‘I Gave My Mom 3 Options for a Ring And He Got the One I Wanted Most’

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times

JENNIFER AND ANTHONY JACKSON

Live: Vestavia Hills

Married: Sept. 1, 2019

Met: March 2010. The pair initially met while working together in the financial care department at the T-Mobile call center in Hoover. They did not have a romantic connection then, but reconnected in June 2017, via social media. Jennifer reached out to Anthony after he posted on Facebook about providing swimming lessons and she asked about some for her daughter, Chrislyn, then 6 years old.

“Jennifer jumped in my DM’s allegedly wanting swim lessons… The lessons were great, and Chrislyn was super bossy during them, just like her mama… and at the end, Chrisyln said ‘Mr. Anthony, do you know my mom makes the best spaghetti in the world? You should come over to our house’,” Anthony recalled.

“Chrisyln was basically our matchmaker,’ said Jennifer. “During the lessons, Anthony mentioned that he had an upcoming job interview so I texted him ‘Good luck on your interview’, and he replied ‘Thank you. Now, tell me a little about Jennifer’, and we’ve been here ever since.”

First date: September 2017, at The Breakout Room in Homewood. They went on a double date with one of Anthony’s friends and his wife.

Anthony vividly remembers the fun night, “We definitely broke out,” he laughed, “with about five minutes to spare. I enjoyed working with Jennifer to figure out the clues and find the keys/codes… And to be honest, she spearheaded the team. Jennifer is a leader and a thinker; she’s a natural-born leader and that was one of the things that was really attractive about her,” said Anthony.

“We had fun, and Anthony was supportive and encouraging of me figuring out how to get us out of there,” Jennifer said. “He’s a lot more analytical than me, he was figuring out the thinking part of the clues and I was keeping track of time. It was a good time, we made a good team,” she said.

The turn: Anthony and Jennifer dated without Chrislyn’s knowledge for a year before letting her in on their secret. Easter 2018, the pair tested the waters with Chrislyn by participating in a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt in Anthony’s subdivision in McCalla. After that went well Jennifer invited Anthony to come along on a trip with her and Chrislyn to Georgia the following weekend.

“Jennifer’s thing was keeping Chrislyn safe and not letting her get attached before we knew what we were doing,” Anthony said. “But after the trip to Georgia, I knew we were locked in and things got more serious,” said Jennifer.

The proposal: Nov. 30, 2018, at family and friends game night at Jennifer’s parent’s home in Pinson. This date was also the commemoration of Jennifer’s grandfather’s death, which Anthony selected so that he could give her a happy memory to associate with the day. The group was playing the game ‘Speak Out’, a guessing game played while wearing a mouthpiece that makes it difficult to speak clearly, leaving the others to guess the phrase.

“I set it up for Buggy [Anthony’s nickname for Chrislyn] to ask her mom if she would marry me during her turn, and the question that she asked was ‘Will you marry Coachie?’ [Chrislyn’s nickname for Anthony], but Chrislyn couldn’t get it out because of the mouthpiece … So it was lights, camera, action for me, and I gave Buggy a hand clap and told her good job, and I got down on one knee and said ‘Will you marry me?’,” Anthony recounted. “Jennifer couldn’t believe it and kept saying ‘what?’ and then said ‘of course’, and I slipped the ring on her finger and she ran out the room.”

“I was totally caught off guard, and now it was making sense why my mom was pressing me to get my hair and nails done for ‘silk press season’,” Jennifer laughed. “I was excited. He had gotten the exact ring that I wanted. I had given my mom three options to feed him and he got the one that I wanted the most. But what I was moved by the most was the date that he picked and involved Chrislyn.”

The wedding: At The Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham, officiated by Pastor Darius McClure of Rock City Church. Their colors were wine and navy.

Most memorable for the bride was a moment during the ceremony. “After we said our vows, he also said vows to Chrislyn and presented her with a necklace and it made me feel like he was truly accepting her as much as he accepted me. My prayer was always to have a husband who loves my daughter as much if not more than he loves me, and he had proven that. He does not play about her and I was so grateful in that moment,” Jennifer said.

Most memorable for the groom was being surprised by his own emotions. “We had this ongoing bet about me crying when Jennifer walked out in her dress, and I would always say ‘nah, I’m a G’, and my friends were even telling me I was going to cry but [I didn’t agree], and the moment she came down with her father all the emotions and what lead us to that moment surfaced and I boohooed. All I was thinking about was how much I said I wasn’t going to cry and now I couldn’t control my emotions,” Anthony laughed. “The photographer got a real good picture of me in tears, proving everybody right.”

The couple honeymooned in Cabo, Mexico. Anthony enjoyed taking a boat tour and “watching Jennifer dance” while on it, he said. “And we really enjoyed the swim-out pool that was attached to our suite and getting to rest. The rest is a blur,” said Jennifer.

Words of wisdom: “Within the first six months of being married, the pandemic hit so we were together every waking moment for months, and we were grateful that we really liked each other and not just loved each other,” Jennifer said. “I was furloughed from my job during that time, we’ve gone through some things and I feel like we can make it through anything. So be sure that you actually like your spouse and not just love them,” Jennifer said. ‘And we’ve always stood on Romans 8:28– “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’– and we believe no matter what God is always working things out in our favor.”

“We did the love language test and I really didn’t understand it then, but I understand it now. Taking that test allowed me to understand what her love language is, and I try to love her in her love language. [By doing this] she knows I’m trying and giving my best and that has helped us get through a lot of tough times. Put your best effort forward to take care of your spouse and everything else should work out,” said Anthony.

Happily ever after: The Jacksons attend Rock City Church on Valleydale Rd., where Anthony serves on the men’s ministry know as ‘Rockafellas’, and their daughter Chrislyn, 14, participates in the teen ministry.

Jennifer, 38, is a Roebuck native, a Ramsay High School grad, and attended The University of Alabama where she earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. Jennifer works as director of sales for a major hotel brand.

Anthony, 40, is a Fairfield native, and Fairfield High Preparatory School grad. He attended Miles College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, and Jacksonville State University, where he obtained a master’s degree in education. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and works at Irondale Middle School as the head football coach, assistant athletic director, and physical education teacher.

“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.

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