IT WAS a tough call this year, according to one judge, but in the end, it was clear who the winning couple would be. That couple was none other than Steven Persaud and Monalisa Sammy, who both so much impressed the judges with their “good ambassadorship potential of the Wedding Expo legacy and Online voting support,” that they just had to give it to them.

The ‘it’ at reference was the coveted $3M-worth all-expenses-paid wedding up for grabs this year in the annual Wedding Expo “Race to the Altar” competition, sponsored by the Roraima Group of Companies.

According to a release from Roraima, “Good ambassadorship and Online voting were just some of the criteria of winning,” the others being “the strong chemistry between the couple, and their inability to afford” — the $3M whatever it would take to host a proper wedding these days.

The announcement of who would won the race was made before a packed audience on Sunday evening at a Valentine’s Day special at the Duke Lodge in Kingston, in culmination of a series of events, which began on February 5 with an interview of at least 15 competing couples.
That event, the release says, was followed by a “media blitz” during a visit to the Arrowpoint Nature Resort on the Kamuni Creek on February 7; house visits on February 10; and Online voting via Facebook from February 9 to 14.
The activities at ‘Arrowpoint’ ranged from mountain biking, kayaking, and going on a forest expedition, all of which helped the judges guage how well the couples interacted under stress, and what the chemistry between each was like.

Sponsors of this year’s ‘race’ were: Tower Suites, Sacha Designs, John Lewis Styles, King’s Jewellery World, Ansa McAl, Bonny’s Marketing Complex, Monique’s Amazing Designs and Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company.

The wedding of Steven and Monalisa’s will be on April 2, and the public is invited to witness the ceremony.