A fabulous wedding

Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer

And so the lovebirds, after years of dating, tied the knot in what was a truly fabulous ceremony at the oh-so-lush and resplendent Coyaba Gardens, in Ocho Rios, last Sunday. It was an event that will long be remembered, for its emotional pull and simplicity!

Dears, you all have been to one of those weddings where the emphasis was on showboating and grandstanding, to the point where the event lacked spontaneity and the essence of the occasion due to the fact that it was overproduced. Well, this was not one of those occasions!

To begin with, guests were invited to be in attendance for the marriage ceremony of the lovely Candice Dujon Buchannan and Damion S.M. Burton, for 3:30 p.m. For the most part, guests who had journeyed from all across the globe and the island, arrived dutifully and took their assigned seats in the stylised amphitheatre created for the occasion on the lawns of the Coyaba Gardens. There was no escaping the beauty of the location, from the rushing waterfall, chirping birds, and other tropical animals that added their sounds to the background. For many first-timers to the Coyaba Gardens, the visit was indeed a treat!

Anxiously waited

Despite the 3:30 p.m. start time however, the groom - nattily dressed in slate and yellow - his groomsmen equally a picture of sartorial relaxed elegance, arrived an hour after the expected time and they took their positions at the altar to await the arrival of the bride and her entourage.

Well my dears, with the patience of guests wearing thin as they anxiously waited on the ceremony and celebrations to get under way, the bride made her appearance an hour later, on the arms of her mother and grandmother but preceded by her bridal party. Looking a picture of regal flawlessness, guests simply drank in her beauty, becoming more intoxicated with each step as she made her way down the daffodil-strewn aisle, radiating and sparkling in the glow of love - looking very much like the portrait of a goddess draped in ivory. Her attending mother, Carla Buchannan, in a rich cobalt gown, was equally resplendent, while her grandmother, Frances Allison, wore a form-fitting knee-length champagne ensemble

looking like the proud matriarch that she is.

And so it was that, after knowing each other for just over a decade and dating each other for just over three years, the couple who first met at their church - Emmaus Seventh-day Adventist in Brooklyn, New York, were joined by family and friends in St Ann, Jamaica, to officially embrace each other, bound by their love.

Officiated by Pastor Robert Yee, (who jetted in from New York), the affair was more of a testimonial as Pastor Yee spoke of his ministering to the couple and recognising their attraction and growing love while under his spiritual leadership.

Laced with religious symbolisms and observances, Pastor Yee executed his role as officiating minister with such passion that was fitting to the occasion; it was when, however, he turned over the ceremony to the couple, who had written their own vows and ceremony of unification, that it became all teary-eyed and mushy. There was no escaping the love and tenderness, pride and esteem that the couple hold for each other. As the groom pledged his life in support and defence of his bride, with such emotional reverence, he choked up and guests audibly exhaled their pent-up breath, brought on by what was a moving tribute of love.

Undying love

And when it was the bride's turn, she, my dears, did a Ruth and then some, declaring her undying love for her groom, pledging that it would take death to separate them; and she too got a bit choked up during her tribute as she was overcome with such emotion while confessing her love. Dears, talk about a tear-jerker!

This wedding ceremony was all that and then some. As a symbol of their unity and belief in God, the couple completed their vows by weaving three strands of rope - one representing the bride, the other the groom and the third, their God - a symbol of their faith and unity. Dearly beloved, in one word - beautiful!

And as it was in the beginning, so it was in the end - as the wedding ceremony was beautiful, so too was the reception that followed as guests gathered for cocktails (sans alcohol) on the riverside deck overlooking the meandering waterfall that is the signature feature of the Coyaba Gardens. All this before retiring to the courtyard for dinner, toasts and the general celebration.

With the dinner and reception hosted by Deacon Richard Francis (uncle of the bride); and his sister-in-law, Reverend Marcella Ward-Francis; guests were treated to wholesome commentary and bon mots during dinner and toasts, that added to the familial essence of the entire do.

Dears, it was all fab - dinner, toasts; and the responses and acknowledgements by the couple before leaving their wedding party in their wake for a week of honeymooning at Jewel Dunn's River Resort, after which they will return to their New York home.

But among those guesting and sharing in the happy occasion were grandmother of the bride, the beaming Frances Allison; her daughter and mother of the bride Carla Jackson-Buchannan, her sons and groomsmen Rhonn and Matthew Buchannan; grandmother of the groom Mrs Earsline McLean; best man Marlon and Lakeisha Burton, and daughter Malina Burton; his sister, Sherrie Bradshaw and daughter Alexandra Ashley, (the junior bride); uncle of the bride Richard Francis and wife Karen Preston-Francis and their daughters Shekinah, Gloriel and Roshanna; uncle of the bride Bishop Howard and Reverend Marcella Ward-Francis and son Ordean Francis; their daughter Cleo Francis-Cooper and her husband Andrel Cooper. Also there were aunt of the bride Dr Cherise Francis-Windle and her daughter and flower girl, Victoria Windle; uncle of the bride Paul-Navarro Jackson; Isiah Johnson and wife Rhonda Johnson (the maid of honour) and her son Michael Duhaney; brothers David and Othneil Whittaker; Laverne Koalla; Orville and Patrice Ashley and son Collen Ashley; E. Joseph and Joy Buchannan (aunt of the bride) and children Kayla Walters and Jermaine Brown; uncle of the bride Owen and Anne Buchannan, their children Chrissy and Rashawn Buchannan; church family, Carlton and Jennifer Francis and their son Carlton Francis Jr, who paid tribute to the newly-weds in song; the charming Barbara Powell; Tanisha Davey; Valerie McKenzie; Mitzi Cope Robert and Cathreen Yee and son Bradley; plus a number of others.

Indeed, it was as fabulous as it was intimate, and it made for an amazing start of the journey into wedlock by the newly-weds!