Destination weddings take on many shapes and many styles ~ for many reasons. Today's wedding from Gulnara Studio is for THE very best reason of all! Stephanie and Nomar were married this past spring in Puerto Rico ...

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Their wedding was not only a celebration of their love for each other, but their love for their family and friends ... no holds barred. And as you'll see from these spectacular images from Gulnara, Stephanie's stunning Monique Lhuillier wedding gown was just as spectacular the next day for a romantic day-after shoot on the beach! See the whole gallery here.

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Stephanie and Nomar's wedding celebration ~ before, during AND after ~ is right here!

We were married May 22nd at the stunning Horned Dorset Primavera in Rincon, Puerto Rico. My husband was born in Puerto Rico; he shared this amazing island with me the first year we started dating and since then we have returned often. Puerto Rico holds a special place in both our hearts, we just feel at ease there. This is why upon getting engaged we decided there was no other place either of us could have imagined getting married.

When planning we decided we wanted an intimate, simply elegant wedding. The grounds of the Horned Dorset are incredibly beautiful so we did not want to overdo any of the decorating. Candles and simple flowers were all we used in both the ceremony and reception space. The ceremony was held on the balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea; the views could not have been any prettier. After the ceremony we had a cocktail hour on the veranda and then proceeded to the formal dining room for dinner.

Some of my favorite memories have been made while sitting at the dinner table with family and friends; this is why we decided to have a formal sit down dinner with low background music. We really wanted all of our guests to enjoy the incredible food by Chef Aaron while enjoying the company of family, friends and good conversion. Of course we still wanted to party and celebrate! So after dinner everybody went back down to the veranda to dance the night away!

Gulnara Studio's Blog Features ~ Part 1 here, Part 2, Part 3 !

Photography: Gulnara Studio / Wedding Coordinator: Maddalena Molli / Florist: Flores y Servicios / Cake: The Horned Dorset Primavera / Band: Orquesta La Criolla / Hair: Aliesha Grange / Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Nomar's suit: Brooks Brothers / Nomar's shoes: Bruno Magli