A Wedding in the DR

On the 8th of September, boyfriend's little sister Cindy got married.  It was my first wedding in the DR, and I was a bridesmaid!  It was a beautiful, balmy night.  

Since I had never been to a wedding here, it was fun for me to note the unique differences between the wedding here and those back home.  For one, most couples take pre-wedding photos a few days before the wedding instead of engagement photos at the beginning of the engagement.  Some brides wear a wedding dress that isn't theirs (so that the groom doesn't see the real one until the wedding), or another average white dress.  The bride took her wedding photos in her mother's wedding dress - they were nearly the exact same size when they married!

A & I

Here, brides have bridesmaids, but oftentimes there are no groomsmen in the wedding party, which means I had to walk down the veeeery long aisle in the church alone, and luckily I didn't trip.  Rather than standing at the altar, bridesmaids sit in the first pews at the church - I always thought this was reserved for the parents and close family! 

Night before wedding, preparing La Hora Loca

Something fun that they do here is have "la hora loca" {crazy hour} at the reception.  Because not all weddings have one, it was a surprise to the bride and groom.  Hired guys with lots of energy [think cruise director types] marched in with bongos and the bridesmaids passed out noisemakers, hats, clown noses, masks, and confetti.  The music changed from traditional salsa and merengue to pop music, and there was even a dance contest.  Unfortunately I don't have pictures to prove this..

The food was buffet style and we ate so many delicious things that there was no room for cake!  So ofcourse, we made it back to the house the next day for left over wedding cake.

Congratulations C & J!