VOWS – Moment for Life
On Friday, June 19, medical doctor Zania Budhan and physician Stephen Budhu tied the knot at the Sts Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church in Kingston. The reception followed in the Gold Room at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge. Vows raises a toast to the newly-weds.
How they met…
Zania and Stephen were classmates in the 2009 MBBS programme at UWI, Mona. They first met through a mutual friend, who rode with Zania to campus each day. Stephen met Zania as he would often tag along. The rides turned into dates and invitations to family trips. The two communicated frequently and gradually became good friends spending time getting to know each other.
The proposal (as told by Zania)…
“Stephen and I had a long-distance relationship for almost two years while he completed his training in The Bahamas. In July 2014, he made a surprise visit to Jamaica. While in Jamaica, Stephen and I went to our favourite chill spot in Kingston, and, while talking, he slipped a little white box over to me. I was simultaneously confused and in shock, but that feeling changed to absolute joy when I opened the box to find the most beautiful engagement ring inside. It was a perfect fit!”
The ceremony…
Over 100 guests, including family and friends from Trinidad & Tobago, The Cayman Islands, The Bahamas as well as Canada and the USA, gathered in the Sts Peter & Paul Catholic Church for the mid-afternoon ceremony, officiated by Father Don Chambers.
Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring played as the parents of the bride and groom entered the church, followed by the bridal party. The bridesmaids wore fuchsia cocktail dresses with silver heels, and carried bouquets of fuchsia orchids. The groomsmen, classmates off Zania and Stephen, wore sharp tuxedos from Beautiful Brides & Mr Tux with fuchsia accents in the cufflinks, pocket squares and paisley-printed ties. Stephen added a fuchsia and white boutonnière to his crisp black tux, which was purchased at Jasmine’s Bridal at the Mall at Marathon in Nassau, Bahamas. Zania was escorted up the aisle by her father to Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major. She wore a white, strapless Pronovias gown with a mermaid silhouette, exquisite beaded detail, and delicate ruffles flaring to the hem. Her hair was in an updo, and her bouquet was made of fuchsia chrysanthemums and pink and white dendrobium orchids. Father Don Chambers announced the newly-weds and the couple exited the church to Richard Wagner’s Wedding March.
The reception…
Gillian Bernard and her team handled décor. The elegant lace theme ran throughout the reception with white and silver doilies at each place setting. White votive candles in birdcages lined the tables and silver Chiavari chairs anchored trestle tables dispersed inside the Gold Room at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge. The Banyan Catering team prepared a mix of traditional Indian and Jamaican hors d’oeuvres, followed by a sumptuous three-course dinner. Dessert was a confectioner’s delight: a chocolate fountain stocked with an assortment of fruits and mini cheesecakes, pecan tarts, fruit tarts and brownies for dipping. The newly-weds cut their three-tiered traditional fruitcake by Vonesia Simpson, draped in white fondant with fuchsia fleur-de-lis frosting on each layer. As a special surprise to Zania and Stephen from her parents, there were two guest performances: Dimario McDowell opened with his rendition of All Of Me by John Legend, followed by a medley of popular love songs throughout the evening. Not to be outdone was Kevin Williams, who astonished with a stirring cover of Love Changes Everything by Michael Ball. Dr Aileen Standard-Goldson led toasts to the parents of the bride, followed by toasts to the groom’s parents by Montez Williams. Zania and Stephen’s best friends Dr Sammy Aung and Renée Crowell raised a toast in their honour. Zania and Stephen shared their first dance as husband and wife to Beyoncé’s XO, followed by a father-daughter dance to Phil Collins’s You’ll Be In My Heart. The lovebirds went on a week-long cruise from Key West to Cozumel.
