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ISLAND WEDDING

When love called, the McFarlanes answered

Published:Tuesday | December 21, 2021 | 12:07 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Shanika and Javian are ready to spend the rest of their lives together.
Shanika and Javian are ready to spend the rest of their lives together.
Mr and Mrs McFarlane are caught in a loving and tender moment.
Mr and Mrs McFarlane are caught in a loving and tender moment.
At the start of this new chapter, Shanika and Javian dance into forever together.
At the start of this new chapter, Shanika and Javian dance into forever together.
The lovely newlyweds are joined by their parents (from left): mother of the bride, Lenora Lewis, mother of the groom Charmaine Jones and father of the groom, Dave McFarlane.
The lovely newlyweds are joined by their parents (from left): mother of the bride, Lenora Lewis, mother of the groom Charmaine Jones and father of the groom, Dave McFarlane.
The McFarlanes were happy to have the support of such a wonderful bridal party.
The McFarlanes were happy to have the support of such a wonderful bridal party.
Sealed in lips and in heart, they two became Mr and Mrs McFarlane.
Sealed in lips and in heart, they two became Mr and Mrs McFarlane.
The McFarlanes happily engage in the traditional cutting of the wedding cake provided by Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort.
The McFarlanes happily engage in the traditional cutting of the wedding cake provided by Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort.
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“Are you always this quiet?” Shanika Porter asked of the gentleman sitting two seats away from her. What she didn’t bargain for was the response that followed. “I normally observe my surroundings first,” he replied, giving her the most captivating smile she had ever seen. He gave his name as Javian McFarlane, but she would soon come to call him her husband.

The pair had that life-changing encounter in October of 2015 during a group training session at a call centre in Kingston. Javian found Shanika to be a pleasant young woman who boasted an impressive physique. “When she spoke with me and smiled during the orientation, it was a breath of fresh air,” he told Island Wedding. They closed the gap and sat beside each other from that day onward. And as he got to know her better, he discovered that she possessed a beautiful aura that was hard to resist.

They became friends after the training ended, but Javian yearned for more. He pursued the lovely Shanika for months, and like clockwork, she turned down his offer each time due to suspicions that he wasn’t serious enough. When the determined Javian shared his desire for her to be his wife and mother of their future children, she told him that she was in a relationship to buy herself some time to evaluate him further. That didn’t stop him from putting in the time and effort to impress her. “On Valentine’s Day of 2016, I secretly gifted her with roses, chocolate, a love note in a balloon and asked our fellow co-worker to sing Let Me Love You by Mario. She eventually found out it was me,” he confessed.

From there, things took a turn for the better. In May of 2016, the two began corresponding more frequently and went on several outings with friends. Shanika shared that he even told his mother about her.

Seeing his sincere and genuine spirit shine, her feelings sky-rocketed. They went on their first official date together by June – a romantic picnic for two at Hope Gardens. Sparks flew during meaningful conversations as the duo dined, with bouts of laughter, and captured pictorial moments in the mix. “I remember asking him for the time, and then I said to him, ‘Well, today, June 18, 2016, at 3:20 p.m., I am letting you know that I am officially saying yes to being your girl.’ He got speechless and emotional. Then he smiled, held my face, kissed me and said, ‘I love you, and you won’t regret giving me this opportunity’,” she revealed. The location would go on to become the couple’s favourite chill spot.

Describing her beloved as selfless, jovial, handy, disciplined, and handsome, she continued to be impressed by how supportive he is – from making plans for her charity, Loving Arms Jamaica, and helping her to complete her course in massage therapy to being by her side in her pursuit of photography, the performing arts, and the desire to work in advertising. He pushes her to do her best, calms her disposition, expresses his love daily, and always plans for their future.

Noting how caring, beautiful, loving, trustworthy, and inspiring his soulmate is, for Javian, she keeps him motivated, cheering his wins and praying following losses. He is a better communicator because of her and has been there for her through sickness and health long before they said I do.

In June 2016, an ill Javain passed out one day at work and was unresponsive. A distraught Shanika recalled watching in horror as the emergency team took him out on a stretcher to the ambulance. He was rushed to the hospital, and her eyes welled up with tears, ready to flood her cheeks at any moment. She remembers her prayer, “No, God, please! Yuh caa mek nothing happen to him and mi nuh seh yes to him yet.” Crew members messaged her constantly for updates since they were the closest, and by the time she was able to get through to him, his mother communicated that he was still in the same state in which he had arrived at the hospital.

When he improved, he called her to apologise for scaring her. “I felt so relieved. God gave me another chance. It’s like he was showing me that I need to take this seriously,” she added. Five years later, Javian asked the love of his life to be his wife.

With all great plans, errors have their way of creeping in through the cracks. He wanted to propose to Shanika at Plantation SmokeHouse in Ocho Rios, St Ann, among family and close friends. The objective was to invite his sweetheart for a romantic dinner for two and have her loved ones there as a surprise. But transportation had to be cancelled, and some family members weren’t able to make the trip. Hurdles aside, he still jumped at the opportunity to pop the question.

“Shanika sat with her back turned to the stairs so she couldn’t see what was happening behind her. One of her friends, who was hiding, came up the stairs with the staff. She was carrying a plate that had the writing, “Will you marry me?” One of our favourite songs, Best of me, [by] Tyrese, started playing in the background, and as soon as they were about to place the plate down, I got up and went to her left. She saw the plate and then turned to me with tears in her eyes. At that moment, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!.”

Aside from the wedding planner, the couple received assistance from close family members and friends who all pitched in to make their wedding day a success. The wedding dress threatened to put a damper on the day, but the bride-to-be sprang into action, giving the wrecked mermaid gown purchased online to her friend Chantal Smith-Martin from ChanM Designs, who altered the wedding dress and took it from nothing to everything.

On October 17, Javian and Shanika joined hands and hearts in holy matrimony at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort in Montego Bay. Natasha Matthews and her team pulled out all the stops to make the wedding an amazing event. When the beautiful bride walked up the aisle with her mother, her handsome groom grew emotional with each stride. Guests joined in on the merriment with smiles and teary eyes.

The ceremony was beautiful from start to finish, and the groom expressed joy, saying it was the best day of his life. “We did not have a reception, so the traditional first dance was not done. However, while taking our pictures, I Feel Good by Beres Hammond started playing. We made use of the moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way – just married, wrapped up in his arms, dancing to a sweet reggae song,” the bride added.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com