The journey to love is often not an easy road. However, the destination was rewarding for Charlotte Chantiloupe and Richard Perkins, who found each other at the right time.

The couple was joined in holy matrimony on March 16, 2024, before an intimate gathering at the Mount Plenty Great House, St Ann. In a ceremony that perfectly complemented their serene nature, they celebrated their love for each other, thankful for the path taken to their happy-ever-after.

Their paths would cross in 2017 when Charlotte, marketing manager for Gustazos, met Richard, a computer network consultant, through a mutual friend. She admitted that while she was not yet ready for a serious relationship, having recently gone through a difficult break-up, she found his calm demeanour as well as his love and devotion to his mother and sister endearing.

“I thought he was very quiet, at first. In fact, he was actually the one who inquired about me but after meeting him and getting to know him, I thought he was super quiet, very humble, very kind. What I loved most was that he loved the women in his life,” Charlotte said. “His mother and his sister are very close and dear to him and that is something that I look for in a partner,” she shared with Tuesday Style Vows (TSV).

She was encouraged by a friend to create a checklist of attributes that she desired in her ideal partner, and to present the best version of herself before seeking those same qualities. Through her interaction with Richard, she quickly realised that he was the person that she was preparing herself for.

“As life progressed past that break-up, I started checking things off. Then I met him, and as we got to know each other as friends, I started to check those things off for him mentally. One day I came across the note in my phone and I’m, like, I remember this conversation I had and this list I created, and Richard checked every box,” she surmised. “He was my person and, to top things off, when I was going through that rough patch, he was there for me, and he never faltered at all. That is something that is rare and beautiful and I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.”

They solidified their relationship in 2019. Richard predicted that they would get married and start a family, a desire they both shared. Richard’s declaration would take shape in May 2021 when they welcomed a son, Alexander, and again on September 5, 2022, when he would surprise her with breakfast in bed, greeting card and the proposal that she was anticipating.

“They came into the room, and I opened Richard’s card. I read his card and said, ‘Thank you, babe. Love you.’ Then he gave me Alex’s card and I read it, but it wasn’t clicking for me. I read it again and it said ‘Mommy, will you marry my daddy?’ Then I was like ‘Wait, what?” Charlotte recalled. “When I looked up Richard was on his knees with the ring and Alex was right there jumping and smiling and I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ and he said ‘Yes.’”

For Charlotte, it was the perfect proposal because it was nothing elaborate, but something quiet, meaningful and memorable.

The wedding was just as intimate.

Charlotte made an absolutely stunning entrance in an ivory, free-flowing Willowby Sorvete gown for Watters Design. The classic sounds of Sunday 7pm Choir’s version of Ave Maria, perfectly apropos. The venue, tastefully decorated by As Envisioned in hues of ivory butter yellow and vintage blue created the perfect backdrop for Charlotte and Richard, under the watchful eye of Pastor Lincoln Dennis, to exchange their wedding vows.

The cocktail reception took place at the same venue, provided by Tiffany Foster of Boujee Boards. The couple also indulged in a four-layer cheesecake and a sponge cake topped with raspberries done by Loshusan’s Peter Young.

With the venue steeped in nature, it served as the perfect backdrop for the couple to share their first dance to Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s Endless Love. It also served as a fitting party setting as they danced to old-school dancehall, reggae and soca hits. It was a memorable occasion because, according to Charlotte, the wedding was “authentic” to who they were as a couple.

The festivities continued the next day, March 17, as Charlotte and Richard enjoyed a potluck barbecue with their friends and family at Cardiff Hall in St Ann.

A later honeymoon is planned for Walt Disney World Resort.

Photos: Selena Jutton