Jhonny was Manuela’s childhood crush at church but they wound up being just friends. They stayed close throughout their high school and college years and when she relocated back to the area for work in 2011, they finally got their chance at love.
Bride: Manuela Patricia Prince, 29, Social Worker
Groom: Jhonny St. Jean, 32, Sales Representative
Married On: August 23, 2013
Wedding Style: Traditional
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
Love Of My Life
Jhonny and Manuela met as kids in the church growing up. She was close friends with Jhonny’s little brother, Terry, and she begged him not to tell his big brother Jhonny that she had a huge crush on him when they got to high school. Despite her effors, Jhonny didn’t take her seriously back then. Manuela and her sister remained close with Terry and Jhonny through the years. When their college years came, ever winter break on Christmas Day it was tradition for the Prince sisters and the St. Jean brothers to see a movie together. Jhonny began to see Manuela in a different light, but she was dating someone back at her campus at the time. Once again, their timing was off. The four of them planned a trip to Jamaica together in 2008 and Jhonny’s feelings for Manuela truly blossomed. She was still in a committed relationship so they chose to remain only friends.
New Beginnings
In the summer of 2011, Jhonny learned that Manuela was single again and this time he made his move. “You’re gonna be mine,” he proclaimed to her. “Of course I could not resist him,” says Manuela. “A crush that I had developed in high school was rekindled and it turned into a committed relationship on July 24, 2011 – all in God’s timing.
Happy Holidays
Each year around the Christmas holidays, Manuela always enjoyed going to see the giant Christmas tree in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, but she could never talk Jhonny into going with her. In 2012, he had a change of heart and planned to join her and friends for a visit. It rained, but they didn’t let that stop their fun. As they walked through the drizzle, they stopped for a picture in front of the tree. It was at that very moment that Johnny surprised her and got down on bended knee. “He called my name and I looked down and just started to scream,” she recalls. “Strangers were clapping, and I barely could hear him over my screams and the crowds applause. He was so nervous he forgot his lines, but I gladly said yes!”
Photos: Abbey Domond Photography
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