Vows – An Undying Love

Seven years of courtship and reverence culminated at the altar on August 20, 2016 at the Webster Memorial United Church as GraceKennedy Money Services research assistant Diandra Harriott and Alex Hayden, student minister, The United Theological College of the West Indies, were joined in holy matrimony at the location where they first met.

The initial encounter as told by Diandra

As teenagers we both grew up in the same church. I’ve always had a crush on him, but I was often afraid to express my feelings due to the nature of the environment we were in. One Friday evening, our paths finally crossed at our weekly youth fellowship gathering. We exchanged pleasantries and began speaking occasionally. When I was appointed youth president for the regional level of United Churches in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and he was appointed the youth president for the national level, we had to maintain constant contact with each other, which significantly helped to foster our relationship. Our first official date was my graduation ball in 2009; from then, sparks flew, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The proposal…

With each passing year Alex and Diandra became more enamoured with each other, and seven years later on Diandra’s birthday – April 02, 2015, Alex popped the question. In the groom’s own words, Diandra was “of a very competitive nature,” so he decided to organise the proposal with a group of mutual friends in the form of an evening treasure hunt. Diandra was too focused on her desire to win the competition to notice any suspicious activities. The group of friends split into gender-respective teams and scoured the plains of Kingston in search of the hidden treasures that Alex and his friends had hidden across the parish. After a long day of hunting, with the girls’ team in the lead, they arrived at the final spot – Morgan’s Harbour Hotel in Port Royal. “The evening’s final clue was an anchor. As we all scoured the property for the last piece of the puzzle, Diandra suddenly stumbled upon a rusty anchor by the hotel’s dock. She searched its surroundings for her reward and discovered a small treasure chest; as she opened the chest in pursuit of what it might hold, she began to complain about the empty box. While she ranted, I got down behind her on one knee with her ‘prize’ in my hand. When she turned around and saw me, with tears in her eyes, she screamed, “ Yes!”

The ceremony

On August 20, 2016 friends and family from across Jamaica and from overseas filled the pews of the church where the couple first met — Webster Memorial United Church. The elegant touch of flowers and pink and teal drapery was added by decorator Everard Harriott. The bridesmaids made their way up the aisle to the strains of Christina Perri’s

A Thousand Years dressed in teal one-shoulder floor-length gowns from Cochen Designs. They were escorted by the groomsmen wearing black three-piece suits complemented by teal neckties designed by Delroy Hazel. All guests stood looking on with misty eyes as Gary Harriott walked his eldest daughter up the aisle to the strains ofWhen God Made You by Natalie Grant. Diandra was stunning in a white one-shoulder fit and flare taffeta gown from Bliss Bridal Boutique. Her silver chandelier earrings and white bird-cage veil framed her face perfectly and on her feet were a pair of teal-laced black and white converse sneakers. At the altar eagerly awaiting his bride, stood a dapper Alex, dressed in a black three-piece suit complemented by a polka dot pink and black bow tie also designed by Delroy Hazel, sporting a pair of black and white converse sneakers. The ceremony was officiated by both Reverend Christopher Mason and Reverend Astor Carlyle. After the exchange of vows, as they signed their documents, the church was filled with the melodious voice of LaDonnia Walsh who delivered a musical tribute of her own in honour of the couple’s union. To symbolise the joining of their families, the couple also performed the traditional blending of the sands ceremony.

The reception

The reception took place in the Margaret Gartshore Hall at the St Andrew High School for Girls. The hall was dotted with white tables that were complemented by the black, teal and pink draperies, also courtesy of Everard Harriott. The newly-weds and their bridal party made their entrance with an exciting dancehall and R & B dance performance. A sumptuous supper followed ahead of the cutting of the three-tiered fondant-iced cookie and cream-flavoured wedding cake made by Jacqueline Whyte-Scott. The couple and their guests partied to the tunes spun by DJ Damion Newell until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The honeymoon

The newly-weds spent their honeymoon at the Meliá Braco Village in Trelawny and at the Holiday Inn Resort in Montego Bay.