Today is the day that we’ve been planning for and eagerly waiting for—our wedding day. I slept really good last night. No tossing and turning—my mind was at peace. That was until I woke up to the sound of guess what—that’s right, rain!!!! Jamaican weather is very odd-one minute the sun is shining, the next it’s pouring down rain. When I heard the rain coming down, I just sent up a quick prayer. Once I sent that prayer up, I let it go. I know that He has already worked it out—so there was no sense of stressing about something I can’t control. They say it’s sign of good luck if it rains on your wedding day! So it looks like I’m a very lucky woman! What I know is that rain or shine—today was going to be my perfect day.
So I got out of bed to steam my veil—my dress took a beating going through airport security. It’s hard traveling with a wedding dress. The biggest concern is making sure that it makes it to the destination. You worry about the wrinkles later!! Once I finished steaming my dress (it took a whole hour), the groom and I headed to eat breakfast at Orchid’s. Orchid’s is this secluded, Asian inspired restaurant. It was beautiful. Our table was right by the balcony, so the breeze was refreshing. You can’t help but relax in Jamaica! The weather and the Jamaican people make sure of that. I haven’t met a negative person yet—they really do live by the no worries mantra. It’s so uplifting , inspiring and infectious.
Breakfast was great; we then went to the lobby to upload some pictures of the first two days to the website. Unlike most soon-to-be-wed couples, we spent the entire morning together. We’re unconventional in some ways. However, there was one tradition we decided to keep—we wouldn’t see each other once we were dressed until we got to the ceremony. For weeks, my dress has been hanging in my grandmother’s closet and his suit has been hidden from me. We decided that when we saw each other at the altar, we wanted it to just be like seeing each other for the first time.
At twelve, it was time to go our separate ways until the ceremony. It was time for me to get my hair and makeup done. Aristotle escorted me to the salon where I was to get pampered for the afternoon. We kissed each other goodbye; the next time we would kiss it would be as man and wife!
When I entered the salon, Merle, my stylist, for the day was waiting. I was a little nervous about getting my hair done in another country. But Merle put me at ease, and she told me that she has been doing hair for twenty years. The salon was really nice—very upscale. Another lady came in to give me a glass of champagne. Merle washed my hair, and then she set it on rollers. As I sat under the dryer, she kept checking on me and showing me pictures of how she would do my hair. Her constant reassurance really helped me relax.
Once my hair was dry, she finished the style. It was absolutely beautiful—it was way better than I imagined. I asked for a half up do with defined curls and she delivered. After she finished my hair, she did my makeup. Anybody who knows me knows that I never wear makeup. She took her time to explain everything she was doing, when she gave me the mirror to see the finished product—my eyes welled up. I just couldn’t believe it was me—the tiara and the veil made me look like a real bride. Merle told me not to even think about crying because it would ruin my makeup. She said, “Don’t even tink about it,” in her Patois accent. By the time she finished it was three o’clock and the ceremony was at four. So that meant I needed to hurry. I thanked Merle and she kept telling me that I looked beautiful. She took me to the lobby where Damon, our butler, was waiting. I felt like a queen!
When I got back to the room, Aristotle was still there. However, since we agreed not to see each other. He stayed in one room and I in the other. It was so funny how we were running around trying to avoid each other. At 3:30 the shuttle came to pick him up, just like Arlene, the onsite wedding coordinator said it would. Once he left, I was finally able to put my dress on and walk around freely. I looked in the mirror and took in the moment. Arlene made her way to the villa, she zipped me up and handed me my bouquet. The roses were the deep red color that I requested, they were so beautiful. They were the perfect shade to match the sash on my dress. When I walked outside there was no rain, I thanked God.
The drive over to the other side of the resort seemed like for ever. As we approached the location, my heart started doing somersaults. Arlene gave me some final instructions and straightened my train. She told me to walk slow and smile big. I heard my song playing. I had chosen to come down the aisle to Chrisette Michelle’s ‘Golden.’ The song is beautiful and the lyrics are so powerful. The first time I heard the song I was with Aristotle and we were able to hear her sing that song live in concert, so it holds sentimental value as well.
When I turned the corner, there he was looking so dapper and handsome in his white linen suit. The look on his face when he saw me—priceless! At that moment, time just stopped. I was so glad that we decided not to see each other before the ceremony, it made this moment even more unforgettable.
He met me half-way down the aisle. He took my arm and he whispered in my ear, “Baby, oh my God you look so beautiful.”His eyes were filled with water. He was trying so hard to remain composed. We walked to the minister. We recited vows and then we delivered our own personal vows to each other. As we exchanged vows, the waves were crashing onto the shore as we looked into each other’s eyes. Then we exchanged rings, and it’s Jamaican custom to kiss the ring once you place it on the hand. We then went to sign the register three times to make it legal and binding. Finally, the minister pronounced us Mr. and Mrs. Aristotle Lane. We shared our first kiss as man and wife!
The photographer, Micah, was wonderful. He took us from the beach, to the gazebo, to the grounds to snap pictures. I can’t wait to see the finished shots. The entire time we were taking pictures, my sweetie just kept telling me how beautiful I was and how much he loved my dress.
After we finished with the pictures, it was reception time. We danced our first dance to Shania Twain’s ‘From this Moment.’ Once again the lyrics in the song are so meaningful and befitting of this occasion. As we danced, I sang the lyrics to him in his ear and he sang in mine. It was such a tender moment.
We ate cake and drank champagne. This was like a fairly tale. Once the reception was over, it was time for our dinner. It was supposed to be a candlelit dinner on the beach but the tide was too high. So we went into the restaurant and had this delicious four course dinner. By the time we finished dinner we were so stuffed.
When we got back to the room, Damon had adorned our room with roses and other types of flowers. He did the coolest thing with towels. He made a heart shape out of a towel and filled it with roses. He also made a rabbit out of towels! How ingenious and creative. Candles were burning and soft music was playing. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.
I know that many people were confused or curious on why we would choose to get married in Jamaica by ourselves. In my opinion, too many people get caught up on the wedding ceremony. They invest so much time, money, and energy into one day-then they can't enjoy the day because they are so caught up in the details. They invest so much in one day, but they forget to invest in the marriage that lasts a lifetime.
Honestly, we wanted this day to be about us and our commitment to each other and it was. We wanted an intimate, private, and elegant ceremony. We wanted this day to be a day that we could enjoy but most importantly one that we could cherish every single second of the day. We wanted a day where we didn’t have to worry about anything and we got way more than that. It was stress free and we received star treatment all day long. It was like we were king and queen for the day. The only finger we had to lift was the one we put our wedding band on. Everything went off without a hitch—it was our perfect day and we wouldn’t have done it any other way. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Special thanks to Arlene, Damon, Bertram, Merle, and Micah for making our day perfect. Thanks to all our family and friends for understanding and respecting our decision to do it our way. Peace.