Vows: The Power Of Love
Their introduction at Dixie Outlet Mall, Mississauga, Canada, seven years ago, came courtesy of a mutual friend. It would prove fortuitous and would become happily-ever-after for Jamaican-born Kayonah Howard and Frenchman Maxime St-Gelais.
“He asked me, ‘What’s your favourite colour?’ And I replied, ‘Blue and purple’,” Kayonah related to Tuesday Style Vows (TSV). An hour later, he returned with yellow flowers. Kayonah was somewhat amused but accepted Maxime’s explanation that he couldn’t find any flowers of her favoured colours and reckoned yellow might prove a good enough substitute. It certainly did! Yellow became her new favourite colour and she’s been gifted with the same every month since that initial encounter.
The proposal followed on February 13, 2019 at a Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards NBA game. They are both huge fans.
The bride returned to her roots for her wedding, which took place October 25, 2020 at the Rose Hall Great House, Montego Bay. The property’s Georgian architecture complemented the vintage theme, which was enhanced by the Helen G Events team, who used shades of navy blue and burgundy as the dominant hues.
To the strains of Celine Dion’s The Power of Love, Kayonah, in an ivory fit-and-flare, sweetheart-neckline Whitney gown by designer Maggie Sottero, made her entrance on the arm of her father Julian Wynter. Her bouquet had red and white roses.
The ceremony was officiated by Shane O’Brian Gillette.
The reception took place under a huge white tent on the lawns of the Rose Hall Great House.
“Our reception was filled with entertainment,” shared the newly-weds. “We had a dedicated solo singer, steel band, reggae band, and deejay. There was an open bar and buffet that were closely monitored to maintain COVID-19 protocols.
A fun and most memorable element featured the bridegroom, who along with his groomsmen surprised the bride with a choreographed dance to Toast by Koffee. The newly-weds stepped on the dance floor as husband and wife to Enrique Iglesias’s Hero , which was choreographed by Blueheel Dance Studios in Mississauga.
Kayonah and Maxime enjoyed a week in Jamaica. Their honeymoon, planned for Costa Rica, will take place at a later date.
