Melodies of Reggae Love - The Pinnocks’ story
Published:Thursday | March 8, 2018 | 12:00 AM
The late great musical legend Bob Marley once said, "One good thing about music, when it hit, you feel no pain." So, what happens when reggae meets love? For flight attendant Samantha Cumberbatch and saxophonist Conrad Pinnock, a melody of happily ever after.
The lovebirds first laid eyes on each other at Reggae on the Hill in Samantha's hometown, Barbados. Saxophone player Conrad was on a mini tour with Romain Virgo, coming from CuraÁao, Grenada straight on to Barbados. According to Samantha, after watching them perform, her friends wanted to take pictures with Virgo, so they retreated backstage and put in their request. Conrad was there, ready and waiting to assist. They were all able to take photos with Virgo and some of the band members, too. Samantha and Conrad shared a picture-perfect moment, sealing their fate as lifetime partners.
They exchanged numbers then and there and began corresponding soon after their first encounter.
Initially, Samantha thought Conrad was very caring, easy going, pleasant and fun - that is still the case today. While for Conrad, Samantha is wonderful, humble, kind, beautiful, and he was enchanted by her sex appeal. For many days and nights, the couple found themselves talking over the phone, about everything. So, Samantha took things a step further, booking a trip from New York to Jamaica in order to see the man who would later become the love of her life. "We really gravitated towards each other and gradually took our friendship to the next level," she said.
Wasting no time, they got engaged on their one year anniversary, May 16, 2017.
Star Proposal
Samantha took to the skies for work and did a trip to Los Angeles, where she would stay over for the night. Conrad went along with her on the flight. But he had bigger plans than quality time. Unknown to her, he and her friend who was there the day they first met, were planning the proposal. Here is how the main event went down. When they arrived in LA, they went to dinner with his friend in Hollywood, at what Samantha describes an amazing hotel rooftop restaurant.
Conrad had his saxophone, but that didn't set off any bells for Samantha - after all, what's a musician without his instrument? Once they sat down to dine, the friend requested a video shoot - this was not an giveaway either, because the friend explained that because they were celebrating their one-year anniversary, he wanted to capture that. What she didn't expect was during the video, her prince would go down one knee and share that he had one question to ask her: "Will you marry me?" After she said yes, a confused Samantha spent those moments crying tears of joy while Conrad played a soothing song just for her with his sax.
With hearts aligned, they put plans in place to say 'I do' at Terra Nova Hotel and Suites in Kingston in an intimate poolside ceremony and reception. "We originally had one venue picked out and after about five months, things went sour. We decided to head to Terra Nova. It was nerve wracking because we had to start from scratch all over again. We sat down and literally started planning from the beginning, and with the help of friends, we were able to pull it off," Samantha shared.
On February 17, in presence of close family members and friends, Conrad Pinnock and Samantha Cumberbatch embarked on a new and exciting chapter of their lives, that of husband and wife. Conrad described their wedding as more than he had even hoped for - it was flawless, filled with vibes, love and happiness, and naturally, entertaining. The beautiful bride, who was only seven minutes late to meet her handsome groom, basked in their nuptial bliss and said that overall, the significant occasion was amazing, "We both totally loved it. All the guests were pleased - the commentaries are still coming in. Everyone said they enjoyed themselves tremendously," Samantha added.
The lovely newlyweds went on to honeymoon at Jewel Dunn's River in Mammee Bay, St Ann.