The Blakes find bliss by the sea

When Peta Gayle Oates first laid eyes on her now husband, Timothy Blake, it was far from love at first sight. "I think she saw me some time ago, and my sister kept on telling her I'm the best thing for her, without telling me anything about her. She saw me in 2012 and thought I was some 'old ugly dude'," Timothy explained to Flair, with a laugh.

Peta Gayle confirmed his claims, noting that Timothy's sister was convinced that they were compatible since they had so much in common - their love for travelling, spontaneity and writing. And while she eventually thought he was a nice fellow, she initially could not get over his long beard or grey hair. "I stopped by his sister's house briefly in 2012, where I saw him and she introduced us. Later, when I was talking to her, I asked her if that was her oldest brother. She said no, it was Timothy. I told her 'No way is he my type! He looks too old.' I met Timothy again briefly on Christmas Day in 2015 when he and his sister stopped by my house. Again, we did not exchange any words."

She continued, "The next day (Boxing Day) when I called his sister to invite her to the movies, she informed me that she would be visiting her mother in St Elizabeth and asked if I would like to come. Again, her brother was the designated driver, so this was an opportunity to talk to him. When we arrived, I was thirsty and he offered me a drink. I probably had about four Maltas instead of one, and he kept my company the whole night." The Malta did the trick.

Timothy first thought that Peta Gaye looked fine - feisty, but fine, despite her not saying a word to him. But the story would take a turn for the better when they found themselves working together.

Fairy-tale Encounter

Timothy had agreed to help her with promoting her first book, which had them interacting more. According to Timothy, the frequency with which they exchanged ideas ignited sparks and cupid did his thing. "By the time her book was launched, she could not get enough of my charm," Timothy disclosed.

But for Peta Gayle, the way to her heart was through her stomach. "I remember the first meeting we had. He was late because he was cooking for his sister (peppered shrimp and garlic crab). His sister sent some for me as a make up for him being late. I broke my fast for the day and had the peppered shrimp. It was heavenly - just out of this world! I instantly called his sister and told her that they both need to come to my house to cook over the weekend as I loved how her brother cooked. They came, we went shopping for fish, and he cooked. I believed that was the day I fell in love - just seeing how we handled this task together and how easy it was working with him on my book, I knew this was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. We made a good team, and when we got to talking, we would talk for hours."

The exciting journey for the lovebirds had two weeks feeling like three months, and six months for Timothy feeling like six years. So, after playing the role of husband and wife, they decided to just make it official. "It was not a proposal, it was a decision. Our conversations automatically discussed plans for the future, we just could not get enough of each other we were in love," Peta Gayle highlighted.

I thee wed - by the beach

"We wanted it all to be different, to be reflective of us bold and soft yet full of style and class, intimate and fun, all in one. She always wanted a beach wedding, and I wanted to give her what she wanted, but my way. So I reached out to Tie Di Knot wedding planning by Shelly Parchment," Timothy revealed.

She gave them options and they selected Golden Sands in Ochi Rios.

On Saturday, May 28, their wedding was everything they wanted, and more. The scene was set: white sand, classy seating and a view of the beautiful bride and handsome groom saying 'I do, in front of family and friends, while overlooking the breathtaking Caribbean Sea.

"We wanted to be truly 'gathered together'. So our 80 guests were provided only 16 chairs. This would make for a 'to-the-point ceremony', so we could be off to taking pictures and move on to savouring the delicious dishes that were provided," Timothy said.

"Our songs were also non-traditional. For example, I walked up the aisle to Beres Hammond's These Arms of Mine, and the bridal party walked in to Chris Martin's Mi Friend Dem. At the end, we received comments received such as 'beautiful wedding', 'we had fun', 'it was different', and 'you both look so happy'!" the still blushing bride gushed to Flair.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com