The Location

When Tarika, who teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and Michael became engaged, they knew they would be married in Jamaica. Although they live and work in New York City, Tarika partly grew up in Kingston, and her family still lives in the area where her mother owns a restaurant, The Fish Place. From the moment the couple discovered the stone terraces, lush gardens, and stately grace of Villa Ronai, they knew they had found an unforgettable place for their destination wedding. The design of the estate, built in the 1940s by Arpad Ronai, Belgian Counsel General to Jamaica, and his artist wife, Anna, drew rave reviews in Harper's Bazaar and National Geographic. In 1993, Kingsley Cooper restored the stunning structure.