A fabulous wedding

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

Love, some say, is a many splendoured thing. Well, that it is and then some! Well, at least for Jeffery 'Dave' Sterling and Dr Cherise Francis-Windle. Imagine, the two met when they were both young children, and as Cherise tells it, he was her first childhood crush, but fate intervened and the two were never allowed to embrace that crush or explore the possibilities, at least not until way later.

The two, now adults, and both divorced from their respective first spouses, were encouraged to find each other by Jeffery's aunt, Peggy Sterling, who has always held that the two were meant for each other.

And so it was, that years after first meeting each other as children in Linstead, St Catherine, the two - now naturalised Americans, she living in New York and California, and he residing in New Jersey - were reintroduced by Dave's matchmaker of an auntie and friend of Cherise, early last year. After a bi-coastal courtship started and blossomed, the two decided that they would embrace each other in holy matrimony.

Well, my dears, as is the case with marriages, while the approval of family members and relatives was not sought and/or required, in the interest of familial harmony, the two spent time criss-crossing the skies in an effort to get to know each other's families and relatives as they sought to strengthen their own bonds of friendship and cement their love for each other. And with that successfully accomplished, the couple then decided on a date for their wedding!

Venue

Well, that my dears, was Saturday, January 25, at the bride's seaside estate, Villa Victoria, over in Bengal, St Ann, and for my word, what a fabulous outing it proved!

There's absolutely nothing like a fabulous celebration such as a wedding to bring two families, old friends, collegemates, and relatives together. Dears, Villa Victoria was indeed, a most fabulous choice for this celebration of love, located as it is in the west of Discovery Bay, and beautifully tucked away between towering pine trees and draping foliage, and amply designed and fitted with a deck and gazebo on the edge of the azure Caribbean Sea. Of course, we are talking haute style here and nothing but!

And so it was, my dears, as guests, who literally travelled from all the corners of the globe, began gathering from early afternoon for the 3 p.m. nuptials, upon arrival, they were greeted with glasses of sangria, lemonade, or margaritas.

The charge for planning and executing this fab affair went to Jacquie Tyson and her From Thought To Finish event-management team, and dears, they went to work as they transformed the beachfront lawns and grounds of Villa Victoria into one fantastically charming fantasy island, with the towering pine trees streaming with crystal and diamante baubles, strobe lights, and streamers, while the seaside deck and lawns were done up in bistro and lounge-styled seating with ottomans, love seats, and benches. All done in white, the deck and gazebo were done up à la chapel, to facilitate the exchange of vows.

Absolutely stunning bride

Dears, when the bride arrived in a mega-stretch limousine, the fantasy was complete. And as she exited her 'coach', looking absolutely stunning in cloud's white, tiara and all, and took the arm of her youngest brother, who escorted her to her catwalk of a platform, as her daughter, Victoria Windle, cast petals of rose along her path, it then became clear that this was going to be a very special occasion indeed, as her walk to her altar, to join her groom was nothing short of an elegant relay with each leg, being run by another of her four brothers present, with the oldest of the four walking her to the penultimate leg of the runway and handed her over to her beaming mother, Frances Allison. She soon joined her waiting groom, nattily dressed in a white tuxedo ensemble, accented by a wide cummerbund. Dears, it was clear that love was not only in the air, it was being celebrated in resplendent style!

Dears, no drama, just a fab outing. With the ceremony over, the bride and groom took off in their limousine for a champagne tour of the neighbourhood, while guests moved from the deck to the reception area, where it was prime time lyming as they were treated to a champagne hour.

Upon their return, it was time to dine under the stars as guests were treated to a five-course fare that began with a spicy shrimp soup, followed by a fabulous Island salad; an entrée that was nothing short
of orgasmic, consisting of a fabulous combo of lobster tails topped with
a rich, buttery garlic sauce; lamb chops served with herbs and apricot
sauce; and shrimp flambéed in coconut rum. Dears, to top it all, a feast
of mini-cakes, plums, tarts and stuffed cheesecakes that was too good
to even look at, more over, taste. And if that was not enough, dears,
the wedding cake - fruitcake à la mode - was to die
for! Oh my word, what a celebration!

And dears, just
when you all thought it certainly could get no better, the diva of
divas, Le Grand Dame Myrna Hague, took to the stage and opened up the
entertainment offering with Etta James' version of At
Last. And, yes dears, she was that good as the bride and
groomed interrupted their meal to rush on to the deck where they simply
just melted away in a world made for two and, simply waltzed the moments
away.

Guest list

Dears, we are
talking a smasheroni here and nothing but that went way into the night,
with among those out sharing the magical evening being: Mother of the
bride Frances Allison; parents of the groom Godfrey and Cynthia
Sterling; the celebrated Kingsley Copper and companion Romae Gordon and
their son Cole; the stunning Cecile Levee; Richard Francis and wife,
Karen Preston Francis and her daughters Shekinah, Gloriel, and
Roshannah; Jamaica-born US diplomat Lloyd Jackson, who jetted in from
Pakistan for the do; siblings of the bride Karl-Gregory Jackson, Paul
'Che' Jackson, and Karla Jackson-Buchannan, who jetted in from New York;
Mr and Mrs Carl Sterling; Randy Brown; Andrel and Cleodene Cooper;
Ordean Francis; the legendary model and educator Althea Laing; hotelier
Brian Sang; Cleon Beckford and his wife, Peggy Sterling-Beckford; Mr and
Mrs Dalton Sterling; Lloyd Sterling; Louise Oates; Zetlin Shaw; Mr and
Mrs Sezvin Hamilton; the always elegant Phyllis Gordon; the fabulous
Esther Chapman and her sister Beryl Chapman, who jetted in from
California; Hazel Clarke-Hunter, also in from New York; the lovely Moya
Hamilton-Ashman; George Fraser and his long-time companion, the fab
Devan Oates, in from Long Island, NY; Devon Thomas and his wife, Donna
Bell, who jetted in from Atlanta; the lovely Doreen Ferron-Boothe; Dawn
McHaughton; the lovely Marcia Elliott; Amett and Angella Murray; the
lovely Rose Green; Mr and Mrs Ajani Blake; the lovely June Longmore; Mr
and Mrs Brendon Shaw; Yvonne Walters; Gail Sterling Brooks and her
children Davia and David Brooks; the charming Dawn Logan; siblings
Othneil and David Whittaker; plus a number of
others.

But dears, it was an all-night party and a
total fab fest with Andrew Henry and Clive Budhoo providing dance music
into the wee hours of the night, before the newlyweds dashed off to the
fab Jamaica Inn, in Ocho Rios, to commence their
honeymoon.