Vanessa and Omar's Pretty Pastel Wedding in Punta Cana -Munaluchi Bride

Vanessa and Omar’s wedding started a bit rocky when Vanessa’s niece had a sudden seizure and was rushed to the hospital. She wasn’t sure shed’d be able to continue the day but with the support of her sister, the strength of God, and love from her family and friends, Vanessa was able to marry the love of her life.

Read all about Vanessa and Omar’s relationship and pretty pastel wedding in Punta Cana.

Bride & Groom: Vanessa & Omar
Occupations: Tax Auditor & Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Wedding date: August 10, 2017
Wedding location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. We met at a mutual friend’s wedding. I was given an invite with no plus one. I wasn’t happy about going to wedding by myself but it all worked out! Omar was one of the groomsmen and asked my cousin to introduce us. I knew he was the one when I had to take my tonsils out and stay overnight in the hospital. He took off work to be with me. I have two daughters that are not his children and he has a son. He picked my daughters up from school, bought dinner and made sure homework was completed. He took care of all of us while I was recovering. I knew this man was the one!

The proposal: He proposed to me at the same place we met before he was deployed overseas. After dinner we stopped by the venue where we first met. We were in the car at the parking lot. Omar made it seem like his cousin was at an event and we were there to pick up a bottle of moonshine. Ten minutes went by and I’m like “Where is your cousin with the moonshine?” He got out of car and told me to come check something out. When I got out of car, he was on one knee and proposed.

What was wedding shopping like for you? Wedding shopping was stressful for me. With so many beautiful dresses, it was hard to choose just one. I decided to step outside my simple style and to glam it up a little. I wore an ivory Allure dress and the groom wore a Ralph Lauren suit.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We are both Catholic so it was really important to us to have a Catholic ceremony. We also incorporated spanish culture by having crazy hour which featured entertainers in costumes dancing to Spanish music.

Bridesmaids/Groomsmen gifts: I paid for hair for all girls in my bridal party. I also bought them earrings and robes. For the groomsmen, the groom paid for all of their outfits.

Favorite item on menu: Our favorite item on the menu was the tropical chicken salad served in a pineapple.

First dance song: “Promise” by Romeo Santos and Usher

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? As brides, we always dream our special day will be perfect. Sometimes things beyond our control happen and your special day takes a different turn. My wedding day was one of the best, scariest, and hardest days in my life. My sister was my maid of honor and her one year old daughter was the flower girl. As the bridal party was getting hair and makeup done, my niece got ill and began to have seizures. We didn’t know what was going on at the time and freaked out! This never happened back home in the US. She was rushed to the hospital by my wedding planner’s husband. He stayed at the hospital with my sister and niece and kept us updated on my niece’s condition. It was hard to continue the day without my sister and niece but with the strength of God and love of my family and friends, I was able to marry my best friend Omar.