Two Peas in a Pod
National Water Commission General Ledger Analyst Kurt Bell wed his sweetheart of four years and his internal auditor colleague Camille Downer on August 29, at the St Peter’s Anglican Church in Port Royal. Vows raises a toast to Kurt and Camille’s new beginning.
During her tenure at KPMG, the auditing firm, Camille was commissioned to undertake the auditing for the National Water Commission. Camille met Kurt as a point of contact and resource personnel for the audit. The two kept in touch even after her contract ended, and took it a step further when Kurt asked Camille on a date. She excused herself from the audit team the following year as she had fallen in love with him. According to her, “Kurt proposed to me after midnight at a New Year’s Day party at Secrets Hotel in Montego Bay. After recapping the years we spent together, he went down on one knee and proposed. Gangnam Style was playing in the background, and I could not stop dancing and jumping around; then I remembered I had not answered him, and quickly said, “Yes”.
The St Peter’s Anglican Church was styled with purple and green décor elements handled by Camille and Kurt, along with a group of friends. The romantic rustic-chic theme was prominent from the ceremony to the reception. White rose petals and lanterns lined the aisles of the church, enhancing the ambience.
Kurt’s mother, June Moore-Bell, joined parents of the bride Paul and Carolyn Downer in the pews. Kurt and his groomsmen were dapper in custom single-breasted notched-lapel grey suits. He wore a custom purple bow tie, while the best man and groomsmen wore green and purple Louis Vuitton neckties. The bridesmaids selected belted tea-length charmeuse dresses, paired with silver high-heeled sandals and purple bouquets. Camille wore a strapless Sophia Tolli mermaid gown and purple sequinned Converse sneakers. She carried a bouquet of white and cream roses, white dendrobium orchids and baby’s breath. Her hair was styled in an updo with curls and dotted with pearls.
Kurt and Camille sang A Thousand Years by Christina Perry as they walked up the aisle. They were accompanied by the melodies of pianist Adrian Hemans and violinist Stefan Kerr. As soon as everyone was in place, Camille’s grandmother Joan Sang opened with a prayer. Reverend Joel Downer, who is also Camille’s uncle, conducted the ceremony, and later pronounced the couple husband and wife. Marriage registry signed, the newly-weds left the altar and made their way to the dock, where the Chump Change yacht awaited.
The Grand Port Royal Hotel in Port Royal was the venue for the reception. During cocktail hour, loved ones signed the guest book and savoured hors d’oeuvres by Camille’s aunt Gaynor Downer, then made their way to the ballroom for the after-party. DJ Richie kept The Black Eyed Peas I Got A Feeling in rotation while emcee André Anderson welcomed the wedding party to the emotional reception. The Grand Port Royal Hotel catered a scrumptious three-course dinner, after which mothers of the bride and groom, Carolyn Sang Downer and June Moore-Bell unveiled the four-tiered traditional fruitcake made by Camille’s cousin Gaynor Downer. A while later, Kurt escorted Camille to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. A surprise for Camille was the father/daughter dance, which left some in tears, and others simply speechless.
After toasts, emcee André Anderson brought back the buzz with the bouquet and garter toss. The evening ended on a high note when Kurt expressed his gratitude for the well-received love and support. Kurt and Camille spent their first night as husband and wife in the honeymoon suite of the Grand Port Royal Hotel. A road trip to the US will follow.
