ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – It rained, it poured, but De-Shazo Wilkinson was not going to let anything stop his wedding day a third time.
Wilkinson surprised his bride on Memorial Day, with an intimate ceremony at the Treasury on the Plaza in downtown St. Augustine.
He says he pulled it off with a fib or two.
“I didn’t want to start our marriage like this, but -- a lotta lies," Wilkinson said laughing. “I mean I had to. I had to bluff some things, but it’s ok, it’s all in good spirits It’s about where your heart is.”
The first time their wedding venue shut down. The second time the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Now that businesses are reopening, De-Shazo jumped at the chance to make it happen.
Fortunately he remembered what she wanted.
“She did it all. All I did was just listen to her, and remember what she said, and shared it with our wedding planner, it was pretty easy actually,” he said.
Following social distancing guidelines, photos replaced most invited guests at the venue. Even the officiant, married the couple by computer.
Having started her surprise wedding day, as a regular day at work, Jacarra thought she was at the venue for a hair, make-up and a photoshoot session — just a consolation gift for another canceled wedding.
“I left work thinking we were coming here to celebrate what would have been our wedding day, and it’s actually our wedding day,” Jacarra Wilkinson said. “The fact that he could do all this with my family, and no one really spoiled it, I think it’s amazing.”
The couple does plan on having a formal wedding on the weekend of their one-year anniversary, so all their 160 friends and family can attend.
And they’re eager to eventually go on their planned honeymoon in Italy.