The Robinsons connected by fate and algorithms

Circa 2012. Dane Robinson is scrambling around in search of his wallet to the wary stares of his date, Kareen Farquharson.

“I left my wallet,” he shares upon the realisation that he has accidentally left it, hurrying to the lunch date. Kareen and her sister, who she took as a character judge of sorts, are not amused, but help him out.

“I was worried because it was pretty much our first official date, and I definitely didn’t want to mess it up,” Dane, 32, told Island Wedding. “I looked at their faces, and they weren’t really pleased, but being the person that Kareen is, she didn’t hold it against me. Fortunately, I had two wonderful ladies who were willing to pay or else I would have to go and wash the dishes. I even later refunded her.”

The date, among others, actualised his long-time desire of getting to know her. His first attempt at this was while they both attended Maggotty High School in St Elizabeth. Kareen, 28, said he seemed neat, humble, and focused at the time but didn’t give him full play when he first approached her.

“She was petite, had a beautiful smile, and was very neat – a few things I was looking for in a young lady,” Dane said. “One day, upon leaving school with my friends, I saw her at a bus stop waiting on transportation. I just could not resist her beautiful smile, so I took brave heart and approached her.”

Considering it love at first sight, he told Kareen he wanted to be part of her family. She chuckled and blushed, but they would not exchange further words until algorithms (and fate) connected them on Facebook in 2012. Plot twist: she had just left a relationship, and his own relationship was hanging on by a thread. Kareen encouraged him to repair his relationship – advice he took.

“Even though I encouraged Dane to try and work things out with his ex-girlfriend, I started to like him, but I tried [not to let] him know as I wanted him to do what he thinks is best for him.”

But within two weeks, Dane was officially a single man. With him now living in Kingston and Kareen still in St Elizabeth for college, they relied on good-old free nights, texts, messenger apps, and occasional visits before making it official after three months. Kareen relocated to Kingston in 2016 after graduating.

“I stayed with Dane while job hunting and was working for a short period of time,” Kareen told Island Wedding. “In January 2017, I found out I was pregnant and had a lot of mixed feelings as I was not ready to have a child. I then decided to embrace my pregnancy journey, and it turned out to be a memorable one. Dane was there every step of the way. He never missed a doctor’s appointment. Even though Dane and I experienced some challenges along the way, giving birth to our son (Nathan) turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Their bond strengthened, and she grew more attracted to him as she saw him fulfil his role as a father and saw how he cared for her while she recovered from a Caesarean delivery.

“After spending almost all of six years getting to know her and her giving me a wonderful baby boy to carry on my name and legacy, I knew that she was the one, and it was only fitting to ask her to marry me,” Dane said.

The engagement came in 2018 on Christmas Day as the couple opened gifts with their families.

“Her gift was placed in a medium-sized box,” Dane started. “Upon opening her gift, she saw some bottles of water. Some papers were also cut up inside to hide the actual gift. She ruffled through the bottles and papers and found a small box. As she popped that box open, I was on my knees, and I asked her, ‘Will you marry me?’. She was stunned. Everyone there was screaming and making noise. She paused for a few seconds, looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Yes’.”

The best friends were equally and heavily involved in planning their wedding. They integrated their favourite concepts – African, vintage, and nature – and used their talents and support systems to reduce costs. Kareen customised flowerpot gifts for guests, Dane organised the emcee and DJ, and they opted for cocktails instead of a reception, held in the same space as the ceremony at Alhambra Inn in Kingston.

Calum Scott’s You Are the Reason was the song of choice as Kareen walked down the aisle to her tearful husband-to-be on November 27. It served as his highlight of the day.

For Kareen” “My most memorable part was dancing to two songs that Dane and I got the DJ to mix for us: an oldies song, Soldering, by Stanley Beckford, and a dancehall song, Go Down Deh, by Spice, Sean Paul, and Shaggy. We chose an oldies song to blend in with our vintage theme and put a smile on our guests’ faces. We also chose a dancehall song, one of my favourite songs from my favourite dancehall artiste, Spice. That performance went well, and our guests loved and enjoyed it.”

Like they have documented their lives on YouTube, the vloggers captured their wedding for their Our Little Bond YouTube channel.

sade.gardener@gleanerjm.com