BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
ROY & DEMIKA HODGE
Live: Pleasant Grove
Married: Aug. 21, 2015
Met: November 2003, at Home Depot in Fairfield AL. They were both working for the retailer and had crossed paths at various company functions over the course of a year before connecting. Roy, new to the city, had been relocated from Jacksonville, Florida to manage that location when he was in search of someone to take on a new management role at his store. Demika accepted the position and transferred to the Fairfield location from the Hoover store.
“I vividly remember asking my assistant manager [about a person who could fill the position] … someone who is not afraid to hold people accountable, and [Demika] came highly recommended,” Roy said. During their time working together, they were “purely platonic and professional,” Roy said. “In fact, I moved to Atlanta [two years later] and we maintained a friendship until 2014.”
The pair remained friends until Roy mentioned the possibility of moving back to Alabama for a position with Dicks Sporting Goods in Tuscaloosa.
“By me being in Alabama, and him living in Georgia, our phone calls and relationship definitely took a turn once he [considered] moving back to Alabama… At that point, everything accelerated — phone calls, text messages …” Demika said.
First date: August 2014, at New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer. While this wasn’t their first date, it was the first date that meant anything, according to Demika. Neither could recall anything about their previous hangouts, and agree that this was the one worth noting. After service, they had dinner at Carrabba’s Italian Grill on U.S. 280.
“I wanted to see if he was really a God-fearing man. I was raised up in the church, and you can really tell if a man loves and serves the Lord based on how they act in church and their engagement during service. After church, he told me he liked the pastor and he would like to come back again if I would have him,” Demika recalled.
“At that point, I knew that this was someone I could pursue a serious relationship with, and in my head, I said ‘Roy, she’s a keeper’, because who invites you to church? It wasn’t something I was used to, and I already knew her work ethic and her personality were a keeper. That service showed me where her heart was,” said Roy.
The turn: After that church visit, “I started shopping for rings because I knew at some point I would propose, and I wanted that to be right. The ring I would give her would be a representation of my seriousness and my intent. And if she said ‘yes’, she would be carrying my last name so I wanted the ring to be representative of that as well,” Roy said.
Roy said he found a jeweler in Los Angeles, California and had a custom ring made.
Demika agreed that attending church together sealed the deal. “I knew he was someone I could grow with, and that if he loved the Lord, he would love me as well,” she said. “We just connected … the chemistry was there.”
The proposal: A few weeks later, in Orlando, Florida. Roy took Demika on a birthday vacation and popped the question while out to eat. He chose outdoor seating in front of a fountain because he knew it’d make the perfect backdrop to his proposal. He bought a placeholder ring to propose with while his custom engagement ring was being made.
“I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, I just know it was a really nice location,” Roy said. “I didn’t do any of the stuff you see on Instagram, it was simple. After dinner, I said, ‘Are you sure you wanna get married? And when she said ‘yeah,’ I said ‘OK,’ and I took out the ring, got down on one knee and popped the question, and she was like ‘what are you doing?’ he laughed. “And I said, ‘will you marry me?’ and she said ‘yes’.”
“I was thinking he was crazy because the question should’ve been, ‘are you sure you really wanna marry me?,’” Demika laughed. “I was shocked; no one had ever asked me to marry them before and it was like, ‘oh my God, it’s finally about to happen.’”
The wedding: On August 21, which is Roy’s father’s birthday at New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer. They had a private vow exchange inside the pastor’s study, officiated by Reverend William H. Walker. Demika’s father, Robert Johnson, and one of her neighbors were their witnesses. Demika wore a white linen dress, and Roy wore a white linen pants set.
“I knew she was the one because we talked more about the marriage than the wedding,” Roy said. “Reverend Walker counseled us and married us.”
A few weeks later, the couple had a Vegas wedding at a chapel called “Always and Forever” with some friends and family present.
Most memorable for the bride was a moment at their Vegas wedding. “When we exchanged wedding gifts in Vegas, he gave me a credit card with my name on it, and that was endearing because he was showing me what’s his is mine… and I was excited I could shop like I wanted to,” Demika laughed.
Most memorable for the groom was also an experience from their Vegas wedding. After the nuptials they took a helicopter tour around the city. “It was exciting because neither one of us had been on a helicopter before, and the bright lights in the big city of Vegas were shining… it was a real adrenaline rush,” Roy said.
They honeymooned in Vegas and enjoyed vacationing with their family and friends.
Words of wisdom: “Keep God first. A family that prays together stays together. Date night is important to maintain that intimacy and always compliment each other. Keep a clear line of communication. Roy is my best friend, so we talk about everything,” Demika said.
“God has to be the head of your household… And, you need to have things that you build together because when you build things together it’s not easy to walk away from it. And the only way you can keep what you’ve built is by keeping the line of communication open. You will always see and meet new people, but your wife has to be the most beautiful woman to you,” Roy said.
Happily ever after: The Hodges attend New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, where Roy serves as a Deacon and on the security team both serve on the marriage ministry. They are a blended family, with two adult children, Malcolm, 31, and Simone, 29.
Demika, 49, is a Bessemer native and Hueytown High School grad. She attended Miles College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Demika has worked for Home Depot for the past 30 years, has held various roles, and has served as the customer experience manager for the last three.
Roy, 55, is a Saint Thomas, US. Virgin Islands native. He relocated to Brooklyn, New York as a child where he spent his formative years, and attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and works as a manager for Dicks Sporting Goods in Birmingham.
“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 know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.
