Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
General Manager of the Hilton Kingston Hotel Frank Rosheuvel (right) congratulates Head of EU Delegation in Jamaica Gerd Jarchow and Mara Mandara after they tied the knot at the Stony Hill residence of Kenny Benjamin, on Saturday, April 2. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AND SO, after a near two years or so courtship, Head of the European Mission here in Jamaica, and the Caribbean, Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, and his Jamaican companion, the beautiful Mara Mandara, she of Victoria Mutual Building Society, tied the marital knot last Saturday afternoon, at the home of their friend, security conglomateur Kenny Benjamin, and children, it was one charming affair, and then some!
Dears, when the invitations hit the hallowed halls of snob-society, it was very clear, that indeed, the wedding of Gerd Jarchow and Mara Mandara would not be your run of the mill, same-ol, same-ol as indeed, where it has been the common practice of newly-weds these days to use bridal registries to outfit kitchens with the latest in kitchen/culinary gadgets, china and silverware; and in some quarters, asking guests for cash donations there was none of that here!
THE BEST GIFT OF ALL
Indeed, the invitation made it clear that the couple regarded finding each other as the best gift of all, and so requested that their guests, in lieu of gifts, make a donation to the Mustard Seed Charities.
Well, dears, the wedding, was definitely not from any of the scripts y'all have ever seen, and it proved oh so fine, it was
unforgettable!
Dears, hosted at the fabulous estate home of bon vivant Kenny Benjamin, located in the very exclusive and posh Montgomery Road neighbourhood of Stony Hill, in the section of the estate, dubbed the 'Entertainment Cathedral', the wedding was something else in its elegance, rich symbolism and
creative difference!
Doves, to begin with, the Entertainment Cathedral was designed with haute-living in mind, done-up as it is with a verdantly rich oasis of a breathtaking garden, boasting a garden theatre with its own performing stage, lighting and all, with a cascading waterfall, rushing down the face of the hillside and emptying into a little brook, that travels across the gardens and under a beautifully designed gazebo, that sits thigh high in the pool created by the brook, that is home to an enviable collection or rare and definitely exotic Koi. And then there's the family sized bar and deck that leads into the 'Cathedral' with its panoramic view of Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas, y'all know, we are talking haute-fabulissimo here, and nothing but!
Pumpkins, with the wedding ceremony scheduled for commencement at 5:00 p.m., the venue was buzzing with snob and fab-society, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, family members and friends, from as early as half past four. And by the appointed hour, the garden was brimming with faultlessly dressed ladies and nattily attired men, who began assembling for the wedding ceremony.
And with the groom and his bestman, Anton Burke, both looking sartorially done-up a-la Saville Row, standing at the altar with the Rev. Rohan Forrester, awaiting the bride, she appeared a few minutes later, looking her regally elegant self in a form-fitting ankle-length ivory coloured ensemble created for the occasion, by her grandmother, Mrs. Marjorie Tomlinson, with a tiara of chrysanthemums and a beautiful bouquet on the arm of her give-away dad, her grandfather, Audley Tomlinson, her maid-of-honour Keisha-Ann Morgan, in tow. And so, it was that in a brief ceremony, attended by a shortlist of family, friends and colleagues, punctuated by humour at times, Gerd Jarchow and Mara Mandara became man and wife.
The programme was: ceremony 5:00 to 5:20 p.m, the reception 5:20 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with dinner at 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. and dancing from 9:00 p.m. And here, everything was beautifully on schedule and worked wonderfully, as following upon the pronouncement by Rev. Forrester, the bridal party and guests moved into the cocktail hour and worked the occasion. And dears, with a slew of international visitors in attendance, leading members of the diplomatic community, laa-dee-daahing there was and aplenty.
Dears, it was an fine assemblage of the celebrated, the admired, and the coveted that gathered to share in the joys and beauty of the occasion and dears they did, but, in keeping with the fact that Gerd and Mara were breaking from whatever traditions there were at weddings, apart from their exchanging of vows, that was it, as throughout the reception and the dinner that followed, there were none of the traditional and sometimes long-winded speeches, toasts, and or replies that have been de rigueur at weddings, and dears, while the absence left some wanting, it was a godsend of a departure from the expected as indeed, it made for a fabulous outing!
Dears, with no speeches demanding the attention of guests, and no expected applause, toasts and or any other such social expectations, the affair evolved into a fabulous reception/dinner party and how! Dears, decorator to the fabulous and snob-society, Francis Mais, went to work here, doing up an already fabulous place and she made it fabulously accommodating and then some. And then to add to what was already an occasion outstripping itself in superlatives, high-society chef, Maree Sigurdson, was right there in the 'Cathedral's open kitchen, creating and serving up some fabulous dishes to add just the right touch of culinary élan to what was already a flawless do!
Dears, it was like that, memorable and beyond as the cocktail/dinner style of the wedding lent itself to a very relaxed and resplendent affair, made that much better by the service provided by undoubtedly some of the finest waiters in Kingston. Dears, it was already a fine do when the band Fifty-Fifty, took to the stage, and with a repertoire that is as cosmopolitan as it is current, what was already a fine affaire, etched itself in the minds and consciousness of all present, as indeed, it was all that, and then some!
Sharing in the spirit and elegance of the occasion were: host, Kenny Benjamin; the bride's mom Helen Tomlinson and grand parents Audley and Marjorie Tomlinson; the groom's son, Oliver Jarchow, who flew in from, Belgium; regional mogul Las Chin; Ambassador Douglas Saunders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Angela Robertson; British High Commissioner Peter Mathers and his Austrian born wife, the lovely Elisabeth Mathers and their daughter Phillipa Mathers; French Ambassador Francis Hurtut; Belgian Ambassador Herman Portocarero and his wife Myriam Portocarero; Head of the International Seabed Authority Ambassador Satya Nandan; wife of the German Ambassador Mrs. Harriett Huber; Ambassador Dr. Matthew Beaubrun; Tunty Barrett and wife Ambassador Madge Barrett Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Iceland Robert MacMillan; Capt. Michael Lyn and wife, Thalia Lyn, the Honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Thailand; Peter and Beverly Rousseau.
Also present were: George Fatta; Charley Johnston and wife Lisa McGregor; Bob and Angie Fowler; Ilse Kessler; Uwe kumst; Frank and Lorraine Roshuevel; Mrs. Judith Burke; Capt. David McRae; Peta-Gaye Kumar; Capt. Michael and Anne-Marie Feanny; Owen Bernard; Al Niazi and wife Charmaine Johnson-Niazi; Stephen McKay; the lovely Ulla Wyckoff; Richard and Andrea Chung-Fah; Edda Bogle; William Lampert and wife Anna Kaiser; Garfield Morgan; Joan Hughes; Trevor and Christine Randle; Joan Kelly and son Daviot Kelly; Gerd Weibe and wife Ruth Weibe from Oldenburg, Germany; Owen and Vanessa Miller; Hans-Otto Mertens; Wayne and Clover Murray; Kurt Poltz; Floreen Hopkins; Nicole Hoo-Fatt; Johannes Ruif; Andreas and Marlene Schorlemmer; Delroy Tomlinson; Mekela Tomlinson; and the lovely Sandra Wong; plus a number of others.
Dears, the partying went on way into the night, and little wonder here as indeed, it was a swellegant affair, so kudos all around, and may happy returns to the newly weds, who will honey moon in Australia and Mauritius later this year, following on their European reception, in Belgium, in midsummer.
