Jeremy: Christina and I have known each other since High School. We are both from Mobile, AL where we frequently ran into each other at sporting events, proms, and social gatherings. However, at that time I was just “Jeremy York, the football player from Blount High School” (per Christina) and she was “short lil pretty Christina at Leflore High”. Back then, we ran in some of the same circles but we would just casually speak and never really had a one on one conversation. She had my interest even back then. I always wanted to know her better. We ran into each other her freshman year at Auburn University (2002) and my sophomore year at Tuskegee University (15 miles down the road) at a college party in Auburn, Alabama. I approached her to say hello and began a conversation where I finally got up the nerve to ask for her phone number. She did give me her number and I felt excited! I thought this was going to be my opportunity to get to know her and possibly the beginning of a courtship since we were so close by to one another. However, after one or two phone conversations we didn’t do so well keeping in contact and each moved on with our busy lives.
Christina: I liked Jeremy and thought he was a cute nice guy but he was from my hometown! Lol…I felt like I already sort of knew “Jeremy from home” and at the time I was more intrigued with making new friends with all of the new people around me at my new college…lol (I feel so bad now) So needless to say our conversations fizzled out…
J: Christina ended up moving to Houston, TX and I took a job in Birmingham. In the Spring of 2009, I was on a business trip to Houston and met up with a mutual friend of ours at Dave and Busters where I inquired of her and ask how she was doing. (We were facebook friends and had kept in touch here and there) He informed me that she was doing fine and so I ask him to tell her I said hello. In the meantime, I went back to Birmingham and began to express my interest of her to some of her friends from high school that lived in Birmingham. In July of the same year, (unknown to me) she relocated to Atlanta.
C: I was informed of Jeremy’s “hello” and also of his interest but by this time, he had enjoyed his fraternity days and college days and earned a reputation as a “ladies man” or so I thought, so I had my reservations to say the least.
J: With the help of her high school friends, we reunited at an after-party in Birmingham, Alabama during the Magic City Classic weekend.
C: I remember telling my friends that night that I would go ahead and hear him out so that they would leave me alone about it. I saw Jeremy playing in his phone like he was trying to stall coming to talk to me. I thought to myself “after all these messages and talking to my friends he is not gonna say anything.” So I went over and said “hey Jeremy”. He said hey, gave me a hug, asked a few questions, and then asked me for my phone number so that we could keep in touch now that I was in Atlanta. As soon as he got my number, he left the party. I thought to myself “Figures…I knew he wasn’t serious.”
J: When the opportunity presented itself at the after-party, Christina was having such a good time dancing in VIP, I didn’t want to interrupt her groove, so I thought I would sit back and wait on the song to end before I step to her. But, as she mentioned, she grabbed my attention while I was in the middle of sending a text message or stalling as she puts it. In actuality, my main objective for the night was to meet her at the party and exchange contact information. I had family in town and didn’t want to stay out late, so when the mission was accomplished I calmly departed the building. After our small conversation, I knew there was so much more I wanted to say to her, but the party just wasn’t the appropriate time. As I drove home that night, I couldn’t help but reflect on the night of my sophomore year of college when we exchanged numbers the first time. I thought to myself, “This time I’m not going to let her slip away. I’m going to show her the REAL me.” Needless to say, I called her the very next night and we stayed on the phone for 3 hours. Two weeks later I asked her to be with me.
“The Proposal”
Christina’s best friend’s father had a birthday party in Mobile, AL over the Christmas holidays in 2009, so the next year I asked her best friend to inform Christina that her dad would have another party. I rented an exclusive room at Café Royal in Mobile, Alabama with family and close friends for December 24, 2010. I arranged for our immediate family members to arrive at Café Royal around 7pm. I knew I would stall so that everyone would have time to mingle and enjoy the hors d’oeuvres that I ordered. Christina was under the impression that her mom, dad, and brother were going to Mr. Ball’s birthday dinner, so as they prepared to leave her house she called me asking if I would like to meet her at the dinner instead of coming to pick her up. She informed me that Mrs. Ball, Cherise’s mom, had called her to tell her not to be late. I politely responded to Christina saying, “No I’m almost dressed and I would prefer you to ride with me.” So needless to say, I was late picking Christina up from her house and I was so nervous that I didn’t walk her down the steps after she locked the front door. After she brought to my attention how rude I was, I grabbed her by the hand and escorted her to my car. As we journeyed our way to Café Royal, I got an ear full of how we were not to be late to this function. I was so nonchalant in receiving this information from her and she couldn’t understand why.
We finally arrive and I open the front door to the restaurant and there are about 20 tables nicely set with white table cloths and glasses. The lighting in the room was dimmed at a medium level with a nice romantic feel. Christina asked me where in the world is everybody. I didn’t answer her and proceeded to walk to the back of the restaurant to a separate room sectioned off on the side. As I opened the door, you could see about 15 people sitting down with rose petals decorated on the dinner tables and the floor. I suddenly began to announce, “I would like to apologize for keeping everyone waiting. “ Christina then squeezes my hand and whispers to me, “what in the world are you doing? Everyone is staring.” (Thinking this is Mr. Ball’s birthday dinner and I don’t know the invited guest well enough to be making an announcement.) I continue my speech, “So I gathered everyone here this evening to witness me express my love for Christina.” I then walked to the love seat to sit Christina down as a good friend of mine, Ketria Archible, began to serenade us in “I Believe in you and me” by Whitney Houston. After she finished singing, I got on one knee and said these words, “Christina, I love you with all my heart and there isn’t anyone on this earth that I would rather be with or want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”…she responded with tears in her eyes, yes! By this time she had noticed her mom, dad, brother, best friend, my grandmother, and everyone else in the room. She was so surprised! The waitress brought glasses of champagne and everyone gathered around us and made a toast and with well wishes. This was truly a night we will never forget.
Engagement session location: Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel
Wedding Planner: ellyB Events
Future Wedding Location: Ventanas Atlanta
Also featured on Essence.com: Christina and Jeremy’s Engagement
by Cathi Milanes
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