Hurricane hero gets fairytale proposal at Borghinvilla

WESTERN BUREAU:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, when Jamaica’s wedding industry was brought to a near standstill, and many vendors faced cancelled bookings, damaged properties and uncertain futures, one St Ann venue decided to turn heartbreak into something beautiful.

The result was a breathtaking engagement celebration for 28-year-old Dr Melissa Halliman and her fiancé, 31-year-old Pastor Jevone Sortie, a couple whose love story became a symbol of resilience, faith and hope after the storm.

Held at the Borghinvilla Wedding Venue in Discovery Bay, St Ann, the engagement experience was the culmination of the venue’s ‘Hurricane Hero’ initiative, launched at the end of 2025 to honour Jamaicans who displayed extraordinary courage during Hurricane Melissa's passage on October 28.

For Borghinvilla’s operators, the initiative was also deeply personal.

The Category Five system caused catastrophic damage to the property, forcing extensive recovery work before the venue could reopen. Across the island, the hurricane crippled the wedding industry, leaving decorators, photographers, caterers, planners and other creatives struggling after weddings were cancelled and incomes disappeared almost overnight. 

“This was truly a team effort,” Jennifer Borgh, owner of Borghinvilla Wedding Venue, shared. “We love working with like-minded friends. We love celebrating love. And most of all, we love honouring the people who show up for others.” 

When Borghinvilla invited Jamaicans to nominate their ‘Hurricane Heroes’, Sortie’s emotional submission about Melissa immediately stood out.

While most Jamaicans sheltered with family during the terrifying storm, Halliman remained at work in the maternity ward at Victoria Jubilee Hospital on North Street in downtown Kingston, caring for mothers and babies through the uncertainty and chaos.

“During this time, Melissa was [at] the maternity hospital, caring for people whose families couldn’t reach them,” Sortie wrote in the winning letter. “She set aside her own fears and her own comfort to serve her community.” 

The story touched the hearts of the Borghinvilla team and several wedding professionals who volunteered their services to create a dream proposal and engagement celebration for the couple.

Merrick Cousley Photography handled photography, while Damion Lyn and the Wedding Visuals Ja team captured the experience for video. Brides by Charissa Zoé provided soft, elegant make-up for Melissa, while Gorgeous Flowers Drax Hall transformed the venue into a romantic wonderland overflowing with silk roses, hydrangeas, baby’s breath and fresh pink, white and red roses. 

The venue’s newly unveiled gazebo became the centrepiece of the celebration, draped in dramatic crimson fabric and crowned with a glowing ‘Will You Marry Me?’ sign. Chandeliers hung from surrounding trees, candles flickered inside glass cylinders, and sparklers from Big J Entertainment lit up the evening in cinematic style.

Interestingly, the bride-to-be shared the same name as the storm that inspired the theme.

“The theme was Hurricane Melissa and, coincidentally, the future bride’s name is also Melissa,” Borgh noted. 

Halliman, radiant in a fitted cream gown from Nasihc’s Style Hub, made an unforgettable entrance through the gardens, carrying a single red flower as Sortie waited beneath the floral installation. The groom-to-be wore garments from Carby’s clothing store. 

Guests were also treated to a series of elevated interactive touches. Tropical Chic Weddings and Events provided customised coconuts for guests, while Novia Stewart from Sense and Events introduced a perfume bar experience featuring personalised fragrance bottles for the couple and keepsakes for family and friends. Chef Life JA brought everyone together over an indulgent brunch menu featuring ackee and salt fish, knotted dumplings, French toast with fruit compote, fresh fruit, crispy bacon and maple syrup. 

For the lucky couple, however, the heart of the day was not the décor or glamour, but the journey that brought them there.

The couple first met in 2018 while participating in another wedding, she as maid of honour, he as a groomsman. Their interaction was brief and seemingly insignificant, but over the years, their paths continued to cross through church and social media.

In June 2020, Sortie reached out to Halliman on Instagram, expressing his interest in getting to know her better. Though she explained she was not ready for a serious relationship at the time, the pair maintained a respectful friendship that slowly deepened.

Their connection shifted after Halliman heard Sortie minister at their church’s Annual General Convention. Deeply moved by his humility, conviction and passion for God, she later messaged him to congratulate him on the exhortation.

Two weeks later, Sortie sent a simple Instagram message: “Hi.”

That single word would change both of their lives.

“Within one month, Sortie knew with absolute certainty that Halliman was his future wife,” the couple shared in their relationship story. 

On January 10, 2026, near Halliman’s home and at the very location where she had once spoken to her mother about Sortie’s sermon, he asked her to marry him.

Now, after weathering literal and personal storms together, the couple is preparing to say “I do” this August.

And, for one magical evening in Discovery Bay, amid flowers, fireworks and overwhelming emotion, Jamaica’s recovering wedding industry found a reminder of exactly why it does what it does, creating beauty, joy and unforgettable moments, even after the storm.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com