Island Wedding: She ‘Fitz To Be Burke’
Published:Tuesday | April 25, 2023 | 12:34 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Melanie Fitz-Henley and Kemoi Burke’s rustic garden wedding is another adventure-filled chapter of their happily ever after. The Burkes’ story began with both declaring disinterest in a relationship, but their feelings grew, and now they’re husband and wife.
“It happened at a time when neither of us was looking for love but we just could not stop talking to each other and here we are today,” Kemoi told Island Weddings.
“Her smile stood out to me – so warm and inviting. After talking and learning that she was a mom, I boldly declared my love for children and spent a lot of time talking about my friends’ children who are a part of my life. After putting my number in her phone (she didn’t ask for it) and taking hers, I looked forward to our next chat,” he continued.
He said that he waited exactly 27 days before asking Melanie to be his girlfriend and he feels blessed to have made that step. Melanie, also one with a flair for spontaneity, said that she realised early on that all she wanted “was to make this man happy because I knew he was the one”, and surprised Kemoi on the first birthday they celebrated as a couple – four months after meeting – with a trip to Disney World.
“During one of our many conversations, he randomly stated that he had never been, so I instantly knew that’s where I wanted to take him for his birthday. I presented him with the gift of the trip at his birthday party and also convinced two of his closest friends, whom I had never met in person, to meet us there as part of the surprise,” Melanie shared. It was on that trip the two casually walked into a jewellery store and tried on rings and Kemoi made notes on the size.
As family and friends gathered to surprise Melanie for her 30th birthday on June 1, 2022, Kemoi grabbed the opportunity to surprise her with a proposal. Having booked the flights and tickets to watch Lion King on Broadway, he upheld their tradition of creating printed T-shirts to mark the celebration, but this time around, Melanie would receive one that read, ‘We’re Engaged’.
As Kemoi put it, “Mel is very hard to surprise because she loves surprises and she also loves to ruin them.” It ended up being a botched surprise party but things turned around when he gave his toast that ended in a proposal. “After she unfolded the shirt, she turned to see me on my knee with a ring I had bought six months before, then she said yes, and it truly transformed into a celebration of our love.”
Melanie chimed in, “I looked up with tears in my eyes, only to see that he was on his knee with the ring and all my friends and family gathered around with phones out.”
In Preparation
Melanie and Kemoi revealed that they had gone through premarital counselling before their engagement.
“I know it may sound weird but we agreed this was important for us to know we were on the same page in preparation to take the next step. From those sessions, what stuck out to me was that marriage is a project designed by God and undertaken by one man and one woman who deliberately and consciously give up two lives to become one in a mystical and practical union. Our marriage is a project of oneness,” Melanie shared.
Outside of counselling, she added, “The moment I introduced my child to him, they instantly had a bond, and then, when she told him she loved him, that was the sealer for me. When we met, I was a single mother, therefore I was, or am, very independent. With it being just me and my daughter for four years, I was used to doing every single thing for her and I take pride in doing so. He has taught me how to give up control and that I can be independent while accepting a helping hand from him. He is a huge blessing in our lives.”
They did not believe in drawing out their engagement so, in roughly six months, the couple quickly checked the important items needed to say their ‘I dos’ off the list; selected their bridal party, photographer, and disc jockey, then secured their venue at the Hope Botanical Gardens and invited 120 guests to share in their love.
“It was a huge deal for us to have everything in one location so that we would have more time with our family and friends,” Kemoi explained. Being the Christians they are, the big day was first committed to God as their bridesmaids and groomsmen blessed the journey they were about to walk together. After a little rain to further bless their union, Melanie walked to the tune of the Caleb and Kelsey cover of Bless the Broken Road – a sweet surprise for him, she said.
“I only had big smiles and was engrossed in the day – until I heard the first chord of Mel’s entrance song … I could not hold back the tears. This was the moment, the time was now,” he said. After reading handwritten vows, and sharing a secret handshake and a kiss, to seal their union, The Burkes made their way into a dance party powered by DJ Powa.
The couple expressed feeling love beyond their years and relished in the details that “everything at our wedding were people we loved, and things that we liked to do together. Even that song is very meaningful to us … it speaks to my past and what is now my present,” Melanie shared.
“We didn’t do all traditional things ‘just because’, there wasn’t the fruitcake wedding cake. Instead, we had a cake that was half chocolate (her favourite) and half lychee (his favourite) while our desserts were brownies and cookies. And we had Chinese cuisine because that’s our favourite go-to box lunch. For our first dance, we used a medley of Shania Twain’s From This Moment On and You’re Still The One,” she continued.
Kemoi said if he could relive one moment from the day, “it would have to be the reading of our vows. We both chose to write promises on how we will walk into forever after, based on the lessons learnt on our journey to this point, our weaknesses, our strengths, and our dreams, without each other knowing. It signified the ultimate moment of selflessness.”
The Next Chapter
The newlyweds honeymooned for two weeks in Thailand at the Casa de la Flora hotel and snorkelled over the Similan Islands, toured and shopped in Phuket where they enjoyed cheap meals, lounged about, rode a scooter through the town, visited the Big Buddha temple, and an elephant sanctuary where they fed and bathed elephants.
“After already ticking off a few chapters since being married, the next chapter would definitely be to add another member to our family,” Kemoi said, to which Melanie remarked, “Well, of course, just watching Kem with my daughter already makes me so excited to add more to the family.”