Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter

Gregory Williams and Sherita King - Contributed

Sherita King always read about other people's achieve-ments and had seen several advertisements congratulating graduates, newly weds and scholarship winners. When she snagged the man of her dreams and decided to get married, she therefore felt compelled to share that with everyone.

The 30-year-old university student and her 26-year-old fiance, Gregory Williams, announced their intention to wed in an engagement notice published in The Sunday Gleaner of June 29. The notice boldly declared, 'Sherita King is to be married to the man of her dreams.' It also went on to give the names and occupations of both their parents as well as their own occupations. The ad was sponsored by a relative.

While many would have opted for a more private approach, King told THE STAR, "I plan on getting married only once. Why not celebrate it in that way? It's a personal achievement. You don't find good men these days. Which man is going to stand by you through thick and thin? He's my soulmate."

She explained that she got the idea from a friend and said she saw it as a way to show appreciation to her fiancé. She said, "I am a student at university. My fiancé wanted to go, but he sacrificed so I could go. I saw this as a way to show my appreciation. I love him very much. We have been through a lot of obstacles, but we went through them together. We stood by each other."

Her fiancé also agreed that theirs was a love which was worthy of being publicised. He said: "We have been together for a while and people have always known us a boyfriend and girlfriend. We wanted people to know that we were taking the next step and, at the same time, we are putting an end to all kinds of scepticism. In a way, you're declaring your intentions so both parties don't have any skeletons in the closet."

He is positive that their marriage will last and said: "The only thing that could stop it, is if, God forbid, one of us dies. We've been through some real trials and tribulations, so nothing can stop us."

King told THE STAR that the notice has brought them a lot of attention. She said: "When I went to school, it was just pure excitement. People were hugging me and kissing me, saying 'wow, unnu hype eeh'. She too agreed that the notice helped her to mark her territory and said: "I had to put it out there. He's tall, dark and handsome."

The couple got engaged last year, on September 5, King's birthday. They are currently going through pre-marital counselling and plan to tie the knot on September 6.