Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
THE WORLD'S largest wedding vow renewal celebration took place at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Resort in St. Ann on Saturday with 77 couples taking part in the grand affair.
Entitled 'Celebrate your love: Wedding Vow Renewal Getaway', the event was hosted by the popular United States-based women's magazine Lady's Home Journal in partnership with Sandals Resort International.
This is the first event of its kind and, according to editor-in-chief of Lady's Home Journal, Diane Salvatore, Jamaica was chosen because it was regarded as a paradise in the Caribbean. She said the 120-year-old magazine, which is published monthly, has a circulation of 4.1 million and a readership of 13.7 million and the publicity generated by this event could represent a major tourism boost for Jamaica.
The colourful wedding ceremony and reception were designed by the world's famous event designer and wedding planner, Preston Bailey, and offered the couples what was described as 'an experience of a lifetime'.
The couples included celebrity guest Kassie DePaiva, the Emmy-nominated star of the movie One Life to Live, and her husband, James.
BRIEF, ROMANTIC CEREMONY
DePaiva reportedly got married in a courthouse wedding with no wedding dress, no flowers and no honeymoon, and was very pleased to be in the island and to be part of the historic event.
The couples, of all ages and drawn from almost every state in the United States, participated in a four-night/five-day ultra-inclusive vacation at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios.
On Saturday afternoon, the 77 smartly-dressed couples with brides adorned with unique bouquets, and guests, who donned specialty bow ties and boutonnieres, paraded gracefully across the beach and on to an off-shore promenade for the exchange of vows.
The ceremony, conducted by marriage officer Reverend Garland Black, was brief but filled with romance. White-gloved waiters dressed in tuxedos were quite efficient in their bid to serve 160 glasses of champagne to the couples and special guests in 10 minutes, in order to allow them to move on to the beautiful garden of the Riviera for the wedding reception.
