Byers, Corbin exchange wedding vows July 23

Jennifer Byers and Brandon Corbin exchanged wedding vows Saturday, July 23, 2011, under the gazebo on the waterfront at The Excellence in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

The bride is the daughter of R. Robert and Nancy Byers of Ollie. The groom is the son of Gary L. Corbin of Sun City, Ariz., and the late Julie Weaver.

The ceremony was conducted by a Dominican minister speaking through an interpreter. Fifteen family members and friends attended the festivities held in a backdrop of century-old Dominican culture, ritual and modern amenities on a remote eastern Caribbean seacoast. In classic local tradition, the bride, accompanied by her father, arrived aboard a white, horse-drawn carriage over the lanes of pavers winding through the grounds. With tropical breezes hailing an afternoon shower whisking her veil and long, white gown, bystanders cheered and gestured congratulations as they passed.

The groom, dressed in a tan suit, white shirt, complimenting tie and leather sandals, stood waiting with the guests and officials when the bride stepped from the carriage revealing the rhinestones on her white flip-flops.

Following the ceremony, the couple and guests had a party on the beach, dinner, dancing and a musical stage performance.

The bride, a graduate of City High in Iowa City, holds a bachelor?s degree from Iowa State University and a master?s degree and a doctorate degree from New York University. She is a biomed science consultant and mathematical modeler with Gryphon Scientific in Takoma Park, Md.

The groom is a military veteran, who served as an intelligence analyst in the United States Air Force. He is currently the site operations manager for Vocus Inc. in Lanham, Md., where he has been employed for 10 years.

When the couple returns form their honeymoon, they will make their home in Silver Spring, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C.

The bride?s parents were hosts for the event. Among the family members in attendance were the groom?s grandparents Gary R. and Helen Corbin of Sun City, Ariz., and Noreen Weaver of Toledo, Ohio.