The first time around, in May 2000, singer Marc Anthony whisked Dayanara Torres off to Las Vegas for a surprise wedding ceremony with 15 guests. So, when they renewed their vows in Puerto Rico on Dec. 7—six months after they split up—the bride wanted to have it her way: "This," said Torres, 28, "is so my family has a chance to see me in a wedding dress and in church."

Resplendent in a diamond-and-pearl-encrusted satin gown by Reem Acra, the former Miss Universe rolled up to Old San Juan's 500-year-old Catholic cathedral in a black stretch limo. She exchanged vows with Anthony, 33, in front of 200 family members and friends (including 'N Sync's Lance Bass, Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough and pop idol Ednita Nazario), the couple's 22-month-old son Cristian wriggling between them. "This was such a precious ceremony," said Nazario of the $500,000 extravaganza. "So filled with emotions."

Not the least of which, no doubt, was relief that the pair's separation proved so short-lived. "They weren't really apart for more than three weeks," says a source close to the couple. Added Torres: "The wedding is a new beginning." The duo, who met through friends in 1998, kicked off the reception at the nearby 19th-century Ballaja Barracks with a slow dance. Then it was showtime, with Anthony, Bass and Dorough all taking the stage. Said bridesmaid Jennifer Nieman, 32, Anthony's publicist: "It's even better than the first wedding."