Boston Bombing Couple Receives Dream Wedding From The Knot
A couple brought together in the aftermath of the Boston bombing has just received the gift of a lifetime: a dream wedding courtesy of The Knot. The pair never expected to receive such an amazing gift and consider their relationship the real prize and an unexpected blessing.
Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino were both waiting at the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the bombs exploded one year ago. The two had dated long-distance for one year before meeting in Boston to cheer on DiMartino's mother as she competed in the marathon. When the bombs went off, Gregory immediately shielded her 6-year-old son who was there; doing so broke nearly every bone in her foot, leg and ankle. But the boy was unharmed.
DiMartino suffered several broken ankle bones, a ruptured eardrum, and lost 90 percent of his Achilles tendon. The two went through recovery together and became much, much closer.
"I was in and out of surgery every single day," Gregory told People. "He was moved from his hospital to a rehab center. Neither one of us wanted to hear how badly the other was hurt – seeing the person you love more than anyone in the world hurting, it's a horrible feeling. So it was a struggle at first to figure out our new normal – we didn't know how we were going to cope with it by ourselves, much less together."
But the couple continued healing and continued fighting for their relationship. In October, DiMartino proposed. The two began planning a very small wedding, with just a few family and friends invited. However, The Knot, a wedding-planning website learned of their story and offered to make them the recipients of The Knot Dream Wedding, which readers will help plan. Readers will vote on every aspect of the wedding, and the reception will be planned by Marcy Blum, who is known for doing the weddings of LeBron James and Savannah Brinson, as well as Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
"It's neat because I've never really known what I wanted," Gregory said. "I'm really indecisive anyway, so the fact that everyone gets to make the decisions for me is perfect. I don't know if I'll be able to walk down the aisle, but all I want to do is marry the love of my life, Pete."
The wedding will be held sometime this spring.