FLAIR COUPLE - A perfect match

Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

The newlyweds Natalee and Amilcar Bennett lovingly hold each other.

A woman's perfect birthday gift, a wedding perhaps? Well for Natalee Monique Ffrench, changing her name to Bennett was a large part of her 25th birthday celebrations.

She married Amilcar Bennett at the Andrew's Memorial Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Kingston on January 31.

In a beautiful wedding ceremony with melodious solos by Lisa Davis, which included Dan Fogelberg's Longer Than and Alicia Keys' No One, the two were wed.

The indestructible nature of true love was emphasised during the ceremony, with Pastor Lorenzo King asking the couple to repeat the words , "Love is indestructible".

The young couple, whose relationship began as a friendship four years ago, was filled with joy, which came spilling over in tears and laughter during the wedding ceremony.

Mr Bennett placed third in The Gleaner's Wedding Vow Competition, "To Have and to Hold", which asked fiancés to write wedding vows to their partners. As part of their prize, they won the services of a professional photographer for their wedding and a $20,000 gift voucher.

Mr Bennett said it was not difficult to compose the vows.

"When you're really in love, it's really not that hard to find the words," he said.

Choosing his bride's birthday as their wedding day happened by chance.

"I had to ask her father (for her hand in marriage), and I had to come up with a date. So it was the perfect date," he said.

However, for his wife, her birthday was last thing on her mind that day.

"For most of the morning, honestly, I didn't even remember," she said. But once the proceedings got underway she simply enjoyed the experience.

What was the best thing about the whole day? "All the friends and family," she said.

Their reception followed at The Estate of Century Palm, Lodge, Old Harbour.

The bride, Natalee Ffrench, stands in front of arched bamboos at The Estate of Century Palm, Lodge in Old Harbour, St Catherine.

The setting.

The bride and groom, Natalee and Amilcar Bennett, are sandwiched by (from left) bridesmaids, Rachel Ralph and Roxanne Bennett; maid of honour, Melanie Ffrench; best man, Paul Harris; groomsmen, Robert Ffrench and Roget Walters; and in front is flower girl, Gabrielle Davis. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer