By Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner WriterPORT ANTONIO, Jamaica, has always been the haunt of the rich and fabulous. And so, while the majority of visitors to our shores have always flocked to other, more populated areas, Port Antonio, has boasted a cachet, all its own and in the process, carved out a niche as the preferred haunt of the well-heeled, the moneyed and the fabulous!
Little wonder then that, it was in Port Antonio that celebrated architect and developer, Earl Levy and his heiress of a wife, Beverly Levy, daughter of the late Percy Junor, decided on building their Trident Hotel and Villas, to accommodate the influx of visitors choosing Port Antonio, as a holiday spot.
Recognising, the yet to be fully explored potential of Port Antonio, the Government recently added the Port Antonio Marina, to the attraction of the community, and so entered Jean-Pierre Louis, he of French and British ancestry and the managing director of Westrec Marinas and the operators of the Port Antonio Marina.
HEIRESS
Luvs it was here that he met the lovely Susanne Levy heiress to the Trident Hotel, Castle and Villas of Port Antonio, as the daughter of Earl and Beverly Levy and the granddaughter of Percy Junor.
With the sparks of love flying, it was not long that the two became a twosome, with news of their engagement leaking out sometime after!
Well my dears, two Saturdays ago, the beautiful couple said "I do" in a very special and tres intimate wedding ceremony at the very chic and oh-so hot and very 'in' Trident Chapel no less, (consecrated as the Chapel of St. Francis, by the late Bishop Tommy T. Clarke), in an afternoon ceremony that was so fab. People are still gushing!
ROMANTIC FAIRYTALES
My dears, the buzz is, 'it's the stuff of which romantic fairytales are made', as the venue has always had a sort of magical lure for the traveller with that discriminating taste and sense of pizzazz that sets them apart from the hordes of cola drinking, burger eating tourists who flock to the more commercial centres to be found elsewhere. As dears, uncommon style, has always been the hallmark of Port Antonio.
And so, with its rain-forest style tropical enchantment, and its Riviera flavour and appeal, it was destination Port Antonio, for the November 20 wedding of Jean-Pierre Louis and Susanne Levy.
Just about 50 guests jetted and drove over to Port Antonio, for the affaire.
The bride looked stunning in a creation by Italian designer, Rivini. The chapel was decked with oodles of pastel pink roses (a theme that was carried forward and throughout the castle), under the baton of Bishop Delroy Farr, whilst the celebrated, Rosina Moder (on flute), and Steven Woodham (violin) provided musical accompaniment.
Vows were exchanged. Then the guests and the bridal party returned to the Trident Castle for the reception, and were treated to a sumptuous fare of French champagne cocktails, caviar, foie gras, and smoked marlin rolls, by a battery of nattily attired waiters.
But that my dears, was just for starters as dinner, taken under the stars, and a-la-poolside, and with the music of Marjorie Whylie (piano), was one palate pleasing feast of lobster-á-la-Trident; shrimp; roasted beef tenderloin; a cheese mirror with a collection of international cheeses, made for another fine feast; a beautiful carved crudités mirror; garden vegetables; green salad all topped by the Selena Wong three-tiered passion fruit wedding cake, dressed with sprays of sugar orchids.
There was dancing under the stars and among those spotted were Verne Scazzero, head of the Chicago-based investment company, Harvest Investments; his wife, Cynthia Scazzero, she of Nabisco family fame; best man, Gary Groenewold, the international vice-president of Westrec Marinas and wife Doreen Groenewold, plus a number of others. And wait, the Kingston reception and celebrations are to follow in February of next year.
