Island Wedding | Damoy and Deneal find the ‘Rowe’ to love

Damoy Rowe and Deneal Gordon’s fathers were good friends, so the pair had known of each other from a young age. They would see each other at events, reconnect and make small talk with their parents, but nothing really clicked until 2023. That year, Deneal’s church was hosting an event, where she also served as the emcee, and her brother asked Damoy to participate as a worship leader. Before the event started, however, Damoy found himself drawn to Deneal at the back of the venue.

“It was quite weird. However, I was just captivated. I watched her for a good minute before snapping back into reality,” Damoy recounted to Island Wedding.

After the event, the two caught up, and her humour only deepened his interest.

“What caught my eye was really her personality and how beautiful her mind was just as much as her face,” he added.

Deneal, fascinated by Damoy’s presence on stage, didn’t hold back her compliments.

“I enjoyed the event, especially Damoy’s set, which I made known to him afterwards, being the extra person I am,” she recalled.

A few days later, Damoy made the first move on Instagram.

“I reposted a cheeky video of a funny, Christian couple that I follow on Instagram. He sent me a DM responding to the video, which led to much humour. We quickly developed a friendship through good conversations and, of course, laughter,” Deneal shared.

Their conversations eventually moved to WhatsApp, where they continued getting to know each other on a deeper level.

By June 22 the following year, the two decided to be intentional about their connection. During this time, they were confiding in close friends about their growing feelings for one another.

Damoy shared: “Something about our interactions felt different, and I said to two [of my] close friends, who I call my big and little brothers: ‘mi think mi like dah girl here enuh, like mi like her differently’. With all of that happening inside my heart, I played it cool and just watched time run its course to see where this would lead.”

After speaking with Damoy on the phone for a few weeks, Deneal called her best friend, Denesha Osbourne, to share her dilemma: “[I] said, ‘girl … I’m in a conundrum. I think I’m liking this guy, but the thing is, he’s younger than me, and remember that I had vowed never to date a younger guy again after I had given one a chance and he ruined it.’”

Denesha had one question: “How are the conversations?”

To which Deneal replied: “‘That’s it, Den, the conversations are out of this world!’ She then said, ‘Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to go on just one date to see what will happen.’”

And that she did.

MAKING THINGS OFFICIAL

Their first date was at Sunshine Palace in Portmore, followed by a drive to Lookout Point in Hellshire. Then, on Deneal’s birthday, August 21, 2023, Damoy made things official, asking her to be his girlfriend.

When asked what they admire in each other, Damoy said, “Once there is an issue to be fixed, she is gonna find a way.” Deneal’s sense of humour and gentle nature, particularly in how she treats him and others, are also among his favourite qualities. There is, he said, never a dull moment around her, and her sharp mind keeps their conversations engaging.

For Deneal, it is his mind that stands out most: “I love the fact that he is able to meet me on the same wavelength when I bring up thought-provoking questions or conversations … I admire how he is very determined and dedicated to whatever goal that he has set, and that’s a trait that I especially would want our future kids to take from him.”

She also admires his emotional intelligence and the way he handles conflict.

ROAD TO ROWE

On August 23, 2025, Damoy proposed to the love of his life at Boone Hall Oasis in St Andrew, with close family and friends joining them for the occasion.

Damoy had planned the proposal himself and asked Deneal’s mother and brother for their blessing, but keeping it a secret, especially leading up to the day, was no easy task.

He explained: “She tried to use her brain on me at times to find out, but I immediately shut it down because she can make it very hard to surprise her ... however, I was determined to make the day special ...”

His efforts paid off, and Deneal was caught completely off guard.

“They got me good!” she recalled of the proposal. “He blindfolded me on our way to wherever he was taking me when we were close by. That wasn’t out of the norm for me because he was always the type to tell me to cover my eyes for various reasons. When we got there, and he finally took it off, I looked down and saw him on one knee with a smirk on his face. I looked to the left and saw a beautiful heart-shaped arrangement with red roses with a sign asking, ‘Will you Marry Me?’”

To celebrate the new chapter, the couple had dinner at Christopher Hermosa Cove.

On May 30, the two exchanged vows at the University Chapel, UWI Mona, in a ceremony officiated by Bishop Courtney Anderson. Deneal had her groom’s undivided attention as she walked down the aisle in an off-the-shoulder mermaid gown by Exquisite Bridal Boutique.

She had, however, planned a surprise of her own.

The couple had agreed that Deneal would walk down the aisle to The Vow by RuthAnne, but she secretly arranged to record herself singing a version of the song for the moment. It was her chance to return the favour after Damoy’s surprise proposal.

“I wanted to surprise him as a ‘get back’ but in a good way, since he had won the bet of surprising me with the proposal,” she shared. “I knew that this would be my only chance at surprising him, because I suck at hiding things from him; he knows how to read me well.”

On the morning of the wedding, Damoy’s groomsmen asked if he thought he would cry. One of his childhood friends, whom he considers to be his little brother, went a step further, claiming he knew exactly when the tears would come. And it did.

Reminiscing on the emotional moment, Damoy said, “The song that she walked down to was actually her singing the words she wrote and I know my wife and I know that writing songs is not her. The fact that she arranged this song, it was the same beat and everything but different words, and it was her voice singing … it was just a very memorable experience.”

After their wedding celebrations, Mr and Mrs Rowe honeymooned at Ocean Eden Bay in Trelawny.

ruth-ann.briscoe@gleanerjm.com