible rainbow that appeared just a few minutes after the ceremony — an unexpected gift that surprised us all.
But what mattered most was having the people they love there with them.
At that point, the location almost becomes secondary. What matters is that their grandparents, both over 80, were able to be there and dance with them. That many of their friends had never met before and ended up together in the pool in the middle of the night. That two families met and, within just a few days, felt like one, regardless of surnames or nationalities.
What matters is that Coralie and Juan lived every moment to the fullest, enjoyed every second of it, and created memories they will never forget.
Congratulations, Coralie and Juan — in the end, you brought the perfect weather yourselves!
Thank you so much for everything. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph this wedding and enjoy it almost as if I were one of the guests.
And a very special thank you to my friend Gastón Jacquier for making all of this possible.
