VOWS – A Union Cemented by Faith
Norman Straw, supervisor at CAD Customs Brokers Limited, and Sharole Duffus, Jamaica Customs Agency manager, tied the knot on November 26, 2016 in the lush environs of Tropical Elegance on Cunningham Avenue. The pair share their story.
How They Met
The couple’s paths crossed in 2005. Norman was drawn to Sharole because of her unique walk and her figure. Sharole was attracted to Norman because he had a smile that took her breath away. Numbers were eventually exchanged and a conversation that should have lasted a few minutes went on for two hours. Sharole says, “Before long we started dating and we just could not get enough of each other. We developed a great friendship that eventually blossomed into love. I remember him playing the chorus of Sade’s
This is No Ordinary Love over and over and I knew that this was so true.”
She describes their courtship with a smile. “Courting was fun. He always had me in stitches. We both loved music and used to have frequent sound clashes with each other to see who could select the ‘baddest’ soul song. We also had a lot of ‘firsts’ together. I would take him to places that he had never been before, and vice versa. We always did little things for each other to show our love. Norman always used to ask, ‘What would I do without you?’ to which I would reply, ‘Don’t try to find out!’”
The Proposal
The idea of marriage is something Sharole says came up long ago. She recounts, “We were vacationing at Bahia Principe, about 2008, and I remember him asking me to marry him but I did not respond because I didn’t think he was serious. As the years passed, we had a daughter together and this cemented our bond.
“I remember praying to God and asking if he was the one for me because I do believe in ’til death do us part’. I confided in a friend that I really intended to give my life to Christ and I can’t marry someone who doesn’t love the Lord. She told me to ask him. Funny enough, before I could even ask him he asked when we were going to start going to church. I was so excited because I knew, with God in the midst, all things would work out. That was when I decided that I would marry him.”
Sharole holds back a smirk and goes on to describe the exact moment her husband proposed. “Norman is a ‘boxers’ man, so one night when he came into the bedroom in a sexy brief and knelt on one knee, all I could do was laugh. To this day, I have not answered the question!”
Becoming One
The couple planned a carefully thought-out ceremony, which included prayer & greetings followed by a scripture reading, words of wisdom and the exchange of vows and rings, and sealed the deal with a sand ceremony — a way of showcasing two souls becoming one.
The Reception
The reception featured the presentation of the newly-weds accompanied by their bridal party to the Pharrell Williams song
Happy. The evening continued with the reveal of their Diana Scarlett cake and a hearty reception dinner of fish in coconut sauce, baked chicken in pineapple sauce, gungo rice & peas, sweet potato and tossed salad, sorrel, fruit punch and soup, followed by sweet potato pudding. Dinner’s special touch was a form on each table, entitled “Message to the Newlyweds”. Guests were asked to complete the forms using suitable adjectives, nouns and verbs, and a representative from each table was asked to share the words as a tribute to the couple.
The Honeymoon
The lovebirds await an Easter honeymoon as they did not want their time away to conflict with their daughter’s exam preparations. Enjoy it when it comes!
