Theirs was one of those random encounters that would prove life-changing! It was December 23, 2017, two days before Christmas. The single focus for Janice Riley and Romario Brown was to spend Christmas with their respective families as they left work and The UWI, respectively, headed to the Rural Transportation Centre at Darling Street, in the hopes of getting a bus to Mandeville.

Romario’s final destination was Spalding, Clarendon (he would take a second bus from Mandeville) while Janice’s was Mandeville.

“We were both at the bus terminus. He looked familiar, so in the spirit of the season I approached him and asked if we had met previously. It sounds pretty lame, I know, but it’s what happened,” Janice related to Tuesday Style Vows (TSV).

“He certainly did not recognise my face, but we fell into easy conversation as we awaited the bus,” she continued. “Indeed, when the bus arrived, realising I was a bit behind him he used his three bags to create an entrance for me.” There were only two remaining seats. Janice took the one at the back and Romario the one at the front.

Eager to balance his three bags and to secure a taxi to his final destination Romario eagerly stepped off the bus in Mandeville and completely forgot about Janice. That is until he heard someone shout his surname and volunteer to help him with one of his bags.

“When the bus arrived at its final destination in Mandeville, I found myself offering to help him with one of his bags. It was apparent that he was struggling with them. As we made our way through the town (I was glad for the company), a taxi driver shouted, ‘Spalding one and drive!’ Romario wasted no time in flagging him down. I gave him his bag and bade him adieu. Cupid’s arrow was definitely hovering as Romario got out of the taxi, ran me down and explained that we had to stay in touch. We exchanged numbers, enjoyed a first date soon after and never stopped dating!”

The proposal came on her birthday, May 17, 2020.

“Janice decided to have a birthday dinner at home due to COVID-19, which fell in line with my plans,” Romario revealed “I asked her to pop up to the roof with me for a quick sec ahead of dinner.”

He had secretly decorated what turned out to be the proposal area. All went according to plan. On bended knee, ring in hand, and “Will U” spelt out with ring-shaped stickers complete with a question mark, he popped the question. Of course, she said, “Yes!”

City View Hotel, Bellevue Drive with its manicured lawns and sweeping vistas was chosen for the wedding ceremony and reception. Pops of navy blue, white, and gold were the couple’s chosen colours used to enhance their elegant-themed affair. The wedding programme, a concept of the bride’s, took the form of a deck of playing cards with six cards, each referring to different aspects of the wedding.

Emotions were high as Maurice Riley escorted his granddaughter up the aisle to CeCe Winans’s I Promise. Janice was beautiful in an ivory lace off-the-shoulder sweetheart mermaid gown. Her bouquet comprised of champagne roses, white wisteria garland, and Boston ferns.

Her bridegroom, dapper in a three-piece suit with a white shirt and navy blue bow tie by Windross Tailoring, was visibly overcome with emotion at the sight of his betrothed.

The ceremony, which included a sand ceremony to symbolise unity, was officiated by marriage officer Silvera Castro, OD, JP.

The reception, described by the newly-weds as one to remember and filled with laughter, continued at the same venue. The bridal party, commencing with the bridesmaids, danced their way in to HoodCelebrityy’s Walking Trophy, while the groomsmen made their entrance to Ding Dong’s Cha Cha Bwoy, followed by the newly-weds who selected Alkaline’s Wifey and Wayne Marshall’s Good Ole Wife for their grand entrance.

Wesley “Burgeman” Burger injected mega-doses of laughter into the affair, and a sumptuous three-course dinner catered by the team at City View Hotel was followed by heartfelt toasts, the unveiling of the cake, and cutting of the three-tiered fruitcake by Richards Pastry and the newly-weds’ first dance as husband and wife to a mix of I Found Love by Bebe and Cece Winan and Fallen in Loveby Chidinma.

The newly-weds’ eight days of romance and fun-filled excursions kicked off at the City View Hotel. They then travelled to Royalton Negril for three nights and finally, the SOV Resort, West End Negril.