On Saturday, January 2, 2010, Renee Chin tied the knot with beau Marc Johnson at the Barbican Baptist Church in front of an intimate gathering of relatives and friends from home and abroad, including contingents from the UK, Canada, the United States and Mexico. Renee is a project officer at the CHASE Fund while Marc is an account executive at the Development Bank of Jamaica.

On Bended Knee…

The bride shared the romantic proposal with Vows: “On Friday, July 10, 2009, we were both at Marc’s parents’ home and I was preparing for our lunch date at Port Royal. I asked Marc’s opinion on my outfit and to my surprise he commented that my outfit was not complete and got down on bended knee and asked me to be his wife. We then shared the news with our families who were all extremely excited. I was speechless until the next day.”

Tears of joy and emphatic ‘I do’s’

As Renee walked up the aisle to her husband-to-be, on the arm of her mother Ethlyn Reid-Jones, she found it difficult to suppress the tears. The emotional bride was awash in a glow of radiant happiness, in a sweetheart beaded bodice gown that led to a ruffled tulle train skirt inspired by a Christina Wu design. Her hair, styled by Winsome McLeod in a sideswept updo with cascading ringlets, was fastened with a floral hair comb. Subtle make-up by Tina Magnus and body design by Racquel Jenkins gave the bride a breath of easy elegance and glamour. Renee clutched a bouquet of red roses accented by a spray of baby’s breath hand-tied with a white silk ribbon. Marc was equally elegant, dressed in khaki threads by Italian designer Geneve Uomo contrasted by a chocolate brown tie.

The ceremony was an outpouring of love and celebration planned by the bride and her mother Ethlyn, who both have a background in event planning; for the ceremony and executed by Paul Willoughby who created a simple but classic feel appropriate for the space, using a combination of delicate blooms and fabric in white and gold with pops of red accents.

Reverend Earl Morgan and the Venerable Leon Golding officiated over the ceremony. Special moments included the sand-pouring ceremony symbolising the union of the couple and Marc’s emphatic “I do’s” during the marriage ceremony which were met by chuckles from the gathering. Song selections from Tina Swaby and a dance interpretation by Kameica Reid and Adrian Wanliss were well received by guests.

Maid of honour Kerri-Anne Freckleton wore a one-shoulder A-line dress with draped empire bust in chocolate brown, while bridesmaids Jacqueline Johnson-Mullings, Caresse Campbell, Nicole Downie and Natalie Sharpe wore the same design in apple. Best man Adrian Allen and groomsmen Dodrick Reid, Andrew Rose, Ainsley Hepburn and Xavier Patrick were smartly outfitted in chocolate brown also by Italian designer Geneve Uomo. Flower girl Nysheba Jackson and ring-bearer Brandon Mullings rounded out the bridal party.

Cocktails by the Harbour

First kiss and presentation of the couple complete, the newly-weds and guests headed to Morgan’s Harbour Hotel and Marina in Port Royal, for a cocktail reception that was created by decorator Selena and Syreeta Hammond of New Levels Décor. ” We wanted it to be very relaxed and contemporary with the theme being water-based, so we chose red and white — inspired by a chocolate-coloured strawberry — with blue lighting effects,” Renee told Vows.

The reception had a laid-back atmosphere and guests lounged by the waterfront on white ottomans and sofas with throw pillows, nibbling on sweet and savoury treats including kebabs, mini fish cakes, battered shrimp and chocolate kisses.

Sea-themed accessories and candlelight along with place cards naming memorable places the couple had visited and imprinted with love quotes were placed on bistro tables throughout the venue. Renee explained her choice of reception to Vows; “We chose a cocktail reception because we didn’t want a stuffy formal dinner with everyone stuck at the same table for the entire night.”

All Aboard

Best man Adrian Allen who doubled as MC was ably assisted by maid of honour Kerri-Anne Freckleton. The evening’s events included toasts, a slide presentation of the couple and the reading of a poem entitled Why Marriage by Doreen Stephens and Alecia Reid.

Toasts and cutting of the cake over, it was all aboard for the fun and frolic after-party that saw the young and old hit the dance floor to the sounds of disc jockey Richie Ras in-between sips of bubbly. The celebrations included ceremonial cigars by Marc and his groomsmen to commemorate the joyous occasion.

The couple plan to honeymoon on a cruise to the Bahamas.