When Love Calls
You will like us at Vows love the nuptials of Digicel couple Makeba DaCosta and Brian Bennett-Easy, who exchanged wedding vows on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Makeba is the human resources manager at Digicel Jamaica, while groom Brian is the head of Business Services. The pair opted for an intimate destination wedding and jetted to the Sunshine State for the late-morning affair that took place at the Flamingo Gardens in Davie, Florida, followed by a reception at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
In the Beginning There was chemistry in 2005 when the couple met at a work-related event and became fast friends. Makeba shared their first encounter with Vows: “When Brian joined the company I was off the island on assignment in Trinidad and returned to Jamaica to attend a management retreat… we started talking and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The Proposal Brian’s proposal reads like the pages of a romantic novel, set at a vineyard in North Carolina. Makeba shared the romantic proposal with V o w s: “Brian believes in what he calls the ‘shock and awe effect’ when it comes to giving me gifts, and the proposal was the ultimate shock. We were on vacation in North Carolina last November and our friends took us to a winery called the Childress Vineyards. After completing the tour Brian asked me to accompany him to a nearby gazebo for photographs and to my surprise, he popped the question. I was totally flabbergasted and collapsed in a heap at his feet. It was the happiest moment of my life next to my wedding day!”
Captivating Elegance The bride was sophisticated and elegant, outfitted in a trumpet Mori Lee gown, complete with a beaded sweetheart corset that led into a train skirt. Soft make-up by Racquel Jenkins simply enhanced Makeba’s natural glow. Her cropped coif, accented by a vintage comb and a string of pearls, tied the look together. “I selected the design because of the pure simplicity of it. I wanted to look very natural and comfortable on my special day and that dress was perfect…” Makeba told V o w s. She carried a hand-tied bouquet of mango calla lilies — one of her favourite blooms. The groom wore a navy Kenneth Cole suit contrasted by a white shirt and satin tie enhanced by a mango calla lily boutonnière.
Best man Rohan Pottinger was also outfitted in Kenneth Cole and wore a satin tie that complemented maid of honour Kerri-Ann Mitchell’s berry-coloured cocktail dress.
Modern Simplicity The couple chose to have a small wedding, which had its own personal touches. “I always wanted a small wedding that was very different and far from conventional, and having lost my mom earlier this year, we preferred to have a small destination wedding” Makeba explained and described her wedding day as “casual, classy, unconventional and chic”.
The small contingent headed to the Flamingo Gardens in Davie, Florida, for the alfresco nuptials. Officiant for the ceremony was Pastor Robert Farrier of Christ the Rock Community Church. Wedding planner Zensi Tulloch-Hall, a Jamaican based in Florida, incorporated Makeba’s love for orchids and calla lilies into the décor that complemented the gazebo setting amidst the botanical paradise.
After the formalities, guests enjoyed lunch at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale.
Picture Perfect This was followed by a ‘dress trashing’ photo shoot with Michael Ernie Hall, a Jamaican photographer based in Florida, who used several unique shoot locations — the beach, the middle of the street and a train station — to depict the couple’s spontaneity and fun-loving relationship.
Honeymoon The newly-weds spent their honeymoon at the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale and the Grand Palladium, Lady Hamilton Resort in Hanover.
