BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
ARRIKA & CHARLES MCCAULEY II
Live: Center Point
Married: Dec. 22, 2018
Met: March 2017, at the ‘Four Seasons’ bar/lounge in Birmingham. Arrika was there with a mutual friend of theirs, Candyce Curry, who had invited Charles. “I’m pretty sure it was a set up,” Arrika laughed. “I had never seen Charles before, but another mutual friend had mentioned Charles to me a few months before… and for another friend [Candyce] to actually set the meeting date, it felt destined.”
“I was just coming to hang out, I didn’t know that Arrika was there,” Charles remembered. “But we had a couple of drinks, we were talking and laughing and the conversation was cool.”
The two didn’t exchange numbers that night, but the following day, Charles corrected that. “I shot her a message on SnapChat and asked her if she wanted to hangout again,” said Charles. The pair had a few impromptu meetups before going on their first official date a few weeks later.
First date: Two weeks later, at the Brunswick Bowling Alley on Highway 280. Charles picked Arrika up from her home in Hoover, and they rode to the bowling alley together.
“When we met, neither one of us were in a place where we were looking for someone to date, but we felt like there was something different [about our connection]. I was really done with relationships, but on that date, we expounded on what we were feeling and were willing to explore the option of dating… there was something about him that made me want to reconsider dating again,” Arrika said.
“I had no preconceived notions,” said Charles. “I just know at that time she was cool, and I was trying to figure out if I really liked her. I wanted to see if we could be in each other’s presence without pressure or awkwardness because I wanted to be with somebody that I actually liked as a person [in order to] determine whether I could be in a relationship with them.”
As for how the date went: “I’m competitive and remember wanting to win,” Charles said. “I brought my own ball, and she made jokes about that, but she ended up using my ball. We laughed, we joked, we had a good time.”
The turn: Summer 2017, at Arrika’s apartment in Hoover. “I did kinda ask Charles what we were doing,” Arrika laughed. “I didn’t want to get feelings for him, and it not go anywhere. I knew at that time that I wanted to make it exclusive, but I was also the type that was not going to say it first because I do not believe in forcing a man to do anything,” she said. “If he wanted it, he was going to have to say it. [However], I was pretty straight forward with him…”
Charles said he knew that Arrika was someone he could be with because spending time with her was easygoing and peaceful. “I remember us having a full-blown conversation about clouds, and the fact that we could have a meaningless conversation about clouds and [she engaged me], that’s when I knew. [Also] I was really big on having peace, and with Arrika, I had peace.
Soon after the conversation at Arrika’s place, on the next visit Charles made it official, ‘Will you be mine?’”
The proposal: Thanksgiving 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia, at Arrika’s brother and sisters-in-law home. Arrika’s family has a tradition of giving thanks before having their meal and all were fully aware Charles was about to pop the question.
“I had hidden the ring behind a picture frame, and when it got to my turn to say what I was thankful for, I looked at my parents [who spent the holiday me and my future in-laws] and told them I was thankful for them and started heading for the ring, and all I could think was ‘Lord, I hope I’m able to get back up clean off this knee,” Charles laughed. “But I told her, ‘This journey has been a roller coaster, and I wanna know if you still wanna ride?’ Arrika started crying and ran away, they had to bring her back to me and her sister-in-law gave her the flowers…” But most importantly, “Arrika said, ‘yes,’ and I did get up off the floor clean, so everything was all good,” said Charles.”
The wedding: At The Tower of Prayer Church in Leeds officiated by Apostle C. Shaemun Webster. Their colors were shades of blue and burgundy.
Most memorable for the bride were the vows Charles wrote to her. “Charles has a way with words, and his vows were pretty poetic… Hearing the vows he wrote to me was the most memorable part for me. That and my cousin had one of my grandmother’s gold rings sized so that I could wear it for my wedding day. My grandmother was my heart, so that was really special to me,” Arrika said.
Most memorable for the groom was “the fact that I got married,” he said. “Seeing her come down the aisle, and having at least one of my brothers there was one of those things that stuck out to me.”
They honeymooned in Arrika’s hometown, Detroit, Michigan, visited family for Christmas and went to a Pistons game. “That was cool, that was my first NBA game,” Charles said.
Words of wisdom: “Make sure you choose your spouse every day. Every morning you wake up, make sure you’re being intentional about being in the marriage and make sure you’re giving 100 percent all the time,” Arrika said.
“Learn to forgive quickly,” Charles said. “That’s the biggest thing because the more you let things fester, that lets other things in. Sometimes a lot of stuff is not that deep …”
Happily ever after: The McCauley’s attend The Tower of Prayer Church in Leeds, where they’re both ordained ministers. Arrika serves as the director of worship, and Charles over the men’s ministry. They’re a blended family with four children: Charles III, 22, Gabriel, 17, Jayce, 6, and Charleigh, 3.
Arrika, 39, is a Detroit Michigan native, and relocated to Huntsville, Ala, in 2004 to attend Alabama A&M University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in music education. She also attended Concordia University [online] where she obtained a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in reading, and Winonah International School of cosmetology where she earned a cosmetology license. Arrika works full-time as a cosmetologist, at her home-based salon called Amahley Beauty Brand.
Charles, 44, is a Shreveport, Louisiana native, and relocated to Birmingham with his family at age 7. He is a Homewood High School grad, and attended Miles College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in math education, and the University of Montevallo, where he obtained a master’s degree in secondary math education. Charles is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., works as a math teacher for Bessemer City Schools, and runs a freelance photography business called ‘ThatDudeWitThaCamera’ on the side. Charles also sat as a Black Santa Clause for ‘Santa For The Culture’, in Birmingham, during holiday season 2025.
“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.
