Santana & Symroy: Over the Moon in Jamaica

By Vawn Himmelsbach

Santana Russell had always wanted a destination wedding. But the destination itself was never a question.

“Since I was a little girl I always dreamt of having a beach wedding,” she says. Born in Jamaica, Santana’s family moved to Toronto when she was six years old. Fortunately, when she met her now-husband, Symroy, he was completely on board with a beach wedding in Jamaica.

Symroy proposed at church, during a Sunday morning service. But Santana “kind of knew” he was going to propose — the night before, she dreamt he would pop the question in church. But in her dream, the engagement ring was broken into pieces.

The next day, they went to church with their families, and Symroy — just like in the dream — walked up to the altar and made a speech. “He asked me to marry him in front of everyone,” says Santana. Thankfully, the ring wasn’t broken into pieces, but it was too small, “so our pastor rubbed my finger with olive oil and then it fit.”

For Symroy, it was important to share that moment with family and friends. “Church is an important thing in my life, so I wanted to choose that moment [to propose],” he says. “I wanted to share it with everyone.”

While Santana literally dreamt of her proposal, she had long dreamed of a beach wedding in Jamaica — the only challenge was picking a venue.

“I’m very picky,” she laughs. She knew exactly what she wanted: a wedding of white and gold, with hints of blush pink. Centrepieces would feature white orchids and golden branches; guests would wear white or gold, and the bridal party would wear blush pink.

The couple’s travel agent specializes in weddings, and suggested Moon Palace Jamaica in Ocho Rios. So the couple hopped on a flight to check it out for themselves.

“It was perfect for what we had in mind,” says Symroy. Not only could they have a beach wedding, but the package included all excursions — not just for the bride and groom, but for all of their guests. That meant friends and family could accompany them on outings — such as a catamaran cruise and rainforest bobsled at Mystic Mountain — at no extra cost.

The resort was also willing to turn Santana’s vision into reality. She shipped down her own décor, and brought gold sugar so the catering team could make the wedding cake of her dreams — a gold and white layer cake.

The menu was curated with plenty of Jamaican specialties, including one of Santana’s favourites: Jamaican red pea soup. Also featured was ackee and saltfish (Jamaica’s national dish), escovitch (a Jamaican variation of ceviche), jerk pork and chicken, cheesy corn with callaloo and fried plantains — “what we eat every Sunday in Jamaica,” she says.

The DestinationVows specialist played a key role in bringing Santana’s dream wedding to life — one that wasn’t a cookie-cutter destination wedding. “She did everything for me,” says Santana.

Even though it was their special day, they wanted it to be just as special for their guests. The head table was situated so that all the guests — dressed in white and gold — looked out over the ocean.

Santana got the perfect wedding — the one she had dreamt about since she was six years old. But it was moments like her mom pinning on her veil and her dad walking her down the aisle that she remembers most.

For Symroy, amidst all the white and gold, it was the vision he saw walking down the aisle that he recalls so vividly: “When I saw my wife,” he says, “that made me cry.”