Less than a year after Paul Dixon proposed to Vanessa Prince, the two wed at the Fairview Open Bible Church before an audience of 55 consisting of family and friends, on Saturday, April 13, 2024.

A short engagement, one might say, but after 12 years together, the two knew they were more than ready!

“The relationship between Paul and I started in January 2012. We both attended Excelsior Community College and shared the same English class… Paul was always the last person to enter the classroom, and the first to leave. This was a pattern and it really, really annoyed me,” Vanessa tells Tuesday Style Vows (TSV).

Little did she know it was a ploy to get her attention. In fact, she started noticing Paul checking her out during classes. Vanessa admits she was not the most approachable person, but soon interpreted the stares for what they were: Paul’s interest in her coupled with a bit of apprehension.

He’d eventually find the courage.

“He approached me one day and asked, ‘Aren’t you coming to class?’” This led to a few more cordial interactions and a sharing of BlackBerry pins.

“That’s when he shared his feelings.”

Vanessa was flattered but not easily swayed and admits she ‘friend-zoned’ Paul for a while.

Non-stop texting and a few lunch dates here and there led to Vanessa developing an attraction to Paul.

“We shared the same religious beliefs… I got baptised the year before, and had said that any guy I’m going to date has to be a Christian with hopes of him becoming my husband,” she shares. “We started visiting each other’s church, and began going on dates.”

A turning point for her was when she started to include Paul in her daily routine. “Every morning before school I would stop in Half-Way-Tree and buy a pizza roll and a pineapple drink,” Vanessa remembers. It quickly became a ritual for the two to sit and eat before class. “I realised one pizza roll was not going to work. So I started buying two. One day he told me he’s allergic to pineapple juice, and I was, like, ‘What does that have to do with me?’ The next day, however, I bought fruit punch with the pizza roll, and that’s when I realised, I really like this guy.”

Their first date, a late-evening dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Kingston, brought out Paul’s protective side and won big points with Vanessa. “We had our little date, and he literally followed me on the JUTC bus all the way to Spanish Town. Bear in mind he lived in Kingston… he ensured I got in a taxi to get home, before heading back to Kingston.”

The relationship grew from there and after years together the two made it official. The reception — coordinated by Fanciful Decor — took place at Hope Botanical Gardens and the couple honeymooned at Riu, Ocho Rios.

CREDITS

Photographer: Kamar McHugh

Dress: Lux Brides Ja

MUA: Alley Makeup

Décor: Fanciful Decor