BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
VALLIE & ANGELIA THOMAS
Live: Bessemer
Married: April 15, 1989
Met: June 3, 1984, at a nightclub in Bessemer, called The Establishment. “We were there and neither one of us wanted to be there,” Vallie laughed. “Angelia was there because her cousin begged her to take her, and I was there because my friend begged me to take him. And once I got there, I saw Angelia and her cousin walk in and I said, ‘Who is that? I got to know her!’”
“My cousin wanted to celebrate getting a new job and begged me to go. I tried everything I could to get out of it that night but she wouldn’t let up,” Angelia said. “Come to find out, Vallie and his cousin knew my cousin and we ended up sitting together.”
Angelia was playing hard to get that night. “When we sat down, I said, ‘What’d you say your name was again?’ and she said, ‘I didn’t.’ And then I asked her to dance and we danced for one song, but I had to leave because I was starting a new job the next day so I asked her for her phone number,” Vallie said.
“I gave the wrong number to everybody that asked me for my phone number that night, but for some reason, I gave Vallie the right number and he called the next day,” Angelia said.
During that conversation, Vallie asked if she’d allow him to come over for a visit. “He was very respectful, we sat around and talked about what we wanted out of life, and it made me feel good because we wanted the same things,” Angelia recalled. “I was nervous, I asked her for a glass of water and ended up wasting it on myself,” Vallie laughed.
First date: Angelia’s birthday, June 18, 1984. They went to Captain D’s for dinner, and he surprised her with a bouquet of flowers at her front door.
“… that was a nice place to take her,” Vallie said. “I gave her the flowers at the front door, but I held on to the card until we got to dinner. I remember trying to be polite and show her I had good home training. I wasn’t much of a talker then…”
“Everything was going good, but like he said he wasn’t a talker so we were sitting and eating and he wasn’t saying anything, and me being me, I said ‘I can’t do this, you’re too quiet for me’, and then he said I can do better, and he did. He started talking,” Angelia laughed. “And after that, we saw each other daily for five years. Every day we went somewhere different to eat. He impressed very well, and he still does.”
The turn: A few weeks later after the first date the pair were exclusive. “We were sitting in the car after a date one day, and I asked her would she be my girl and she said ‘yes’,” Vallie said.
“I told him I would because after he started talking, I started enjoying his company very much. And he called all the time and I really loved that,” Angelia said.
The proposal: Christmas night, 1988. They were at Vallie’s house in Bessemer. “It was just she and I and we were sitting in the living room with the Christmas tree and with a fire going and I said, ‘I have something to give you’, I had just spent $5k on the ring and I was excited to show her. I opened up the ring box and got down on my knee and asked her would she marry me and she said ‘yes, I will’, Vallie said.
“I was speechless because I wasn’t looking for it at that time. I was really happy because he made a beautiful choice in the ring and that really got me,” Angelia said.
The wedding: At their new home in Bessemer. Vallie had bought a new house to gift and marry his bride in. It was officiated by Vallie’s uncle, Reverend Clifton Dial, of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer. Their colors were cream and aqua-blue.
Most memorable for the bride was quickly planning her wedding. “I had to plan a wedding [to hold in] our new home in two weeks, and it was fabulous because I had a sister that did that kind of decorating and everything came together well. Vallie was really happy [that I pulled the wedding off so quickly] because he didn’t want to live any days at the new house by himself. It was a beautiful wedding, and one I’ll never forget,” said Angelia, after the couple received more than 100 gifts and welcomed far more guests than they anticipated.
Most memorable for the groom was a huge turnout despite planning a small wedding. “We were only banking on me and my folks and Angelia and her folks, but it wound up being way bigger than we expected. A lot of [additional] people ended up coming….it was about a hundred or so people there. It was fine though, we were excited that so many people showed up because we didn’t realize that many people loved us. And we were happy that we had enough food,” Vallie said.
The couple honeymooned in their new home. “We had more than a hundred gifts, so we spent the first week opening gifts and enjoying our new home,” Angelia said. “We were so happy we were pinching ourselves to make sure it was real,” said Vallie.
Words of wisdom: “Keep God in it and let Him have the last word. And stay close. The way you felt when you first met, keep those feelings alive,” Vallie said.
“Always pray, and never go to bed mad at each other or leave the house without giving a kiss or a hug,” Angelia said.
Happily ever after: The Thomas’ attend Bethel Baptist Church in Pratt City, where Vallie serves as an associate minister. They have three adult children, April, 44, Valencia, 34, Vallie IV, 31, and 2 grandchildren.
Angelia, 66, is a Bessemer native and Wenonah High School grad. She attended Lawson State Community College where she earned an associate’s degree in applied science and retired from Gestamp Automation in McCalla in 2019, where she worked in the assembly department for 15 years.
Vallie, 65, is a Bessmer native and Jess Lanier High School grad. He attended Bessemer Tech where he studied automotive. He runs his own company V&A Tire and Automotive Center in Bessemer.
“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.
