Jan. 16, 2006

Our Jamaican Vow Renewal

We woke up to pouring rain on our third day in Jamaica last week. Not just a standard tropical shower but a pouring, might-rain-all-day kind of rain.

We looked at the calendar. It was Friday the 13th.

Oh, and it was our wedding day.

Actually, not our wedding day but our vow renewal day. We were staying at Couples Ocho Rios, part of a group of journalists who would experience weddings and vow renewals for which the all-inclusive resort is known.

But Jamaica is full of surprises and that day was no different. Although the heavy rain brought out a staff member to quickly undecorate the wedding gazebo (right), an hour later the sun was shinging and our outdoor wedding plans were back on. Friday the 13th might be lucky for us after all.

Couples Ocho Rios is the Caribbean's original all-inclusive, catering to a couples-only market. The resort chain (with another location in Ocho Rios and two in Negril) performs over 2000 weddings a year.

But on that day, only one ceremony was on our minds: ours. We soon found that it was a trouble-free process. We talked with Latoya Scott-Lewis, a helpful and experienced wedding coordinator, who walked us through the process:

About 15 minutes before the scheduled ceremony, we arrived at the wedding coordinator's office just off the lobby to pick up our bouquet and boutonniere. We also gave our original wedding date for our vow renewal certificate; the Jamaican minister would later sign the form at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Since there were multiple couples getting the vow renewals (fellow journalists this time although it's not that unusual for sets of friends to come down and arrange vow renewals together), we had to decide who would go first.

We talked with the in-house photographer who asked if we would like photos taken. There is no obligation to purchase photos; they're available shortly after for $10 each. Videography (DVD or VHS) is also available. (Check out our photo gallery for a peek at our ceremony.)

Soon we were headed out to the ceremony itself which took place on a seaside, palm-shaded mound beside the gazebo. A Jamaican minister introduced himself to us, asked us how long we had been married, then proceeded to the ceremony, a religious, non-denominational ceremony.

We had privacy and quiet out on the lawn (although we saw some curious couples watching the event from their balconies).

After the ceremony, both couples, along with the photographer, our wedding coordinator, and a hostess, moved over to the wedding gazebo to enjoy cake and champagne.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day after all.

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