‘True love stories never have endings.’ — Richard Bach

It was nothing short of fortuitous, the way that customer success professional Mishka Byles and senior business analyst Dane McKoy came to cross paths. Destiny had deemed that they would be the only two Jamaicans in a training class for employment on a Norwegian Cruise Line in Florida, USA in 2009.

“We weren’t originally attracted to each other. Dane thought I talked too much, and I thought he was a bit too stiff and by-the-book. Then, one day, months later, out of nowhere it hit us both,” Byles told Vows.

Soon, the pair would find themselves sneaking around in order to keep their forbidden workplace romance under wraps, often meeting each other for lunch at the nearby Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida.

The next three years would see them building a firm foundation of support and respect, with countless laughs, backyard barbecues, and Barclays Premier League football matches (both are Chelsea FC fans).

It was unbreakable, the bond that had been forged between the fun-loving couple. So, when McKoy suggested they revisit their secret lunch spot one New Year’s Eve, Byles figured they were just in for a regular walk in the park. Indeed, they did go for a stroll after their meal, until McKoy spotted a bench in the distance that inspired him to challenge his belle to a footrace.

“We took off like two little children, and by the time we got to the bench we were both out of breath; half from being out of shape, half from laughing at each other,” Byles recalled.

“As we walked back to the car, he said to me ‘Babe, we always have fun together, right?’ to which I responded ‘Yes’. I was still trying to catch my breath when he said, ‘Well, I want to have fun with you for the rest of my life’. At this point he was right behind me, and when I turned around he was down on one knee, with a ring, asking me to marry him. My eyes immediately welled up; I was over-the-moon happy! It wasn’t a fairytale proposal, but if he had tried the fancy dinner approach I would have figured it out and ruined the surprise,” she continued.

Suddenly, the free-spirited Byles, who admits she’d never truly thought about getting married until she fell in love with McKoy, could see herself standing at the altar.

The breathtaking Laughing Waters in St Ann was the venue for the garden nuptials, which took place on February 1, 2014, with Dr Horace Betton acting as ceremony official. It was “a day of love and laughs”, according to McKoy, and for his bride — who was escorted up the aisle by both her parents, Helen Bloomfield and Paul Byles, it was sheer bliss. In lieu of the traditional Wedding March, the couple chose a remixed version of Corinne Bailey Rae’s Like a Star as the soundtrack to her emotional walk towards the man she would soon call her husband.

“Everything about the ceremony was perfect: the weather, the setting, the fact that our friends and family were there. It’s funny, because if you look at some of the photos of me walking up the aisle, I almost look sad because I was trying so hard to hold back the tears,” she said.

With the reception set for the same location, the transition from the aisle to the dance floor was almost seamless. DJ Wattie had the floor packed and moving from the moment the newly-weds were introduced with their first dance as husband and wife — to Chrisette Michele’s Love Is You — until it was time to pack up the equipment at 2:00 am.

For their honeymoon, the lovebirds opted for a few days of rest and relaxation at the beautiful Four Winds villa in Old Fort Bay, Mammee Bay, St Ann, with plans to do some travelling to the Greek Isles in the near future.

“For now, it’s back to normal home life. But we are really lucky, because the boring stuff is the best stuff!” said Byles.