Article by Tom Henderson

                                        - Vacation & Wedding in Dominican Republic

     October 22^nd.  2008 a special day to Eileen and I, it was the first birthday of our grandson Liam, and the day our son Craig finally tied the knot. Unfortunately we couldn’t be with both on the same day and as our son was getting married we attended the wedding.

     The wedding was held in the Dominican Republic, which was also the first vacation Eileen and I have had since I retired from Aramco in 2004. It started early at 4:00am on October 14^th.  when I loaded the suitcase into the car and we headed for Manchester Airport. The weather was wet and misty but we made good time and reached Manchester Airport by 6:15am to find the airport in chaos. The check-in computers were down and the passengers were queued all the way back to the car drop off area and beyond. Luckily for us Craig, along with his bride to be, Kerry their son Jake and Kerry’s parents, Allan and Lynda Thompson, were already in the queue and we were able to join them. It took until 12:45 to check-in and the flight left 4 hours after the scheduled time. A real good start to our vacation and the bride and groom’s wedding plans.

     Thankfully from there-in things took a 180 degree turn with a good flight and transfer to the Hotel & Resort where we were all staying for 2 weeks. The only down side was that hurricane Omar was moving past the island to the east and in the morning we woke up to a tropical storm and thunder & lightning. It soon moved away and left the island in beautiful sunshine and we spent the morning exploring the resort before ending up at the swimming pool.

      My son and his future wife saw to the official papers and registered with the Justice Department as by law they had to be in the country 5 working days before they could be married. This set the date of 22^nd. Oct. 2008.

      With a week to pass before the wedding everyone just relaxed by the pool or on the beach through the day and spent the evenings by the open theatre listening to the local entertainers and a few drinks.

     Come the day of the wedding it was breakfast as usual for some, my son was nowhere to be seen. The night before the bestman Gregg Gibson flew in from the UK and both had a good night before retiring. As tradition dictates, the groom did not see the bride on their wedding day until she arrived at the wedding ceremony and neither did many others.

    The happy couple had asked me to video their wedding and of course I also took photographs some of which you can see on the website.

     The bride was beautiful and the Groom and Bestman looked the part in their Kilts and Jacobean Shirts. The Groom and Bestman walked the length of the Swimming pool up through the gardens and into the reception area where the rest of us met. The Bride was transported by taxi to the front of the Hotel where she made her entrance to the applause of the Hotel guests.  As she made her way through reception down to the Gazebo where the wedding ceremony would take place, she was accompanied by the Three Amigos – a Spanish Guitar Trio. The ceremony was performed by the Area Judge in Spanish and translated by the Hotel Representative.

    Before the ceremony Craig set up his laptop to transmit the ceremony back to the UK via Skype to allow family members who could not attend, see the wedding ceremony take place. It also let us wish our grandson Liam a Happy Birthday. 

    After a glass or two of Champagne it was time for a photo shoot in the gardens and on the beach then more Champagne and a small reception in the evening.

    With the wedding over it was time to explore a little and everyone but the newly weds hired a taxi and made for Mount Isabella de Torres. Access to the top of the mountain is by cable car and after a 10 minute ride you arrive at the top to some breath-taking views of Puerto Plata and the surrounding countryside.

     Also at the top is a botanical garden which we wandered round taking pictures of the views and flowers. At the highest point of the mountain stands the Statue of Isabella, similar to the statue above Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, but smaller.

     The holiday came to a quick end even though we had spent 14 days at the resort. It was now time to head home back to the UK and prepare for the main evening reception for Family and friends on November 8th. 2008.

     We cannot wait for March 2009 when we hope to revisit Saudi Arabia!!

Click on Photos to see more