Mechanical engineer Jason Neil wed architect Chantay Campbell at the home of the bride’s parents in Godfrey Lands, Mandeville, Manchester, on Saturday, December 31, 2016. Vows takes you on a trip to the altar.

How they met…

The two were friends from the day they met at Belair Preparatory School. They played, laughed, learned and grew up together. They were classmates until grade five when Chantay did Common Entrance and passed for Bishop Gibson High School for Girls, while Jason did Common Entrance in grade six and passed for Manchester High School. After fifth grade they never spoke or had any contact up until 2012 when Jason saw Chantay at a New Year’s Eve party called “The in crowd”, where they hugged and had a quick talk. It seemed ordained that after 18 years of not communicating with each other they would reconnect. In fact, Chantay’s mother gave Jason her telephone number after seeing her in Mandeville.

The proposal, as told by Chantay…

On December 24, 2015, the anniversary of the day we reunited, Jason proposed to me. He had sent me on a treasure hunt which led me back to him. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and I said yes.

The ceremony…

The exchange of vows took place on the lawns of the bride’s parents’ home in Mandeville. The wedding was a New Year’s Eve black-tie affair, with all the guests styling in black. The wedding colours were white with gold accents. The gorgeous bridesmaids made their way up the aisle to Debussy’s Clair de Lune, dressed in shimmering iridescent nude gowns with jewelled shoulder accents by La Femme. They were escorted by the dapper groomsmen in tuxedoes provided by Petals and Promises. At the altar stood Jason, in a custom-made tuxedo by Spokes Apparel.

As the strains of Debussy’s Clair de Lune continued, Chantay, stunning in a gown by Wtoo Watters Bridal complete with a statement-making shoulder piece by Abigail Grace Bridal and clutching a bouquet of white roses, made her way to her groom. She was escorted by her father Owen Campbell.

The proceedings were officiated by Pastor Khereen Wilson Bailey.

Reception

The newly-weds and members of their bridal party, guided by master of ceremonies Floyd Green, the groom’s cousin, made their way into the reception area to the Bob Marley classic Could You Be Loved.

A four-course dinner followed with dessert by award-winning dessert chef Nadene Lazarus of Sweet Moments, ahead of a series of games: to initiate a kiss from the bride and groom, guests had to pick little notes from a bowl with an activity to either sing, dance, or share a word of advice. The crowd-pleaser was the rubber band game: each guest received a white rubber band at the start of the reception and there were four forbidden words — wedding, love, beautiful, happy. Any guest who said one of these words would lose their band. The person at the end of the evening with the most rubber bands won a day pass for two at Sandals South Coast. The groom’s sister was the lucky recipient.

Instead of a bouquet toss to the single ladies present, a married couple won the bouquet plus dinner for two at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel by playing musical chairs.

The reception over, it was now time to don New Year’s Eve party hats and move to the dance floor where the New Year’s Day countdown commenced.

The Honeymoon

The lovebirds enjoyed a two-week parish-hopping tour around the island enjoying stops at Serendipity Holistic Resort and Spa in the mountains, Hermosa Cove, Ocho Rios before heading to the Hilton Rose Hall on January, 7, for her sister’s wedding at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The newly-weds’ final stop was the luxe Cliff Hotel in Negril.