In what has been described as a “massive country wedding,” the president of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines umbrella organization in the United States on Aug. 21 wed her long-time, hometown lover in an elegant ceremony in Brooklyn.
After over three decades of being together, Laverne McDowald, president of the Brooklyn-based Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Organizations, U.S.A., Inc. (COSAGO), and Almond Thompson tied the knot at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn.
A large segment of the Vincentian community in New York and representatives of various Vincentian organizations, as well as the Chateaubelair, St. Vincent and the Grenadines-born couple’s relatives and friends in the United States, Canada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, among other places, witnessed the large ceremony. The bride and groom are former school teachers in the town of Chateaubelair and its environs.
The nuptial was presided over by the Rev. Ulric Skerritt, pastor of the Layou Anglican Church in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“This is a special day in your life,” said Fr. Skerritt before asking the couple to exchange wedding vows and rings.
“You’ve gone to great lengths to make it possible,” he added. “God has granted you His mercies that your marriage will grow in depth and glory.
At the subsequent reception, at Nazareth High School Hall in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, over 500 guests celebrated the special occasion with the newly-wed couple, toasting them and dancing to soca, reggae and soft lover’s vibes.
Laverne said she was “humbled” by the guests’ presence at their wedding.
“Everyone has played a special part in this wedding,” she said. “We’re just making this wedding legal, because we’ve been around so long.”
“I know it wouldn’t have been possible without you,” said Almond, also called “Zobe” and “Rabbi.”
