Couple Who were Seriously Injured in Boston Marathon Bombing get Married in a Fairytale Wedding...
Just Days Before the First Anniversary of the Terror Attack which Nearly Killed Them Both
- Pete DiMartino, 28, and Rebekah Gregory, 26, both suffered serious leg injuries as they watched the marathon with Rebekah's son Noah last year
- But the tragedy brought them closer - and they got engaged in October
- After winning a 'dream wedding' package from marriage website TheKnot, the couple were married in North Carolina on Friday
- About 150 family and friends gathered for the ceremony at a 19th-century estate, with almost every detail decided upon by readers of the site
- Rebekah walked down the aisle on crutches as she still recovering from her injuries
By Daily Mail UK, 5 April 2014
Nearly one year after they were both seriously injured in the Boston Marathon attack, Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino were married on Friday, following many tough months of recovery.
The couple said 'I do' on a 19th-century estate in North Carolina, with the bride slowly walking down the aisle using a special crutch for her left leg, which may soon be amputated due to the severity of her wounds.
She was guided by her father, Tim, and son Noah, six, down a bed of pink-and yellow-hued rose petals to her awaiting groom
Sniffles were heard throughout the short ceremony, though the crowd laughed when the officiant asked Rebekah if she would take DiMartino as her husband: "Absolutely!" she replied.
Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino both suffered serious leg injuries in the Boston Bombing attack,
but after becoming engaged after the incident, they are now officially husband and wife
The couple were at Boston’s iconic road race as spectators, waiting to see DiMartino’s mother cross the finish line, when two bombs blasted through the crowd on April 15.
Though they’d only known each other about a year, the attack made them realize how short life can be, Rebekah says, and DiMartino, 29, proposed in October.
'We really appreciate each other so much more. I’ve fallen deeper in love with Pete every single day,' Rebekah (now Mrs. DiMartino), 26, told NBC News.
The couple’s big day was in many ways organized by everyday Americans voting via wedding planning website, TheKnot.com, who awarded them the dream wedding free of charge.
The catch was that readers of the site selected Rebekah’s dress (Sophia Moncelli), the location (Biltmore Estate) and their rings.
On the morning of the Boston Marathon, Rebekah Gregory, her son Noah,
and boyfriend Peter Dimartino were waiting for Dimartino's mom to cross the finish line when the blasts happened
Nearly one year after they were seriously injured in the Boston Marathon attack,
Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino wed on Friday on a 19th-century estate in North Carolina
While DiMartino is from Rochester, New York, and Gregory is from Richmond, Texas, North Carolina was chosen as the location because it was the couple's favorite vacation spot.
The wedding photos were taken by Allan Zepeda.
During the Boston bombing, Rebekah's son was with the couple.
When the blast detonated - killing three people and wounding 275 others - Rebekah's body acted as a shield to her son.
Noah suffered injuries to his lungs and scrapes and bruises, but DiMartino and Gregory both required multiple surgeries and both continue to undergo rehabilitation.
Joy: Boston bombing survivors Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino show off her engagement ring after he proposed in October.
Joy: Rebekah said she screamed 'yes!' before Pete could even ask her to marry him last October
Strong: The couple, who both suffered serious leg injuries in the April blast, are pictured
together before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in May
On the mend: Rebekah was only able to stand on her own two feet just before Christmas following the April attack
Rebekah underwent a staggering 14 surgeries following the blast and told The Knot that her leg still might need to be amputated.
As well as a ruptured eardrum, DiMartino lost 90 per cent of his right Achilles' tendon and suffered broken bones in his ankles and it has taken him months of physical therapy to learn to walk again.
But the couple has leaned on each other for support during their recoveries. One day in October, Rebekah told Pete she needed him. He jumped in his car, with a custom-made ring in his pocket.
'I was having a rough day and I called Pete and told him, "I just need you here right now",' she told The Knot. 'I was in complete shock when I saw Pete. He got down on one knee and before he could even ask, I said, "yes!"'
Happy: They had been dating for a year before their engagement and said the tragedy brought them closer
Hurt: The couple was standing at the marathon finishing line when the bombs detonated last April
She added: 'Being able to show people that you can take something so horrible and turn it into something so beautiful has been such a blessing to us.'
Just before Christmas, a device that had been drilled into Rebekah's bone was removed and replaced with a cast - allowing her to stand again for the first time since the tragedy.
‘To put two feet on the ground again was the most amazing feeling,’
‘And just right before Christmas, too. It’s like, what an amazing present this year.’
But Gregory still has a long way to go, and she has described the moment she put her foot down in the boot as extremely painful.
‘It was awful. It was the worst pain all over again,’ she said. ‘Putting it on the ground doesn’t feel right and it feels like it’s just crushing what bones I have left.’
Her doctors estimated that it would be another six months to a year before she is walking more freely.
She said she is so motivated by the achievement.
Blast: An image shows the first of two bombs that detonated at the Boston marathon finishing line last year
‘It just hit me: I’ve come such a long way and even though I have such a long way to go, I’m so blessed for this journey and to be able to help people and inspire people along the way,’ she said.
The couple met on a work trip.
'Going through an experience like the marathon makes you realize how short life really is and how we don't really know how much time we have left,' Gregory said.
'And I know that with my time there is nobody else I would want to spend it with. It made me realize how much I cared about him and how much he was the only person for me.' she said.