Pastor Kenneth Turner of St. James Bible Fellowship Church and his fiancée Paula Dorsey are competing to win an all-inclusive wedding. The Innsbrook Resort is sponsoring the giveaway valued at $30,000 that includes a honeymoon (seven-night stay in Punta Cana or Mexico) courtesy of The Travel Gals, Apple Vacations, and Riu Hotels.
“We actually get a fairy-tale wedding and we don’t have to pay anything for it,” Dorsey said.
She said they were forced to scale back because of costs.
“It’s a stress reliever,” Turner chimed in.
A panel of judges whittled down more than 600 couples to the top 100 finalists that included Turner and Dorsey. They and the other finalists were invited to the resort in Warren County, Missouri on May 4 where their names were entered into a lottery drawing to select the top ten finalists.
“The Lord already told me that we gone win this,” Turner said. “And, we were the second couple pulled.”
The couple met at a funeral on June 25, 2005. They were introduced by Dorsey’s mother, Jean. When asked what their initial impressions of each other were, they laughed. Turner was put off by the nine year age gap and said physically she was not his type.
“She had this streak of red going through her hair,” he said. “That definitely was a no-no.”
Despite their initial first impressions, they discovered they had much in common. Turner said they separated briefly and that he did not realize what he had until it was gone. Turner said after they separated briefly he did not realize what he had until it was gone, and he hoped to get a second chance to reconnect. That opportunity came at a church service last April.
“I literally bumped into her and didn’t know who she was,” he said. He said it was “destiny” that brought the two back together.
Dorsey almost chose not to participate in the contest believing that her odds of winning were not good. That is until she saw a billboard advertisement for the giveaway and thought it would be worth a try. They are the only African-American couple among the top ten finalists, and they need your help to be selected as the winning couple. Their original wedding date is scheduled for August 30; but if they win, it will be pushed back to October 12. He said marrying his “best female friend” is more rewarding than the $30,000 package.
Voting will take place from May 16 at 12:01 a.m. CT to May 31, 2014 at
11:59 p.m. CT. Only one vote per email address, per day will be accepted.
To vote for Kenneth and Paula, visit
http://www.innsbrook-resort.com/wedding-giveaway/vote/
