Vows: We found love
A smile flashed across Peta-Gaye Levene’s face when she recalled the moment she first knew that Damali Thomas was the man she was destined to spend the rest of her life with. “Before I even considered being in a relationship with him, my friends would always jokingly remark that this was the person I would marry,” she mused. Though a relationship was the furthest thing from her mind when she first met Damali, their beautiful love story would develop years later. “He is the epitome of the man I had been searching my whole life for,” shared Levene.
The couple admitted that they now have an unbreakable bond. They met while attending the University of West Indies; Peta-Gaye was pursuing her Bachelor of Science in psychology and sociology, while Damali was pursuing his degree in international relations and political science. The two were never friends at university, so it wasn’t surprising that they didn’t even exchange numbers at the completion of their studies. But as fate would have it, in June 2012 they ran into each other at the airport for the first time since graduation. “I saw him and we had a brief conversation. But this time, he was bold enough to ask me for my number and BlackBerry PIN, which I willingly gave him,” recalled Levene.
Later that evening, Levene was browsing through her BlackBerry messenger updates when she noticed a status update by Thomas that piqued her interest. She cheekily asked him to explain himself and the two quickly found that they had a great deal to talk about. After a few conversations, a love-struck Thomas decided to ask Levene out on a date. To his horror, she bluntly refused. “I told him I was not interested in a relationship,” shared Levene. She finally gave in after his fourth invitation as he seemed desperate to take their platonic relationship to another level. They had dinner by candlelight before going to see a romantic comedy. “I had no expectations, but to my amazement, I thoroughly enjoyed it as he made me laugh and smile the entire night,” shared Levene.
Their love for each other became so strong that it was no surprise to Levene when Thomas popped the question during dinner one evening at Strawberry Hill. He told her that he had felt a pebble in his shoe and while kneeling to remove it, Levene noticed that he actually had a ring in his hand. Before she could get a chance to question it, he began to propose. A stunned Levene responded “Honey, you are the greatest ever and I love my ring. It is exactly what I wanted — rose gold with chocolate and white diamonds”.
The Wedding
Friends and family gathered at the historic University Chapel dressed in outfits of black and white — which the couple claims is representative of their friends’ nicknames for them: Ebony and Ivory. The chapel was decorated with black ribbons and white flowers, tastefully placed by the talented Carol Grey. As the strains of Chariots of Fire filled the chapel, the bridal party made their long-anticipated entrance — the bridesmaids wore black satin dresses, while the groomsmen styled in black suits courtesy of Spencer’s Tailoring.
At the sound of the trumpet — played by Paul Henry — the congregation stood to welcome the bride who appeared at the entrance of the chapel. She walked down the aisle with her mother Dawn Levene to the sounds of I Found Love by Bebe Winan, sung by André Palmer. She looked stunning in make-up applied by Paul March with her hair in a neat up-do created by Hyacinth’s Beauty Centre. Her gown, a white strapless sequinned design with a short train and a sweetheart neckline, was a vision of beauty. She walked slowly towards Thomas who recalled thinking: “Isn’t she beautiful? She looks like an angel sent from heaven… my beautiful bride.”
The ceremony was officiated by Reverend Stephen Jennings, who guided the couple in their traditional Christian exchange of vows. The couple also opted to perform a sand ceremony, which was explained by Cristina Dimauro. Levene being Jewish, the couple also incorporated a Jewish blessing during their ceremony which was administered by Dr Moshe Gurion. The couple first drank red wine. The wine glasses were then wrapped in linen before the groom shattered it with his feet. As is Jewish tradition, Gurion then exclaimed ‘Mazel Tov!’ a Hebrew phrase that literally means ‘good destiny’ but is more commonly understood to mean ‘good luck’ or ‘congratulations’. The couple were then covered with a large cloth as Gurion prayed for them. The Ketubah (a marriage contract between a husband and wife which is used to protect the rights of the wife) was then read by Thomas before he signed it and presented it to his bride. The couple then signed the wedding register as Dr Leighton Wynter and his wife Donette performed The Prayer. They exited the chapel to the strains of Unchained Melody.
The Reception
The reception continued with brunch at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel. The couple shared their first dance to When I First Saw You by Jamie Fox and Beyoncé from the Dream Girls soundtrack. The bride described this moment as the highlight of the wedding day, because the song represented how she truly felt about her bridegroom. In fact she started to sing to him. The couple’s cake was created by the bride’s mother, Dawn Levene, to represent their fairy-tale romance.
