Top 10 Lifestyle stories in 2021

The book that was 2021 has ended, but some of the eventful stories making up the chapters are forever etched in our minds. It was a challenging year punctuated by tear-jerking losses, but it also saw several wins ­– oh yes, and weddings! Stories of two hearts becoming one offered an escape to the romantic inside many of us and the achievements of Jamaicans served to inspire hope for brighter days ahead. Here are the stories that made the Lifestyle list for 2021.

1. Jamaica-born Theophilio designer dresses Sha'Carri Richardson for Met Gala

One of the year's most-read stories happened in the final quarter of the year. Controversial track and field athlete Sha'Carri Richardson, who made a few headlines last year after she was disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics for failing a drug test due to marijuana usage and for her strong talk off the track, wore Theophilio to the Met Gala. Theophilio's Jamaica-born designer, Edvin Thompson, also attended the extravagant affair in a custom Theophilio suit with a black, green and gold sash, complete with a small Jamaican flag. He shared that the red and black creation was inspired by a phoenix, while Richardson said she felt like “Cinderella”.

2. The Mitchells' paradise wedding in Jamaica

Destination weddings are always beautifully executed, especially when the destination is Jamaica. Pierre Mitchell wedded the love of his life, Morgan Kauffman, at Kanopi House, a hidden gem in Port Antonio that overlooks the Blue Lagoon. The private and intimate ceremony is one that they will cherish forever as it was everything they had hoped for and more.

3. Reggae singer weds at Haile Selassie's former house

Fairfield House in Bath in the United Kingdom was the former residence of Emperor Haile Selassie during the 1940s and was considered a Mecca of sorts for Rastafarians. The 14-room Victorian villa sits on two acres of land and currently houses a museum, a gallery, and a local radio station, but when international reggae artiste Askala Selassie was to be married to her long-term partner, Marlon Dale, she could not think of a more appropriate place. The iconic venue has never been used before as a wedding venue, but as a committed Rastafari couple, Askala and Marlon had their wedding ceremony at Fairfield House, and the ceremony was fit for a king and queen.

4. Meet The Bromfields: From high-school sweethearts to husband and wife

The line that stands out in The Bromfields' love story is 'the couple that studies together, stays together'. It was an Island Wedding feature that spoke of young love and the dedication shown by Mark and Naedine Bromfield from high school through to university. Six years after they first laid eyes on each other at an after-school jam, they decided to formalise their union through holy matrimony.

5. Uniformed in love – Essential workers say 'I do'

Monique Grant-Reid, a nurse, would not have imagined dating an officer of the law in her lifetime, but Dawneric Reid certainly succeeded in changing her mind. The two essential workers had a chance meeting where he found himself arrested by her alluring beauty and she became cuffed by his kind heart. Filled with a play on words and genuine inspiration, it was easy for our readers to say 'I do' to this story.

6. The Robinsons connected by fate and algorithms

Considering it love at first sight, Dane Robinson told Kareen Farquharson that he wanted to be part of her family while they were just in high school. “She chuckled and blushed, but they would not exchange further words until algorithms (and fate) connected them on Facebook in 2012”, wrote Sade Gardner. Fast- forward to their first date, Dane had left his wallet and was worried that it would leave a bad impression. It didn't, and the two would go on to not only welcome a son, but also to tie the knot.

7. Beyoncé's mother dubs Jamaica' heaven on earth'

Celestine Beyoncé Knowles-Lawson, better known as Tina Knowles, the mother of Grammy Award-winning pop artistes Beyoncé and Solange, vacationed in Jamaica last year with her husband, Richard Lawson. As pictures and videos of her basking in the sun at Dunn's River Falls and dancing to Bob Marley's Three Little Birds on the shores after dark began to circulate, many Jamaicans headed to the celebrity's page to raise their flags high in the comment section.

8. Miss World Toni-Ann Singh back on The Rock

Toni-Ann Singh continues to make history as one of the longest-reigning local and international beauty queens, so it was important that her return to Jamaica be fit for a queen. Welcomed by new Miss Jamaica World Khalia Hall, Singh had a whirlwind few days back home before heading to Puerto Rico, where the Miss World pageant was to be held before being postponed to later this year.

9. Terri-Karelle Reid talks family, designing your life, and TEDx

In 2021, Terri-Karelle Reid became the first female Jamaican speaker to receive an invitation to a TEDx talk at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Her talk focused on raising children holistically. Before the event, the TV presenter, host, social media guru, human Ethernet, and connector of dots, who everyone has grown to love since she first came into the spotlight as Miss Jamaica World 2005, spoke with The Gleaner about designing the life you want. Reid shared, “You have to control your narrative. You simply cannot accept definitions or the narrative that people put on you, and therefore it is absolutely imperative that we design who we are.”

10. Yanique 'Curvy Diva' – the 'BADventist' who fears God

Yanique 'Curvy Diva' Barrett and risqué somehow go hand in hand while she is performing on stage, and for this, the poster girl for 'BADventist' – a term used to describe a member of the church gone rogue – makes no apologies, not even to her upstanding Christian family, who she truly adores. In her interview, she spoke about God and dealing with backlash, revealing to our readers that despite the Curvy Diva's readiness to put on a show in dancehall, she is still a God-fearing woman.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com