By Anita Debro
Special to 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 know someone who would, please send nominations to Erica Wright at ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.
ADRIAN AND STARSHA RHINEHART
Live: Calera
Married: March 23, 2019.
Met: Adrian and Starsha met in 2007 when they both worked at a pharmaceutical warehouse in Pelham. “We would cross paths at work but we never dated,” said Starsha, a native of Jemison. Starsha eventually left that job. In 2016 Adrian, who grew up in Alabaster, said he received a friend suggestion from Facebook for Starsha and he accepted it.
“I saw her face and I remembered she was a pretty girl,” Adrian said. A few days later, Starsha said she sent him a message and they started talking. After a few conversations, Starsha suggested they meet up for a date.
First date: Adrian and Starsha met up at Chow Time Chinese restaurant in Hoover. “I liked her attitude and her spiritual relationship with God,” Adrian said. Starsha said she felt Adrian was special even before the date. “I knew he was going to be my husband,” she said. “But I still prayed on it.”
Starsha said she liked that he was a “Godly man . . . I knew he was not the typical guy and he was looking for love,” she said. Adrian said he and Starsha dated for a few months before the relationship became serious.
Previous relationships: Adrian had been married before and Starsha said she had been in a few relationships that did not work. He said the couple took it slow. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to be married or in a serious relationship again,” he said. “I wanted to be sure that if I did, that it was true love.”
The proposal: On Valentine’s Day 2018, Adrian took Starsha to a photo studio to take pictures. “I just thought it was a regular photo shoot,” Starsha said. But Adrian had other plans. Starsha said the photographer told her to do a pose, but then told her that pose wasn’t working. When she turned around towards Adrian he was on bended knee. “I was really shocked. I could not believe that that was happening,” she said. Adrian said he had decided around New Year’s Day that year that he was ready to pop the question. “I finally had the nerve to do it,” he said.
The wedding: The couple married at Jemison City Hall in front of about 200 people. The wedding included 24 people in the bridal party. “I remember being nervous and excited at the same time,” Adrian said. Adrian sung “Stand by Me” and surprised her with a horse and carriage ride. Starsha said her wedding day was a “dream come true” made possible by her wedding coordinator, Shevelle Brown.
Words of Wisdom: Couples should put God first, Starsha said. “God should be the foundation of the relationship.” Adrian agreed. He said that people who are wary of being in a relationship after a failed attempt should “trust in God. Anything is possible.”
“If a relationship is meant to be, it will happen,” Starsha said.
Happily ever after: Starsha, the mother of a 6-year-old from a previous relationship, recently started working as a corrections officer for Alabama Therapeutic Educational Facility in Columbiana. Adrian is a crane operator at Glidewell Specialties Foundry in Calera. The couple enjoy dining out and especially enjoy getting dressed up for elegant formal events.
