A very Irie LOVE

You were made perfectly to

be loved — and surely I

have loved you, in the idea

of you, my whole life long.

— ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

It was a love written across the airwaves for attorney-at-law Shermaine Desnoes and engineer Glen O’Connor. When the couple met almost 10 years ago at the radio station IRIE FM in Ocho Rios, O’Connor was a senior producer and audio engineer and Desnoes was a young news reporter auditioning for the job that, little did she know, would change her life forever.

“Glen actually recorded my audition for the job and he unapologetically admits that he gave me a very favourable recommendation — and not just because of my voice,” revealed Desnoes.

It was unmistakable; they had made an instant connection. This quickly developed into a friendship, and when they started dating two years later, they became inseparable. Often spending their time at the beach, cooking and travelling, the foundation of their love was mutual respect and understanding, with lots of laughter in between.

Over the years, the couple grew so comfortable with each other that when the moment came to pop the question Desnoes admits it was not exactly a romantic one.

“I think it was maybe five years ago, we were at home and he said something along the lines of ‘When we getting married?’ and I was, like, ‘Married?’ He replied ‘You don’t want to marry me?’ and I smiled and said ‘Yes, I do want to marry you.’ He said, ‘Serious?’ and I again said ‘Yes’. It was more of an understanding we had, but it made my heart skip a beat for sure,” said Desnoes.

While she says she had never been one to obsess over the details of her nuptials, Desnoes confessed she had always dreamt of a wedding by the sea. Given the couple’s mutual affinity for the ocean, it was destined to be a beach affair. The ceremony, however, would wait until she finished law school in Trinidad and Tobago.

“The distance was tormenting, but our love

endured; we just knew we could never be without each other,” said Desnoes.

The jitters came the day before the wedding. It was a Friday afternoon and there was a thunder and lightning storm in the bustling town of Ocho Rios. The bride-to-be and two of her bridesmaids were marooned in a restaurant for over two hours. The nervous Desnoes begged her bridesmaids

to check the weather report, but they vehemently refused, insisting that it would not rain on her big day. To her utter joy, they were right.

So, as fate had determined, Shermaine Desnoes married her former colleague and best friend Glen O’Connor on September 21, 2013, at the enchanting Laughing Waters property in Ocho Rios, St Ann, where the river meets the sea.

The gathering of over 100 family members and friends came from all across Jamaica, the USA, Canada, the UK, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to wish them well. The bride, accompanied by her father Garfield Dussard, had everyone on their feet and some in tears as she made her grand entrance to Eastmountainsouth’s moving So Are You To Me.

“Oh my goodness, it was such an overwhelming feeling for me. Because I saw the looks on everyone’s faces, including Glen’s, and I was thinking ‘Finally, after so long we are doing this’. It was hard to look at him, and I was struggling between a smile and tears. Glen was really holding down his emotions, too, and he had a hard time looking at me. It made a lot of people cry. I guess because they know our long-standing dedication to each other,” shared Desnoes.

With a breathtaking waterfall forming the perfect backdrop, the two said “I do.”

The short ceremony was officiated by Pastor Wesley Boynes and featured an inspiring rendition of Cynthia Schloss’ You Look Like Love, specially requested by the groom and delivered perfectly by songbird Samantha Gooden. The couple also symbolised their love with a sand ceremony that included IRIE FM’s K’shema Francis and their mothers.

A cocktail hour on the lawns surrounding the charming guesthouse followed, during which guests enjoyed tantalising hors d’oeuvres prepared by caterer Suzanne Couch. The couple opened the dance floor with Aaron Neville and Linda Rondstadt’s All My Life before ZJ Johnny Kool and Mix Master Marvin took over.

Afterwards, the newly-weds enjoyed a romantic honeymoon at the Grand Lido Negril Resort and Spa and now look forward to their future together, and what promises to be an incredible journey ahead.