BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
JACKIE AND JACQUES AUSTIN
Live: Helena
Married: Aug. 2, 1997
Met: April 1992. The Deltas were having a party at the Student Center on the UAB [University of Alabama at Birmingham] campus.
“I saw her at the party, and I made an intentional decision to introduce myself. I was head over heels… Jackie was taller and brighter than everyone else, and she had a glow that outshined anyone else in the room,” Jacques recalled.
“I was actually on my way out of the party, and he grabbed my hand and my first instinct [led me to question] ‘who is this grabbing my hand?’ Then I saw his necklace had a charm on it that spelled his name and that was the first time I saw his name spelled that way. And as I was trying to make out in my head how to pronounce his name, I noticed he was tall and handsome but earlier that night, I had [decided] I didn’t want to date anyone, I just wanted to have my head down in my books. At that time, we didn’t have cell phones like they do now, and he tried to give me his number, but he didn’t have a way to write it down. And before my Soror and I could make it to the car, he had found a pen and paper and came out to give me his number and he asked me to give him a call tomorrow after church, and when he said that I said ‘oh he goes to church? I just may give him a call,” Jackie laughed.
First date: A week later, in downtown Birmingham. They took a stroll and walked among the bright downtown lights which made for a romantic night, Jacques said.
“I picked her up and we were just riding around and came upon that area and it seemed romantic, and like a good place to have a conversation under the night air,” Jacques remembered.
“We were college students without extra funds,” Jackie laughed. “We just wanted to walk and talk and get to know each other better.”
The turn: It was a natural evolution over the following months that led to a four-year courtship. Jacques said, “I don’t think I ever asked her to be my girlfriend.”
“He and I dated for four years, and throughout that courtship we had a relationship, but it was through our interaction and commitment to one another that showed what we were,” Jackie said.
“My friends and family knew who my girl was, and her friends and family knew who I was, but we never had a conversation where we put a label on it,” Jacques explained, “but we would introduce each other as our significant others. It wasn’t necessarily said, but it was understood.”
The proposal: April 1996, at Jacques’ best friend’s sister’s home in Birmingham for a celebratory gathering following the wedding of a family friend. Jacques felt inspired by the love in the air.
“The night I proposed to her, I hadn’t planned to do it. But amidst the conversation that night I just got down on one knee and asked her to marry me,” Jacques said.
It was spontaneous and Jackie didn’t see it coming. “He came and got me from another room and [ushered me] to the front room and the next thing I know he’s getting on his knee and proposing to me. And I was like ‘what is going on?’ I was overwhelmed with so many emotions but of all of them was an overwhelming ‘yes’,” said Jackie.
Two months later, in June 1996, they had an engagement party at Jacques’ home in Midfield where he asked for her hand in marriage in front of both of their families. “That night, I proposed by singing ‘Forever In My Life’, by Prince,” Jacques said. “We’re both huge Prince fans, which was something we discovered on that first date during that car ride and the walk downtown. That song held a very significant meaning to both of us.”
“I didn’t know he was going to sing the song, and when he started singing, I started crying and when he was done there wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Jackie reminisced. “My [late] brother-in-law, William, had gone and got a box of Kleenex and was passing it around the room. It was very beautiful, and of course I was overwhelmed by emotion too. I said ‘yes’. That is one of the things about Jacques, he’s very spontaneous and thoughtful. And everybody in the family was like ‘I didn’t know Jacques could sing’, he has a very beautiful voice.”
The wedding: At New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bessemer, officiated by Pastor William H. Walker. Their colors were crimson and cream.
Most memorable for the bride was being escorted down the aisle by her brothers. “I have two brothers– Albert and Anthony Rhone, and my brother-in-law, [late William Fitts Jr.] whom I spoke of earlier, all gave me away. One passed me to the next coming down the aisle, and William, who was very instrumental in mine and Jacque’s relationship was the one to pass me off to my husband-to-be. And I remember I was so full from that moment with all of my brothers. It still brings tears to my eyes today,” Jackie said.
Most memorable for the groom was his smile becoming permanent. “I had smiled so much all day that after the wedding my face cramped in a permanent smile. It was just a show of how happy and overjoyed I was that day,” Jacques said.
They honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tenn. in the cabins. “The little red Honda CIvic made it,” Jacques laughed. “It got us there and it got us back.”
Jackie remembers the cuisine. “The food at Golden Corral was great, we ate Golden Corral the whole honeymoon,” Jackie said, and they both laughed. “It [the restaurant chain] was fairly new back then and it was the first thing we ate when we got in [town] and it was where we kept going, it was so good.”
Words of wisdom: “Prayer. Always remember to pray with your spouse and over your spouse. Communication, remember that you are both there for one another and should talk to one another even when that’s hard to do,” Jackie said.
“In terms of communication, you have to learn how to have uncomfortable conversations at a comfortable time where you’re not afraid to talk about whatever to your spouse because communication is key,” said Jacques. “Also, developing a friendship before anything else. Because of those long walks and talks in the beginning, we really got an opportunity to know one another in different spaces and know the people that are in one another’s lives.”
Happily ever after: The Austins attend New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bessemer, where Jackie serves on the welcome committee and Jacques serves on the finance committee. They have two daughters, Jaylin, 24, and Jordan, 21, and one granddaughter, Courtlynn, 4-months.
Jackie is a Birmingham native [the Hillman Estates Community], and Jones Valley High School grad. She attended the University of Alabama where she earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems. Jackie is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and works as a lead developer for a financial institution in Birmingham.
Jacques is a Fairfield native and Fairfield High School grad. He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham [UAB], where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s degree in counseling. Jacques is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and works as a mental health therapist in his private practice, J.L. Austin Counseling in Birmingham.
“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.
