Dominican Republic Wedding – May 2023
My Niece, Elissa (she is daughter of my youngest brother Geoff), decided to get married to her long-term partner Derek Schlueter. Both my two brothers and her live in Canda so they decided to have the wedding in the Dominican Republic, at the Ocean El Fara hotel in Punta Cana. It was a lovely hotel and I cannot get over the size of the reception building – it was massive. There were 48 guests from Canada and me from the UK. I had a bit of trepidation about the long flight but I should not have worried as it all went smoothly.
The featured image shows the father and mother of the Bride – my brother Geoff, my sister-in-law Susan, far right, with Elissa and Derek and daughters Ellie and Islay who were bridesmaids – son Benny was too young to have a role. The photo was taken on the beach after the wedding.
The staff in the hotel were lovely and so friendly. But that part of the island was drab and mostly shrubland with a few small hamlets consisting of shacks. I did not see much outside of the bus trip to and from the airport.
The Canadians were all interested in the Ice Hockey, which was shown in the Sports Bar and apparently was reaching a finale to the season, which involved a series of matches taking place in the evenings that we were there and ultimately disappointed the wedding guests as Toronto Maple Leaves lost.
My brothers Rob and Geoff and I were photographed inside and outside the Sports bar – in descending order of age and height, me being the oldest and tallest – number one in all respects!
