All About the Stunning Tropical Location Where Blair Underwood and Josie Hart Wed — and Its Many Celeb Ties

The longtime friends married at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in the Dominic Republic on Saturday, but they were far from the first stars to have a meaningful moment there

Blair Underwood and Josie Hart got married in paradise!

The actor and his longtime friend tied the knot on Saturday at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in the Dominican Republic — which has been a vacation hotspot for many celebrities over the years.

Located in the southeastern province of La Romana, the 7,000-acre coastal resort is surrounded by stunning views of the Caribbean waters. It also houses a unique stone replica of the 16th-century Mediterranean village, Altos de Chavón, that looks out over the Chavón River.

With the No. 1 ranked golf course in the Caribbean, the venue also specializes in destination weddings that range in “barefoot parties on the beach complete with tiki torches” to more traditional parties held in the grand ballrooms.

Related: Blair Underwood Marries Longtime Friend Josie Hart in Intimate Caribbean Wedding (Exclusive)

NBA legend Michael Jordan hosted his bachelor party at the resort before he and Yvette Prieto wed in 2013.

Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter also celebrated his bachelor party at Casa de Campo ahead of tying the knot with Hannah Davis Jeter.

Other celebrities who have vacationed at the Carribbean resort for a destination getaway include Beyoncé and JAY-Z, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Naomi Watts, Taron Egerton, Oscar de la Renta and Frank Sinatra. Former presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and actor Dennis Quaid have teed off on the resort’s world-renowned Teeth of the Dog golf course.

The luxury retreat has also been the shooting location for Drake’s “Started from the Bottom” music video, a 2013 Instagram photoshoot for Rihanna and two episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.

For their wedding day, Underwood and Hart had wedding planner Theresa Calcos of Casa de Campo work with Angelica and Adriana Noriega of Caribbean Celebrations to create the ambience and decor for the celebration, which included a welcome party of 100 guests before the wedding.

For more exclusive wedding photos and all the details, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

However, Underwood, 58, told PEOPLE of the couple’s destination wedding, “I've been very involved. I’m a Virgo and a bit of a perfectionist so I like to make sure details are taken care of.”

"It was surreal and magical," Hart said of the day. "His vows, to hear him say the words he said to me for our forever was incredible. Between our children and all of them giving toasts, the fireworks right after our first dance, the entire day was just beyond my expectations."

Underwood first met his bride when he was 16 and the two began a friendship that would span the next 43 years. “My mother loved and adored her. We lived separate lives on separate coasts. We never saw each other a lot. But when we talked, there's always such a strong connection of just understanding each other,” he said.

They began dating after their respective divorces and Underwood proposed last fall. “It just feels so right,” he added. “I just feel like it is the next step in moving forward in my life, and doing it together in our lives together.”

"To find love and discover love in someone who's been around in my life, in my family's life, and as I have been in hers, for so long in an honorable, platonic way. To find each other in this space when we're both single and looking to see how we'll spend the rest of our lives. It's a beautiful love story.”

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