BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY
Especially for the Birmingham Times
“You had me at hello” highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello” column or if you know someone, please send nominations to Erica Wright at ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number (s), and the specifics of the love story.
MICHAEL AND KENEISHA ALFORD
Living: Hoover
Married: October 23, 2016
Met: In Tuscaloosa in July 2012 at the Martin Luther King Elementary School. Kaneisha interviewed for a curriculum specialty position for Tuscaloosa City Schools and Michael was on the interview panel.
“After the interview, I was on my way to the door and the school manager stopped me and said, ‘If you get the job, there is a good guy on the interview panel who might be of interest to you.'”
Keneisha got the job and for the first few months she and Michael kept it professional. “He was very polite and helpful in this new position I was in and he was like a lucky charm,” said Keneisha.
“We had worked together for a few months and in October 2012 there was a Kem concert in town, which was the first time I’d asked her out on a non-professional date. I thought she had many of the qualities I was looking for in a woman who learns smart and fast … She was dying to grow professionally and she was very good-looking, that was a huge plus, “said Michael.
First date: October 2012 in the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. Michael received tickets for the Kem concert from the custodian at MLK Elementary.
“That was the first time I’d been nervous on a date because I really liked him. We met in his house and went to the concert. When we got there, we got some VIP passes, ”said Keneisha. “He’s been in charge all through the date he was such a gentleman, and that’s what I liked about him. We sang the songs, it felt like we had known each other for a while, we bonded very well. “
“When I was thinking about how the night should go, I wanted it to be fun. It wasn’t as intimate as having dinner, it’s a sing along, you’re up and dancing, so my goal was to make sure the music was right and we enjoyed the night, “said Michael.
The turn: “The turning point for me was when we took a trip to New York this spring, which is our two favorite places, and we’ve done all the things he and I love to do,” said Keneisha. “We enjoyed the same things and he encouraged me to live beyond some of my fears [because] I was also a single mother (of one) and he encouraged me to live a little more. We had so much in common and we began to be and serve in Church together. He was all I have prayed for in a man, adventurous and solid in his thinking and judgment. ”
“She was someone who was different from the people I usually dated,” said Michael. “I was a single father (of one) at the time and she did a great job understanding where I was in my life as a single father and where I was mentally and professionally.”
The application: June 2016, on the “gentle slope of the Ross Bridge Resort,” said Michael. He prepared a picnic and hired a photographer to capture the intimate moment.
“I had an amazing relationship with Keneishia’s father and asked for her hand in marriage… Like any gentleman, you want your proposal to be special and memorable, so I made a picnic basket, I had a blanket, finger food, wine. . I shared how special she was to me and told her that after careful prayer and reflection I knew she was the one, and then I asked the question, “Michael recalled,” and she said yes. “
“I had a little idea of what was going to happen because he was a little different that day, a little nervous. When he started talking and telling why I was special to him, I started to be a little too cry, “said Keneisha. “It was very cute and memorable and I liked it because it was outside and quiet, we were out there alone and the photographer was hiding in the trees to capture the moment.”
The wedding: Ross Bridge Resort. Their colors were kaki (deep orange) and deep berries and were officiated by Keneisha’s cousin Bishop Reginald Jones of the Greater Emanuel Temple in McCalla. Their rustic outdoor wedding made the pages of Birmingham Wedding Magazine and Alabama Weddings.
Most memorable for the bride was how it all came together: “The flower and wedding designer we hired did a great job bringing our vision to life. The decor was absolutely stunning, ”said Keneisha.
Most memorable for the groom was the first sight. “We met outside in the mill house on the golf course and it was a perfect place to have that moment,” he said. “Keneisha talked so much about her dress that she hid it from me, and when I turned around and saw it for the first time, she was absolutely radiant.”
The couple were on their honeymoon in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “We wanted to have fun and explore the west coast,” said Michael.
Words of wisdom: “The pre-marital counseling was very important to our marriage. We talked about financial planning and how to communicate with each other. [the counselor] gave us an abundance of tools that have greatly helped us grow in our marriage, ”said Michael. “Bringing two families together was a challenge because Keneisha’s rearing style was completely different from mine. Without saying it’s good, bad, better or worse, it’s just two completely different styles and we had to work through that and get on the same page … ”
He added, “Find someone [a counselor] That you both trust and believe in it will aid you in the area you need. We are both [Christians] and we knew we had to find someone to guide us on a spiritual level that we believed would guide us [from a spiritual perspective]. ”
Keneisha’s advice was simple, “A lot of men want to be the man of the house, and I understand that, but it’s important that [know] that we are both talented and competent in various fields and that the areas in which we are strong are the areas in which we should lead our families. ”
Both say they keep exploring life as a team. “We are adventurous, we build things, we are creative and we travel.”
Happily ever after: The Alford’s are a mixed family with two sons, DQ, 22, and Brayden, 14.
Keneisha, 43, is from Bessemer and is a graduate of Jess Lanier High School. She attended the University of Montevallo, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and primary education. two masters degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in early childhood education and classroom management, and an educator degree in curriculum and instruction. She holds a PhD in Education from Samford University and is the director of schools for the Achievement Network [based out of Boston], serves schools in FL, LA, and AL. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member also owns / operates an interior design consultancy, KA Designs.
Michael, 42, is from Eutaw Ala and is a graduate of Paramount High School. He attended Stillman College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Alabama and an education specialist degree from the University of Alabama, Birmingham [UAB]. The member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Brotherhood works for Hoover City Schools as a student service specialist.
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