So, here we were in the middle of planning our wedding when things started getting hairy. My parents were adamant that we needed to be married by a Rabbi even though neither Jody nor I have any real religious beliefs. We actually had wanted the guy who was his best friend and my first date to be the one to marry us in a civil union. Who better than someone who knew us both to perform the ceremony? But that idea was not going over well with my parents. Also, I have some family that will only eat kosher food, which meant the menu would be a challenge. There were even going to be issues as to who walked me down the aisle. Jody knew the only way we could have this wedding and still keep our sanity was to simply elope. I saw he was right and there was no way to make everyone happy on our wedding day, so we hopped a flight to Jamaica and got married.
We wanted our wedding to be just that, ours. We told Jody’s dad and my parents we would be going off to get married. It wasn’t a secret; we wanted them to know because we were sorry they couldn’t be there. Even if we had just brought them to the wedding, there would always be others who would be upset that they didn’t get to come. There really was no other way to do it other than just the two of us.
We went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and stayed at Couples Resort. Jody and I got married May 2, 1998 right by the ocean. When we planned the wedding with the resort Jody and I were so happy to see they did non-denominational weddings. We booked one of those and we were on our way.
The funny thing about this non-denominational wedding was, it was done by Reverend Rose. We were told he performed all of the ceremonies but it would be non-denominational. That should have been our first tip that the day wasn't going to go as planned because even worse than not getting married by a rabbi – it was being done by a reverend. But, Jody and I did not care who was performing the ceremony, it could have been Bob Marley himself and we would not have cared, we were just ready to get married. As Reverend Rose began the ceremony, Jody and I were holding hands, listening intently as he gave his speech about marriage. The ceremony started out very nice.
Then, suddenly things went wrong. Reverend Rose started referring to "our Lord Jesus Christ" and "the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit". I started squeezing Jody’s hands and we started looking at each other with an “Oh Crap!” look in our eyes. This was really not how this was supposed to go, but a video camera was rolling, the ceremony was in full swing and neither of us stopped the Reverend. We were in the middle of getting married. We didn't want to stop the process. We just let the ceremony go on.
It is now something we get a laugh at, because after 14 years of marriage it has been fun to have this little inside secret about our wedding day. We spent the rest of our wedding day walking around the resort with photographers taking wedding pictures and grabbing a drink every time we passes a bar. We laughed and drank and had the time of our lives. If I remember correctly Jody may have ended up in the pool in his clothes at some point as well. Truly a milestone to remember, and before today not even my parents knew the story about Reverend Rose. Sorry guys!
We never felt the need to remarry in a more civil ceremony, nor by a rabbi. It seems Reverend Rose tied the knot for us pretty tight and I am glad the past 20 years I have spent with Jody have been more devilish than divine because as Billy Joel says… “The sinners are much more fun!”
Come out Virginia, don't let me wait.
You Catholic girls start much too late.
Aw, but sooner or later it comes down to fate.
I might as well be the one.
They say there's a heaven for those who will wait.
Some say it's better, but I say it ain't.
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,
the sinners are much more fun.
-Billy Joel
14 days and counting!