Dinner at the Italian restaurant Evita's was supposed to be the final birthday gift from Andreiyev Richards to his girlfriend Francine Black.

After a week of sending her gifts, he had taken her to Ocho Rios and told her he had one last present for her. Dinner was on the terrace overlooking Ocho Rios, and after a tasty main course came dessert and the surprise. "The waiter presented our desserts and just as I was about to dig in, another plate was placed beside me. It had a ring box and the words 'Marry me', written in chocolate. By the time I looked up, he was down on one knee asking me to marry him," she recalled.

Of course, she said yes and quickly set about calling her family and friends to tell them about this new development in their lives. However, she quickly found out that everyone had known of Andreiyev's plans except her.

The two had been dating for three years after meeting while they both worked at The Gleaner Company.

Andreiyev is the assistant coordinator of web development at The Gleaner, while Francine is now the public relations officer at The Forestry Department.

Date set

After their engagement last November, the couple decided on August 12, 2012 as their wedding day.

In front of 160 family members and friends, Andreiyev and Francine exchanged vows in a ceremony officiated by Silvera Castro in the Sunken Garden at Hope Gardens. During the cocktail hour, guests visited the photo booth, taking pictures of themselves which were packaged as refrigerator magnets and given as souvenirs.

The reception followed in the adjoining Pavillion Gardens and was guided by master of ceremonies, Dr Orville Taylor.

The couple's wedding colours of fuschia, purple and lime, were complemented by crystal accents which were expertly draped and wrapped around the gardens by Nadia Coppin and her team from Magic Moments to create a colourful and memorable décor. A beautiful cupcake and cake combination provided by Kingston Minicakes offered a mix of cake flavours for guests while skilled musician Bunny Rose sang and played loving tunes throughout the evening.

Following the wedding, the couple jetted off to Ocho Rios for their week-long honeymoon.