BY GEORGE HENRY, STAR WRITER
Left: The Reverend Randy Graham and Gail Green. Right: The Reverend Antonio Mitchell and his wife Sherene Green. - GEORGE HENRY PHOTOS
spaldings, clarendon:
WHEN THE 250 specially invited guests turned up at the wedding ceremony at the Mandeville New Testament Church of God to witness the occasion on Saturday June 10, they did not do so to see one couple tying the knot. They were instead there to see two couples take part in a double wedding.
The bells rang for two ministers in the New Testament Church and their brides who happened to be sisters. It was not only one of the happiest moments for the lovely couples, it was also a time of celebration for all their many friends, family members and well-wishers which included more than 40 church ministers. Leading the contingent of clergymen were Reverend Ronald Blair, former bishop of the New Testament Church of God and Reverend Barrington Brown, principal of Bethel Bible College.
REALITY CHECK
After Gail Green and Reverend Randy Graham, Sherene Green and Antonio Mitchell fell in love, it was wonderful to know they did what many young people in the church have prayed for, for years to be a reality.
The couples got married in front of their guests in the early afternoon and were pronounced husband and wife by Reverend Ronald Blair. The ceremony which was also presided over by bishops R. Graham and K. Bulgin brought broad smiles and, on numerous occasions, laughter on the faces of the guests.
The couples' wedding thoughts could not be ignored, as it was centred around yesterday, today and tomorrow. It said, "Yesterday, we were separate, each fulfilling one's own desires. Different we were, but love brought us together. Today, we invite you to share the union of our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. We are united with one goal in mind, to love each other unconditionally. Tomorrow, we begin our lives together pledging to God and ourselves that we will be together forever."
Those words were well-received by all who were present and the wishes were in abundance for Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and Mr. and Mrs. Graham. The guests wished the couples well during the wedding and again at the reception. When the reception, which was held at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, was over, the feeling of love and the best wishes continued to be evident among family members and close friends alike.
It was wonderful to witness the couples placing their wedding bands on each other's finger when asked to do so by the officiating minister. They slowly did so for the crowd and especially for the videographers and photographers on hand to capture their happy moments, which will bring back memories for years to come.
As usual, the most looked-forward-to activity following the signing of the register, was the kissing of each bride by her groom. The kisses were met with loud cheering from the crowd. It seemed for a moment as if both couples were trying to show which set could out-do the other with the best kiss.
The reception hall was beautifully decorated with balloons, the tables were covered with white and blue table cloths and napkins of blue were placed in each glass at the tables. They all added to the ambience of the hall and provided a cool picturesque setting for all to feel relaxed. The MC for the function, Reverend Wayne Vernon, pastor for the Old Harbour New Testament Church of God in St. Catherine, added life to the proceedings with his many jokes and other words of encouragement for the newly wedded couples.
Reverend Vernon was very obedient to the numerous bells ringing, which indicated that guests wanted to see more of the kissing by both brides and their husbands. He quickly paused to quickly acknowledged the requests, and by the time the reception was over, the couples would have had a good taste of what it meant to kiss in a crowd.
Reverend Antonio Mitchell and his wife Sherene are the head of the Shingle Hut New Testament Church in Clarendon, while Reverend Randy Graham and his wife Gail are in charge of the Spaldings Hill New Testament Church also in that parish.
DEAR READERS,
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