Island Wedding | Love is right on time for Dexter and Tamalcia

Dexter Johnson and Tamalcia Johnson first met while working together in February 2024, but romance was far from Tamalcia’s mind at the time. Although Dexter was more familiar in Christian circles, he wasn’t someone she had taken much notice of — until she needed a master of ceremonies for an event.

“The stage was set for our first rendezvous, and he was late. Yuh can imagine? He delivered well — as I’ve come to find he always does — so the tardiness was hardly remembered. At the end of the day, I commended him and went about my business,” Tamalcia shared with Island Wedding.

Not long after, their paths crossed again when Tamalcia found herself struggling to secure tickets for an event.

“All attempts to get tickets, however, failed. I was on the brink of reconsidering when I saw the promoter advertising a flash sale. That same evening, I rang the number listed and was greeted by a familiar voice: Dexter.”

That unexpected encounter sparked something. Though Tamalcia admitted she was not usually one to pay much attention to others, she found herself increasingly intrigued by Dexter.

“Before we even met officially, not counting the work event, I was certain something was different. Mi nuh likey likey, and I found myself suddenly with a huge crush on him,” she said with a laugh.

out of the blue

She continued, “As much as I wanted to keep the madness to myself (because who just likes somebody out of the blue?) I had to enlist help from my friend to deal with the feelings. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced”.

Dexter, too, had taken an interest in Tamalcia, though he initially believed a relationship between them was unlikely.

“She’s a nice girl. Real cute!” he shared of his first impression. “[She] was serious about her job, career-oriented and focused, but I thought she was out of my league, so I took my mind off anything happening between us.”

As they continued getting to know each other, Dexter realised that, despite all the time they had spent together, they had yet to go on an actual date. Now, he just had to find out if Tamalcia would agree.

“Many beholdings later, she gave me her first ‘yes’. Still a bit shy, I mustered up the courage, asked her out, and she gracefully accepted,” Dexter shared.

The two went to Mystic Thai for their first date and made their relationship official later that month. During the date, Dexter gifted Tamalcia a Pandora bracelet, though there was a small hiccup.

“[I] was being presented with the Pandora bracelet and not knowing how to open it. Nervously laughing, I spun it around in my hand and asked, ‘Then how it [open] — this is it?’ Then hear him, as if I wasn’t embarrassed enough, ‘You’ve never had a Pandora before. It’s fine.’ Imagine! Shame suh till. But he was so sweet.”

To close out the night, Dexter had one more surprise in store.

“I gave her a surprise serenade while playing the keyboard to Ordinary Love by Alaine,” Dexter explained.

For Dexter, deciding that Tamalcia was the woman he wanted to marry came easily. He knew she was the one when he realised he had finally found a love worth risking it all for.

He admitted, “I couldn’t stop thinking about our future together. It never felt like a decision to make because time was running out, but rather one to [build] a future together.”

Less than a month after meeting Dexter, Tamalcia was already putting her feelings for him into words in her journal.

“I wrote, ‘I’m so in love with you. It’s def too soon to express that. Plus you have to say it first,’” she shared with Island Wedding, laughing.

BEACH PROPOSAL

On July 5, 2025, Dexter asked the love of his life to marry him on the beach along the Palisadoes strip. Wanting the moment to be memorable, he incorporated some of Tamalcia’s favourite things into the proposal.

“I coupled the perfect venue with all the things she loves: her man, the sunset, photos, community and food. I called in huge favours to plan the surprise. Despite wanting the ‘Marry Me’ sign, I got [the] ‘Be My Wife’ [sign], which was even better because I was giving an instruction,” he shared with a laugh.

Dexter planned everything. He booked her make-up and nail appointments, bought her roses and implied that this was just another formal date for the couple.

Tamalcia reacted in one of the most unexpected — yet quintessentially her — ways. She couldn’t stop laughing and was filled with pure joy when she realised Dexter was proposing.

“Everyone was expecting tears, but I quite literally laughed the entire time. I was overjoyed and not entirely surprised. My math added up to ‘it’s happening!’ but I didn’t know what to expect, which was great. I was hoping to be surprised, and I was, pleasantly so.”

The newly engaged couple celebrated their new milestone at Hotel Grand Excelsior, which Dexter made a reservation for in advance.

Craighton Estate provided the setting for the couple’s wedding, where Dexter got an early start on his husband duties before they even exchanged vows.

Dexter shared, “I cooked breakfast for everyone! Stew chicken and white rice; even the video crew and make-up artist ate! So, I started the day feeling like a real husband already”.

Setting the tone for the ceremony, Alicia Taylor sang Luther Vandross’ Here and Now as Tamalcia walked towards her husband-to-be in a customised House of Clay gown by designer Keisha Allen.

Audience of One, an award-winning international worship group led by Dexter, was also part of the ceremony. Johnmark Wiggan led guests in a time of worship.

Becoming One Flavour

Putting their own spin on tradition, the couple used two of their favourite Lasco Food Drink flavours, carrot and vanilla, for a unity ceremony they dubbed ‘Becoming One Flavour’.

That playful approach continued at the reception. Instead of having guests clink their glasses to prompt a kiss, the newlyweds came up with a more profitable alternative.

“Our guests had to pay to have us kiss, and boy did they. Excellent ‘start life’ fundraiser,” Tamalcia shared with a laugh.

They also brought their love story to the tables, naming each after restaurants where they had shared dates.

Following the celebrations, the newlyweds honeymooned at Couples Sans Souci and Ocean Coral Spring.

ruth-ann.briscoe@gleanerjm.com