If the groom was the least bit anxious, there were no outward signs of frayed nerves to suggest it. Richard Howard Delano Forbes Jr, looking absolutely smart in a cobalt blue Carlton Brown tuxedo, was a picture of calm waiting in the front pew of the Webster Memorial United Church for the much-anticipated arrival of his bride, Ro-yen Simone Chin, on Saturday, November 8.

The chic congregation comprised of the bride and groom’s family and friends (some jetting in from Washington, DC and Toronto) were eager, too, for Ro-yen’s appearance.

Then, like parting clouds revealing a brilliant sunshine, the bride — stunning in a Lazaro Perez mermaid wedding gown with sweetheart-neckline from the Tara Keely collection — arrived minutes to 4:00 pm, on the arm of her proud father Robert Chin, who escorted her up the aisle of the elegant Dawn Leyow-styled church, beautifully decorated with floral arrangements of white hydrangeas, calla lillies and roses.

The ceremony, officiated by Pastor Astor Carlyle, moved along expeditiously, with Bible readings by the groom’s uncle Claude Forbes and the bride’s uncle Gordon Thompson, which preceded the exchange of vows.

Reciting traditional marital declarations, both Forbes Jr and

Chin were in jovial spirits, at separate moments prompting light-hearted chuckles from the congregation when they placed special emphasis on sections of their vows.

Kneeling in front of the altar, the couple was blessed by Pastor Carlyle, after which they performed the unity candle ceremony with assistance from the bride’s uncle and godfather Peter Chin.

The classic strains of pianist Joel Ashbourne, his violinist father Peter Ashbourne and guitarist Shawn Richards, performing an instrumental version of John Legend’s All of Me, reverberated through the church as the newly-weds moved to sign the register, after which they were officially presented as husband and wife.

Post-ceremony, guests joined the bridal party for the reception in Norbrook, fabulously styled too, by Leyow, where they enjoyed cocktail sips in a park decorated with pagodas dangling from tree limbs and adorned with chandeliers, white ottomans, and bistro tables draped in sequinned overlays.

They then retired to the formal reception — guided by master of ceremonies Brian St Juste — under an erected 168 x 147-square foot tent with tables topped with vases of white hydrangeas and roses; a photo booth; and a flower wall that featured three frames of all-white papier-mâché illuminated by LED lights.

The reception featured a Suzanne Couch-catered menu that included panko fish, teriyaki chicken, giabatta crisps, crispy pork in the pig box, rosemary fillet steak with mushrooms, oriental cucumber salad; organic greens with roasted walnuts and cranberries; and sweet and spicy chilli sauce.

On the heels of the presentation of the bridal party — the bridesmaids and maid of honour clad in electric blue drennaLUNA designs; the groomsmen and best man wearing Carlton Brown suits — the freshly minted Mr and Mrs Delano Forbes entered the reception to Capitol Cities’ song Safe and Sound, with the bride happily cutting loose and dancing, to approving applause. The couple would later cut their three-tiered Selena Wong-created light-fruit rum cake.

The newly-weds enjoyed a honeymoon at Secrets Resorts in Montego Bay, with plans for a Mediterranean honeymoon cruise next year.

— Omar Tomlinson

(PHOTOS: GARFIELD ROBINSON)