GUESS WHAT!
WE'RE NOT COUNTING DOWN ANYMORE!

WE'RE OFFICIALLY
HUSBAND & WIFE!

Our Story

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How we met? - July/August 2008

It was the summer of 2008, and we had no clue that we would meet. It’s amazing how God brings people together! On the last two days of our Seventh-day Adventist International Camporee in Jamaica we met for the very first time.

I was with a friend from Bahamas and he started introducing me and my other friend (K Dominic Mckenzie) to a few of his friends from Grand Cayman. He quickly mentioned that one of the young ladies (Aimee Welcome) had a sister. They spotted her across the field, and called her over, pulling her attention away from the drum corps battle that was taking place. Watching this young lady walking over to us, I immediately noticed she had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Amidst the loud drums, my surroundings blurred as I became captivated by her. I felt myself being drawn even closer, as she told me her name. At that time, we were both dating other people, but we knew we wanted to be friends. So, we decided to keep in touch and stay “pen pals” for a while. Little did we know that this encounter would set us on an unexpected journey of true love.


“I couldn’t take my eyes off of her the whole time; I don’t even remember introducing myself...” - The Groom
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Our Friendship Grew

Almost every day we sought to spend some time together, whether it was through Skype, messenger, email, Facebook, or even OOVOO (which had just come out around that time). We were getting closer as friends, as we openly shared our good and not so great experiences about our days, our families and our friends. We even found ourselves giving advice to each other about various issues we were dealing with in our relationships. Our first and longest phone conversation lasted the whole night, just before Delano’s first day of University at NCU. We could never seem to run out of things to talk about. Soon enough it was quite clear to us that what we wanted most of all was each other’s happiness.


“There was a thunder and lightning storm out that night, and I just couldn’t sleep…so I decided to call the first person on my mind, and it was him.” - The Bride
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Will you be my girlfriend? - February 13 2009

The day before Valentine's, Delano asked me if I’d consider being his valentine and also his girlfriend...over the phone. It was almost unavoidable, as we were still in separate countries. I was so stunned, and for a moment, I was speechless. I thought of the difficulties of entering a long-distance relationship, especially since it was all new to me. Yet, I also thought of the many moments I couldn’t sleep without at least finding out how he was doing. I knew it would be a challenge, but I decided that he had already proven that he was worth it. Breaking the somewhat awkward silence, I agreed to honor his request. He shared his gratitude, and we ended our conversation with hopes of meeting again in person someday soon.


“I could see myself being with her for the rest of my life from the very start, but I didn’t tell her this as I knew it would have been kinda weird…not because we were in separate countries but because she had only been my girlfriend for all of 5 minutes.” - The Groom

“Sitting on the toilet seat at my sister’s apartment (the only place I could get privacy) and listening to his request, I couldn’t help but feel overjoyed and a little anxious that he had decided to ask me to be his girlfriend.” - The Bride
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Wisconsin Pathfinder Camporee  - August 2009

We met for the first time in person as boyfriend/girlfriend, and we experienced our first kiss. However, we only had one day together as Candace urgently needed to head back to Jamaica to apply for her student visa before attending Andrews University in the fall.


"When she told me she would have to cut her visit short, I was devastated for a moment but happy that I still got to see her for at least one day." - The Groom
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Our Long Distance Relationship during University - August 2009 - June 2014

Having met at the end of our high school lives, it was time to take on the journey of University. Maintaining a long distance relationship during University didn’t come without its challenges, but with prayer and determination, somehow we made it through despite all the odds that were against us. We stayed in touch and tried to have worship every morning before classes. Communication played an important role in the development of our relationship…to the point where we often fell asleep while on Skype calls at nights. Delano always found free ways to make sure we remained connected. On our anniversaries we would have a special dinner via Skype, discuss the challenges and successes we had over that year and open gifts that we each sent weeks in advance to celebrate the occasion. We made sure to treat every birthday and any other special occasion in the same way, especially if we were unable to see each other in person. Thankfully, the days are gone where sending letters and telegrams were practically the only way to get a message half way across the world, as no doubt, this would have made it much more difficult and almost impossible to keep our relationship afloat. If we could invite the inventors of Skype to our wedding, we certainly would, as their software really made communicating easier, to not only hear but see each other in real time. This was a true blessing, and made us still feel close even from a distance.


“Those were some of the hardest days…although we saw each other on a regular basis, I often wished I could be nearer to him if it were even for a moment.” - The Bride
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Holiday Visits - December 2010 - January 2015

Having Skype was great, but being able to see each other in person was undoubtedly better. For a college student with no real steady income, plane tickets weren't exactly cheap. Yet, every holiday, one of us would be on a plane to see the other, and even before our visits were over, we would find ourselves planning for the next one. This ‘state of planning’ (as we’d like to call it) really helped us look forward to our future together, and gave us hope that we would indeed see each other again despite the distance. As the years went by, it became harder and harder to say goodbye. Our visits became longer and more often, and we soon became inseparable.


