Saying "I do" like his parents did - Jaleel and Isla's memorable day
Published:Sunday | September 4, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer
In a move that made his father proud, Jaleel Johnson planned his wedding to Isla Lamont to replicate his parents', which took place some 30 years ago.
Jaleel, who lives in Bristol, England, and Isla of Nottingham, England, had a beautiful wedding ceremony on August 6 at the St Ann's Bay Anglican Church followed by a reception at the family residence in Old Fort Bay.
Jaleel, a trainee engineer, left Jamaica almost five years ago for Birmingham, England, where he later met Isla, a physical education teacher who lives in Nottingham. The two decided to get married and it was Jaleel who suggested the wedding take place in his native Jamaica and at the same place his parents got married in 1981.
That year, on August 8, Jaleel's dad, Cecil, got married to his mom, Dawn, at the same church and had the reception at the same residence. The two-day difference in no way diminished the importance of the occasion or the joy it brought to all involved. In fact, dad was proud almost beyond words at the decision taken by first son.
"We are overwhelmed with joy," the elder Johnson told Outlook. "You feel really proud and feel glad that somebody would want to repeat something you did 30 years ago. We felt honoured that our son wanted to follow us in such fashion. It was also a very proud moment for us, the bride's parents and all who attended," the elder Johnson said.
The bride's parents, Stuart and Jane Lamont, took the trip from England to witness their daughter get married in a tropical paradise. The occasion was made even more majestic by the rich heritage surrounding the late 19th-century Anglican Church.
The bride's sisters: Morag - bridesmaid, Claire and Ruth, and brothers of the groom, Nasser - best man, and Kareem Johnson, along with Brian Simpson, comprised the bridal party.
After the Reverend Canon Glen Prince performed the official duties, witnessed by family and close friends, the wedding party went to Shaw Park Gardens for photographs then to Claudine Villa for the reception.
The happy couple spent their weeklong honeymoon at Couples Tower Isle before heading back to the United Kingdom.