Smitten on Sight
THE KIRK & LISA STORY
January 25, 2020 | Rock Hill, Silver Sands, Trelawny
Photography by: Matthew Khoury
HOW WE MET
Kirk and I met at a time when we were least expecting to start a serious relationship. I was a 19-year-old USC sophomore (Fight On!) in the middle of one of the most fun, care-free years of my life. Kirk was a 27-year-old dental student at Howard University in his 4th and final year. We met on December 24, 2013 at my cousins’ Christmas Eve barbecue.
It’s a running joke to this day how Kirk first approached me. “Hi, I’m Kirk. Nice to meet you,” he said, as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I was standing in the buffet line, salivating over this amazing Christmas meal we were all about to have and couldn’t wait to fill my plate. Suddenly, I could care less about the damn food! “Oh my God. Who. Is. THIS?” I remember thinking to myself. I was pleasantly surprised to realize this unexpected intro came from the most handsome, stunningly dressed, eye-catcher of a man I’d ever seen.
We both grew up in Kingston, but neither of us had ever heard of, or seen, the other before. There was no turning back – I had to find out who this guy was. That entire night we’d catch the other staring and quickly looking away. Further into the night, my cousin Chelsea sat down beside me. “Lisa, there’s a situation.” “Please, please, please let this be about Kirk,” I thought to myself. “My friend Kirk told me to give you his number and to tell you to message him,” she said. I laughed and responded, “Give him MY number, and tell him he needs to text ME.” And that’s exactly what happened! The next day he messaged me, and we saw each other every day for the rest of that Christmas holiday.
Then the holidays were over and January came. I went back to California and Kirk returned to Washington D.C. Distance took absolutely no toll on our holiday fling. Kirk visited me in LA within weeks of being back on opposite sides of the U.S. In a little over a year, as fate would have it, Kirk matched at UCLA’s dental residency program, and he moved to LA. When he moved, he said he wasn’t ready to move in together yet. He was only going to stay at my apartment for the first week until he got “settled” in his new apartment closer to the hospital where he was working.
So said, so NOT done – he never left! We even got a dog together within a few weeks of him moving (our first child, Penelope is the joy of both our lives!). We lived together for a year before Kirk got a job opportunity in Jamaica. I had just graduated college, and I didn’t want to be apart from him again. Wherever he went, best believe I was going too (yes, Penny made the big move with us).
THE WEDDING
Fast forward 6 years, on January 25, 2020, Kirk and I got married at my family’s country home “Rock Hill” in Silver Sands, Trelawny. Our wedding team was phenomenal and I would recommend each one of these amazing people: Kimberly Wong with “I Do Islands” (wedding planner), Aiesha Panton with Pussbackfoot (decor), Reynaldo Martin (videographer), Matthew Khoury (photographer), Christina Simonitsch with “Simo’s” (chef/caterer), Starlight Productions (production), Alric Anglin (DJ), Top Shelf (bar service), Gossett Brown (mixologist), Loni Jones (makeup artist), and Rochelle Gordon (hairstylist). I am so grateful for their talent. This was the wedding of my and Kirk’s dreams. It exceeded any expectations we had.
We are both eternally grateful to our parents, bridal party & groomsmen for standing with us on our day, and to our friends and family who came from near and far. Thank you for loving us and sharing our joy.
It has already been 1 year of marriage, and what this year has taught us is that life is totally unpredictable, it can get messy, and it’s not always a smooth road. But something I am grateful for each day of my life is having a partner that is a constant source of pure joy and support. Kirk and I have a once in a lifetime kinda love, and man does it still feel like a dream.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
For the past 5 years Matthew Khoury has been immortalizing Destination Weddings, Elopements and other important Lifestyle changes. His ability to capture the passion being evoked in each shoot brings his photos to life. “Timeless, Inspired, Creative, Sophisticated …” a few of the words used to describe the photog and his photography. Matthew’s work has graced the pages of local and international magazines.
www.matthewkhoury.com