“I used to spend so much time wishing I could be around her, and when I finally got to be, it was never enough time. To this day, I still miss her even when I go off to work knowing that I’ll see her in a few hours, as opposed to months. ” - The Groom
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Our First Real Date - August 2012

We had our first real date in Jamaica during one of my visits to see Delano. He wanted so much to surprise and impress me as we had never really been out on a date before. So, we got all dressed up, and without a car, we walked to the nicest restaurant in town and had dinner. Then we walked over to the cinema to watch ‘Planet of the Apes’, and walked back home, where we danced under the stars, while the only other light that shone was from the street light-post in front of Delano’s family’s home.


“I still remember the butterflies I had on that night…and even without a car, it couldn’t have been more perfect” - The Bride
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Candace’s Graduation Weekend - May 1-6 2013

She was finally ready to walk! This weekend was quite the celebration, and it was also the first time we flew together. We were so happy to have one less reason to say goodbye, instead of watching one of us walk through airport security until we were no longer in sight.

After Candace’s graduation, she continued her studies in Atlanta. I came to visit her, and during one or our afternoon walks to Atlantic Station, there was a moment when I looked at her and I thought to myself, “if I’m really serious about this girl, its time to pop the question”. I just needed the right moment. It may have taken a while, but I eventually found it… keep reading.


“In 2013 I asked her Dad before he passed away,  and her Mom shortly after for Candace’s hand in marriage. Both went smoother than I dreamed it would be, I thought it would have been filled with heart pounding tension, but it was a very decent and calm conversation, I’m glad they accepted.” - The Groom
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Candace’s Dad Passed Away - October 19 2013

During this time of grief for me and my family, it was such a blessing to know that Delano was willing to spare no expense to just be there to comfort me when I needed him most. Even with the difficulties of sorting out immigration travel documents, somehow Delano found a way to be there by my side, having had only two weeks notice of my Dad’s funeral date.

This was a fundamental stage in our relationship where we could see the true depths of our commitment and love for each other beginning to unfold.


“It was then I knew how much he truly loved me” - The Bride
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Delano’s Family Graduation - August 2014

This was a time of great celebration for Delano, his sister (Rochelle), and his Mom (Mrs. Myers). We all celebrated together and it was great to meet and greet with much of his family and friends. After all the festivities, for the first time, we travelled to multiple countries together...traveling quickly became one of the ways we experienced our most treasured memories.


"After every trip, I would promise her that one day soon I'd make sure we would never have to say goodbye again for long" - The Groom
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The Engagement - January 6 2015

On one of Delano’s regular visits, he finally popped the question. Although I had a hint that he wanted to propose, I wasn’t quite sure exactly when. Apparently, he had made the mistake of sending me a photo of the ring, but this was quickly intercepted by my mom (affectionately known as Mrs. Christine). That day we went out to watch the movie ‘The Hobbit’ at Camana bay, which was one of our favorite pastimes. Knowing that I loved to watch the ending credits just in case there was one more part to the movie, Delano had prepared a ‘movie trailer’ to be shown on the cinema screen asking me to marry him. At the ending, he got down on one knee and feeling a bit nervous he stammered through his words, while revealing this beautiful engagement ring made from my favorite color and birthstone - topaz. I was so touched by his unique proposal, but in my heart I already knew he was the one! Since then, we’ve been preparing ourselves for this new and exciting adventure of marriage, and eagerly looking forward to celebrating our BIG day!


“I never expected his proposal to be in the form of a movie trailer, but what touched me the most was looking back on all the memories we’d shared together and seeing how strong our relationship had grown, and how lucky I feel to be getting married to my best friend"  - The Bride

“The Hobbit is quite a long movie, so you could imagine how anxious I was feeling the entire time. I barely remember how the movie went…all I could think about was ‘when will this movie end?’. By the time the credits started rolling in, I was shaking like a leaf, and during the trailer I kept glancing over to see her facial expressions. She said yes right away! (Mission accomplished 😁) But even after she said yes, I was still shaking.”  - The Groom

The Bridal Party

Maid Of Honor

Aimee Welcome

Bridesmaid

Rochelle-Ashley Myers

Bridesmaid

Traci McLean

Bridesmaid

Kerri-Anne Chisholm


Best Man

Amare Suares

Groomsman

K Dominic McKenzie

Groomsman

Kevron Reid

Groomsman

Kevin Brown

Details

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