A VALENTINE’S DAY TO REMEMBER. Gata and Reverend Devine find their Peace
by Danielle Walsh
Like so many of us do this time of year, Gata was scrolling through her computer one night trying to plan something differentfor Valentine’s Day.
Gata had been with her partner, Peace, for 14 years. They successfully battled having Covid together and deserved…well, something special for Valentine’s Day. And like so many hopeful romantics before her, she turned to the all knowing Google for inspiration.
After scrolling through the usual overpriced dinners and general weekend holiday price gouging, she came across a contest to win a free wedding at Vows Everlasting Chapel, in Keyport, NJ.…on Valentine’s Day.
Reverend Keri Devine opened Vows Everlasting, The Little Chapel by the Bay, in Keyport, NJ in June of 2021 with the guiding principle that you shouldn’t have to go into debt to have a beautiful wedding day.
2020 had dealt Keri some blows, including the loss of her high school sweetheart, father of her twin boys and husband of 20+ years the night before her second surgery for breast cancer….All during Covid Quarantine. Alone.
Keri, a local high school teacher, chose to fight back, to live, to show her boys that love is stronger than any obstacles life throws your way.
Valentine’s Day was a special day for Reverend Devine and her late husband. So, Keri set out to give away a free wedding and truly honor the journey she is on.
‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we won this?’ quickly turned into ‘Um, Peace, we need to talk.’
And like any man of intelligent means faced with that sentence, Peace responded automatically with…
‘What did I do?’
It turns out Gata hadn’t exactly told Peace about entering the contest. But according to Peace, he ‘was here for it!’
‘We’ve been wanting this for sometime. We don’t take anything about this marriage lightly,’ says Gata. The couple’s 12 year old responded with ‘Finally! Thank God!’ when told about the big day.
Like so many couples, Gata and Peace had a tough journey to their ‘happily ever after.’
All lifelong residents of Newark, NJ, They first met in the basement of the late Poet Laureate of New Jersey, Amiri Baraka’s house. What began as friendship eventually ‘…took on a life of its own’ according to Gata.
‘I wasn’t entirely sure anyone would enter…’ Reverend Devine laughs, ‘But I believed that this could be a blessing to the right couple.’
To her surprise, there were many entries. With help from a computer program, it was narrowed down to 2. And from there, ‘I was just so drawn to them as a couple, their love echoed through Gata’s words. There was a strength in their bond that I felt when I saw their pictures.
I knew I was on the right path.’
Described by many in their circles as a ‘Power couple.’ Peace believes most people already think they are married. ‘I felt a soulmate kind of connection with her….(but) I never told her I had feelings for her at first.’
When they met, Gata was wearing a veil. Peace has been teasing her about being ‘in mourning‘ ever since.
You can feel the ease in their bond when they interact. And the look they give each other when they know how the other is going to respond is so satisfying to witness. But who really enters a contest to get married anyway?
Now that she had her winner and 8 months of her business up and running, Reverend Devine set up a meeting to plan the big day.
Gata and Peace were so kind and open to surprises and fun. They envisioned a ‘theme’ wedding. ‘Valentine’s Day at Hogwarts’
Complete with vivacious pinks, Slytherin and Griffindor references, and all things Fandom.
‘This is exactly the kind of fun we could all use in our life, right now,’ says Reverend Devine.
While not a Harry Potter aficionado, Keri set out to become one, and is well on her way to creating a wedding worthy of Gata and Peace.
As she got to know the couple better, she learned that both Gata and Peace had chosen their names as part of a rebirth of sorts, which was exactly what she had done when reclaiming her maiden name, Devine and opening Vows Everlasting Chapel.
Reverend Devine smirked, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be right now.’
Gata is quite the local celebrity herself, known as ThaGataNegrra, Gata is an alternative hip-hop artist, freelance vocalist and graphic artist with a significant social media following.
Peace is also in entertainment. He is a talented, in-demand emcee and dancer. He loves doing dance and fitness workshops for children and his face beams when he talks about working with children and dancing with Gata.
Together, Peace and Gata, are a recognizable Cosplay couple at Comic and Anime conventions.
Right now, Gata and Peace are working on the first leg of their ‘NerdCore Tour,’ and their next date is in Altoona, PA at Setsucon, an Anime Convention.
Neither seem especially nervous about their upcoming, spontaneous Valentine’s Day nuptials,
‘I think being with Gata right now, how we relate as a couple, the time we spend with each other, the stuff we get to do as a couple. It pretty much is ‘happily ever after,’ says Peace.
‘That, and a House..’ laughs Gata. ‘ living comfortably and having fun together.‘
Check back with the Monmouth Voice to see all the pictures from their Big Day and follow up with Gata and Peace and Reverend Keri Devine as they create a Valentine’s Day Wedding to Remember.
Find them on Social Media Instagram Gata @tha_gata_negrra & Peace @peaceman74
@VowsEverlastingChapel
Danielle Walsh is a lifelong resident of Monmouth County, a mother of 3, a former Middletown BOE Member, failed Township Committee candidate and local volunteer who has opinions…lots of opinions.
You can find Danielle on Facebook Danielle Walsh, Keeping Middletown Informed. Instagram @KeepingMiddletownInformed and Twitter @Keeping MiddletownInformed
