By Keisha Shakespeare, Freelance Writer 
The bride and groom with the bridal party at Hellshire Beach in Portmore, St. Catherine.
IT STARTED with a kiss, continued with a few flirtatious phone calls, and was sealed in a Christmas morning wedding.
Venise Manning and Hugh Stone were married last December 25 at Faith Temple in Bayside, Portmore, St. Catherine. They tied the knot in the early morning sun with Bishop Jethro Hart officiating.
Manning, 27, is a student midwife at the Kingston School of Nursing. She is the daughter of Lorraine Smith and Williams Manning.
Stone, 24, also called Dean, is a freelance photographer and sub-editor at The Gleaner Company in Kingston. He is the son of Maureen and James Stone.
The couple met on June 19, 2001, when Stone went to the National Academy (a practical nursing school) in Kingston to take student identification photos. At the time Manning was attending the school.
"Dean was setting up his cameras to take the photos and I realised that he was looking at me. Our eyes met and then I turned away and started talking back to my friends. When I was about to leave for the canteen Dean came over to me and asked me not to leave. I told him I was not leaving then he asked me for my phone number and I gave it to him," said Manning.
FRIEND AND BATCHMATE
"In fact, Dean's sister, Tanisha Stone, was a friend and batch mate of mine at National Academy so I had heard a whole lot about him. However, the day he came to take the photos was the first time we spoke to each other," she added.
Things were about to get heated.
Stone remembered: "When I was about to leave I saw Venise kissing and telling all her friends goodbye so I asked her if I could get a kiss also. To my surprise, she did. I thought that I was 'slick' when she actually came over and kissed me."
Manning confessed to hoping that her kiss would lead to a relationship. She waited for four days but when he didn't call, she picked up the phone and dialled.
"When Venise called me I was playing basketball in Southborough (Portmore). I was so happy she called because I did not want to call her because I did not want to seem pushy.
While we were talking on the phone, I realised that we both lived in Portmore and I thought that was cool, I did not have to pay more than $30 on a taxi to see her.
"They kept in contact by spending vast amounts of time on the phone. After three weeks Manning invited Stone to her house in Greater Portmore to hang out.
"I thought Dean was so sweet because when he came to visit me he brought me ice cream. That evening we talked and we kissed. It was such a lovely night and I wondered if this guy was for real," said Manning.
"You see, Dean possesses a lot of good qualities. I don't know if it is because he grew up with three sisters. However, he is so gentle, loving, sensitive and he cares so much about my needs. If I was to describe him in two words it would be unique and special.
"PROPOSED
The couple dated for three years before Stone proposed. He had carried the ring around for seven months, waiting for the perfect time to ask her to be his wife.
"I went to visit Venise and I realised that she was very upset because she had had a bad day at school. She was cleaning the house and she looked so sad. I wanted to cheer her up so I proposed to her," said Stone.
"He was so sweet I turned to pick up something and when I turned around he was on his knees asking me to marry him. The truth is, I was so surprised because we had agreed that we were going to wait until I was finished with school. However, I loved him so much I said yes."
