BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
LATONYA & D’ANDRE WRIGHT
Live: Hoover
Married: Feb. 6, 2010
Met: April 2000, on campus at the University of Alabama in Smithwood Circle where the Kappa house and Delta house shared a parking lot. Latonya is a Delta, and D’Andre a Kappa, and they were introduced by a mutual friend.
“I knew who he was — everybody knew he was,” Latonya said. “I knew who he was since freshman year.”
“I was sitting in the car with my best friend doing what college students do,’ D’Andre laughed, “and I saw Tonya walking by with our mutual friend and knew I had to meet her. When I got inside the party, I walked up to my friend [who was Tonya’s best friend] and told her to ‘put me on’.”
After the party, the two exchanged numbers, and hung out the next day. They would hang out socially and casually dated over the next two years but did not become serious. However, they did form a great friendship that contained some romantic moments, one of which D’Andre pointed out and had Latonya share: “One night after hanging out, he walked me to my car and we shared our first kiss, and right after that I looked up and saw a shooting star,” Latonya said.
They graduated in 2002 and both left Tuscaloosa. Latonya returned to Birmingham and D’Andre had moved back home to Montgomery to attend Auburn University at Montgomery to pursue his MBA. During the holiday season of 2002, D’Andre called Tonya to let her know he’d be in Birmingham to get his car serviced– “He called me because he needed a favor,” Latonya laughed, “he needed me to pick him up from the dealership and took me to dinner to kill time.”
First date: December 2002, at Applebee’s in Brookwood Village [no longer existing], after picking D’Andre up from the dealership. They said it was like picking up where they left off.
“I just remember wanting to remain great friends with him, we always had a great connection whenever we were together,” Latonya said.
“Whenever we hung out we always had great conversation and good times, and she was just as beautiful as I remembered,” D’Andre said.
The turn: Latonya and D’Andre gradually started seeing each other more and after receiving his MBA, D’Andre took a job in Atlanta with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and the two continued seeing each other and spending occasional weekends together. However, in 2006, Latonya delivered an ultimatum “She told me that we would never be in a serious relationship as long as I lived out of state,” D’Andre said. “So, I moved to Birmingham in 2007, and we began seriously dating.” “And it’s been worth it ever since,” Latonya added.
The proposal: April 2009, at their new home in McCalla.
“We had just purchased a house and we also [got our first fur baby], an English Bulldog named Ralphie. And one morning I was getting out of the shower getting ready for work, and when I walked into the bedroom he was down on one knee with the ring in one hand, a Starbucks coffee in the other, and Ralphie kneeled down beside him,” Latonya recalled.
“First of all, it wasn’t just a ring box, it was a Tiffany’s blue ring box,” D’Andre corrected. “I can’t remember a long speech, I know I said something about how long we’d been together and how much I loved her and asked her if she would marry me.”
“And the first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Are you serious?’ and he said, ‘Dead ass’,” Latonya laughed. “I knew the proposal was coming because we were setting up our lives together, we had purchased a house, and he had just spent the weekend in Atlanta with his mom, so I knew he was going to pick up the ring we had picked out, I just didn’t know when he was going to do it. And he did it at a time I’d least expected, that’s why I asked him if he was serious, because he chose to ask me to marry him while I’m dripping wet, standing in a towel,” she laughed.
The wedding: At Ross Bridge Resort & Spa in Hoover, officiated by Reverend John Henry Williams III, of Greater Saint John Baptist Church in Birmingham. Their colors were brown and green. “I look back and don’t know what we were thinking choosing those colors,” Latonya laughed.
Most memorable for the bride was their first look and a visit from one of their groomsmen. “I really wanted D’Andre to be happy with my appearance, and I achieved that. He kept smiling and telling me how beautiful I was, and I was happy,” Latonya said. “And the funniest moment was when one of the groomsmen came to my hotel suite to get the wedding rings from me. He told me that he had been arguing with D’Andre and the best man about socks and that they had spent the morning running around trying to find socks for them to wear with their tuxes … He said he told them ‘he ain’t got time for this [expletive], and came to my suite to get the job done,’” Latonya laughed.
Most memorable for the groom was a few moments: “It was snowing outside while we were taking the wedding pictures, and for it to be snowing in Alabama, and on our wedding day was huge. And I also remember the reception feeling like a huge party, we had a great band. Everybody had a good time, everybody was dancing and drinking, it was like a huge family event. And after the wedding ceremony, the wedding planner [orchestrated] a moment for Tonya and I to have a little time to ourselves before we joined everyone else, and we’re sitting in this private room, taking in the moment, and Latonya’s cousin and her husband busted in the room with a plate of nachos, plopped down beside us totally interrupting our moment and said this is the best wedding I’ve ever been to, and they would not leave,” De’Andre laughed. “And that was the vibe of the wedding– family, a lot of fun, and everybody having a great time.”
They honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. “It was lots of eating, lots of drinking and the making of a honeymoon baby,” Latonya said. “We came back with what’s now a 14-year-old,” D’Andre added.
Words of wisdom: “Make sure you are marrying your best friend because even when you’re mad you’ll still want well for them. And marry someone you can laugh with; laughter is always important. You have to be with someone you can have a good time with,” Latonya said.
“Effective communication. Make each other a priority and [establish] that leaving is not an option. You have to know that regardless of what happens: arguments, ups and downs, y’all are going to be there and get through it together, and that’s the refreshing part for me. Knowing that I have someone to get through the good and bad times with,” said D’Andre.
Happily ever after: The Wright’s attend Mountain Top Community Church in Vestavia Hills, where Latonya serves in the hospitality ministry. They have two children: a son, Brayden, 14, and a daughter, Riley, 12.
Latonya, 45, is a Denver, Colorado native and moved to Forestdale in 1993. She is a Minor High School grad, and attended the University of Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice; Troy University where she obtained a master’s degree in public administration, and Penn State University where she received a master’s in information security systems. Latonya is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and works as a subcontracts manager for Northrop Grumman based out of Baltimore Maryland.
D’Andre, 45, is a Montgomery native, and Robert E. Lee High School grad. He attended the University of Alabama where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Auburn University at Montgomery, where he obtained an MBA and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. D’Andre works as the vice president of external affairs and communications at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Alabama.
The Wright’s are members of the Birmingham Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc.
“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.
