Timing is everything; Lorraine and Otis go from primary schoolmates to happily-ever-after soulmates
Published:Tuesday | April 19, 2022 | 12:07 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
There was an aura of opulence as the glamorous Lorraine Miller walked up the aisle to marry the man of her dreams, Otis Henry. Although the duo engaged in a three-year courtship up to ‘I Do’, this fascinating journey dates back almost four decades ago to primary school.
“We first met 38 years ago while we were in primary school, but he never looked my way. After we graduated, we saw each other twice as adults,” Lorraine told I sland Wedding.
On one of the all-grown-up occasions, set at the University of Technology in 1996, she recalled being blown away by the mature version of Otis that stood before her. “I couldn’t have imagined that he would have grown up looking that fine. My first impression then was ‘wow!’,” she added with excitement.
The feeling was certainly mutual for Otis, who explained that he was equally impressed after being reacquainted. “To be honest, her beauty took my breath away. I thought to myself, ‘I’d love to get to know her soul.’,” he reflected candidly
Things remained casual when they became Facebook friends in 2016. Until 2018, which marked the start of a beautiful love story. “On October 31, 2018, he sent me a ‘Happy Birthday’ message on Facebook. We spoke casually for three days, and then I never heard from him until December 18, when he sent a ‘wave’. That wave evolved into long hours of talks, which led to a relationship,” Lorraine shared.
Since setting sail on the love boat, she has been cruising on his caring, affectionate, humorous, irreplaceable, and faithful waves. “I can always count on him to be there for me and make me feel safe. He openly expresses his sensitive side. He’s invariably able to make me laugh until I cry. He knows when I am giving less than my best, and he calls me out on it, challenging me to work on myself and become a better person. He is unique and committed to the life we have built together,” Lorraine shared. And when difficult conversations threaten to rock the relationship, Otis is a firm believer in talking through those issues and sees to it that they carve out special time to spend together.
Co-captain Otis agrees that the constant flow of affection is mutual, adding that her quiet, pleasant demeanour makes it very easy to talk to her about anything. She is pleasing to all the senses, resonating in physical, intellectual, and emotional beauty. She is also punctual, which is a big plus in his book since he is motivated to take a page out of her book. “She has taken the initiative in directing my focus on health, wealth, and education. She is compassionate and forgiving. Quality time, consistency, and effective communication are extremely important to her,” he said.
After eighteen months of dating, Otis decided it was time to make things official by popping the big question. Because they are both introverts, he decided to keep the proposal as intimate as possible. Already in possession of her ring size and preferred style, he never brought any discussions about a wedding, waiting until she visited him here in Jamaica from the United States of America.
“I didn’t plan anything fancy as I didn’t want her to have the slightest idea of what was going to happen. I also wanted it to be as private as possible. We had just returned from Kingston on the day in question, and I went to the bedroom while she stayed in the living room. I lit candles and poured rose petals all over the floor before inviting her to the bedroom. I was down on my knees when she entered the room, professing my love for her and asking this beautiful lady, my soul mate, to be my wife.” A surprised Lorraine, grateful for the exciting opportunity, said yes.
Since she resides in the states, the bride-to-be didn’t have time to iron out all the details from a distance, so she went with a wedding planner, Shonick McFarlane of Let’s Talk Weddings Ja to bring her matrimonial dreams in Jamaica to a beautiful and enchanting reality.
On December 19, 2021, Otis and Lorraine declared their unwavering love for each other before God and specially invited guests at a private wedding ceremony in Portland. The inclement weather cast a dark cloud over the couple’s outdoor nuptials, but in the end, they sought shelter from the lawns and moved to the elegant tent arranged for the reception.
“Both the ceremony and reception were beautiful,” said Mrs Henry. “The best moment was walking down the aisle to see the man of my dreams. Everything changed at that moment. The rain didn’t matter, and all my worries vanished. The second-best moment was my daughter’s speech,” she added.
For Otis, it was important that his bride was happy on their wedding day. Once he achieved that, it was mission accomplished, “Seeing my bride walking up the aisle, looking like an angel, reemphasised just how truly blessed I am.”