- CONTRIBUTED
The newlyweds Dinesh Chatani and his bride Meenakshi Nathurmal, share wedding cake at their nuptials.
Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
DEARS, IT was one fabulous Easter and then some! And sweet-things, there were some mighty fine parties to prove it! Luvs, from Negril to Morant Point, there was hell to pay, as the revellers simply threw caution to the wind, and served up a buffet of parties that had the whole country in the throes of an Easter celebration, that was Romanesque in its proportions, and decadently so!
My dears, we are talking fabulissimo here, and then some, and aam-a-tellin y'all, it was an Easter parade of fab parties to remember, and like none other! And to add to the fabness of it all - there was a slew of international jet-setters the chic and the fabulously wealthy passing through these shores! Dovecakes, it made for a marvelous social buzz and beyond, as we are talking the coveted, the celebrated and the very well-to-do, adding their international cachet to the spice of this land!
VELISA'S: A BEST KEPT SECRET
Luvs, the fabulously wealthy Princess Francesca von Hapsburgs, jetted in and headed straight for her Port Antonio family hideaway. Marge Geddes, also jetted in for a few days of rest and relaxation that saw her, her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, dining a remarkable three days in succession at the tres chic and very in Velisa's Restaurant, over there on Devon Road, in New Kingston.
And dears, Velisa's is indeed one of Kingston's best kept secrets, these days, and most definitely the haunt of those with a discriminating palate and an appreciation for fabulous food, as among those singing its culinary praises are The Most Honourable Edward and Carla Seaga; Zein Issa-Nakash and her twin sibling Muna Issa; Robert MacMillan; Jennifer Lim; regional heads of state; and this here scribe as indeed, we are talking the esoteric here and nothing but!
So, little wonder that Marge Geddes and family dined there three consecutive days, in their five-day visit to the island that saw them visiting Port Antonio, Port Royal and the Blue Mountains.
And speaking of Port Royal: Dears, whilst many a fabulous person and the well-heeled headed out of Kingston, for the Easter weekend, the city was not completely bereft of fab-society as indeed, Dennis and Jane Joslin, were among those who stayed behind and dears, the fabulous couple, threw a smart and intimate little dinner party on their fabulous yacht, The Lady BJ, Good Friday night, that really was the happening do in the city, made that much more so, because of its intimacy!
CULINARY OUTING
Luvs, we are talking charming here and nothing but, and a refreshing dinner do, that saw the couple actually preparing the fare for their guests (as against it being catered), and dears, what a fare it was too! Oh, mama mia, and caramba the prophetess! To-die-for, and then await the resurrection!
The charming Janet Farrow, was also in the city, and my dears, the style maven threw a Good Friday pool party that was more than a splash, as it was quite a fabulous culinary outing too, as this here fab hostess served up a mid-afternoon fare of champagne, champagne, and more champagne, supplemented by some fabulously done-up T-bone steaks and garden salad, that had guests in a state of pure culinary delight!
And a fine outing it was too, as among those spotted here was Ghanaian born, mega-talented British architect, David Adjaye, the celebrated co-host of the hit BBC TV series DreamSpaces. Dears, the celebrated and much sought-after Mr. Adjaye, who is regarded as one of Britain's hottest architects, jetted in from his London offices to consult on a private project here on the island, and partied a little with friends before jetting out for his New York offices on Saturday.
Also spotted on Friday, at the Farrow do were: Rod and Nevine Heaven; Carl Bliss; Howard and Nancy Barton, they visiting from New York; Anna Chin; Dwayne Gouldbourne; Lisa Marzouca; and Ishmael and Isabella Quintana; plus a number of others. And dears, here it was all about Moet & Chandon!
MEGA-WEDDING
Then people are talking about the mega-wedding that was celebrated over the Easter weekend, and dears, its all good as the buzz is it was a fabulous do and nothing but Dovecakes, we are talking a three-day affair here of diamonds and tiaras that began on Thursday, March 24 at the Devonshire, Devon House, with a Moroccan/Jamaican/ Indian theme; followed on Friday at the Morgan's Harbour Hotel, for a splash dubbed fête on the Harbour, that was done to Jamaican fun theme hosted by Steve and Karishma Khemlani; and ended on Sunday afternoon at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel with the beautiful Indian wedding ceremony, cocktails and reception to celebrate the love and marriage of Indian-born Jamaican businessman Dinesh Chatani and his Moroccan-born bride, Meenakshi Nathurmal. Dears, the buzz is it was one fabulous do here, the likes of which has not been seen since the Issa/Nakash nuptial.
Dearhearts, we are talking a guest list in the hundreds here, with guests jetting in from all over the globe for the affair, and from exotic locations such as Gibraltar, Casa Blanca, Hong Kong, The Canary Islands, The Cayman Islands, Curacao, St. Marten, and of course the continental U.S.A. and Canada. With such Jamaica luminaries as Edward and Carla Seaga; Dr. and Mrs. Vin Lawrence; Lascelles and Dr. Eileen Chin; Mr. and Mrs. Barclay Ewart; Dr. Carl Blythe; Dunbar McFarlane; Dr. Sam Shadeed and family; Pishu and Janki Chandiram; Indru and Jyoti Dadlani joining family members Hotu Chatani, (groom's dad) his siblings, brother Suresh Chatani, sisters Madhu Matani and Karishma Khemlani and her hubby Steve Khemlani; and the brides parents Narain and Lalta Nathurmal in from Casa Blanca; plus scores more dignitaries and international visitors.
ARABESQUE FANTASY
And dears, when we say three days, we are merely talking of the more public doos as indeed there were several private family doos, as well. Anyway luvs, from the opening salvo at the Devonshire, that saw the chic restaurant transformed into an Arabesque fantasy with the ladies out in their finest, and some fabulously memorable saris and traditional Indian apparel, and the men presented with Moroccan caftans and head dress for the occasion and with a middle-eastern fare and music and mood to match, y'all know it was something fabulous, and then some!
And Friday night at Morgan's Harbour was equally memorable as here there was a bevy of beauties offering up tequila shots; a buzzing oyster bar and a cosmopolitan buffet that ran throughout the entire duration of the fête.
Sunday, however, was the crown jewel in the tiara, as here was a traditional Indian ceremony in all its, pomp, majesty and beauty, performed by Indian Priest Pandit Sharma, that was so beautiful and engaging, it made converts of many a first-timer to the culturally and vibrantly colourful nuptials. Dears, we are talking memorable here, and nothing but! And of the flawless order!
