Bride: Stacie Walker, 24
Groom: Joseph Abdallah, 24
Occupations: Walker: School Counselor Abdallah: Scientific Researcher and Student
Homebase: Georgia
Wedding Date: June 18, 2011
Wedding Location: Ceremony: Cornerstone Church of God; Reception: Grand Hall in Tate Student Center at University of Georgia; both in Athens, Georgia

Starting Off with a Bang Freshmen Stacie and Joe met while moving into their respective dorms at the University of Georgia. “We were introduced by one of Stacie’s friends from high school,” explains Joe. He adds, “I thought she was cute but one of the first things I noticed were her bangs. I don’t like bangs,” admits Joe with a chuckle. Stacie shares her first recollections of Joe, “He was tall, chocolate and handsome.” But Stacie had a boyfriend at the time so their relationship was strictly platonic in the beginning. “We were just friends at first — plus I thought he was kinda nerdy,” Stacie reminisces.

I’ll Give You the Moon “I liked that she was honest and had a caring, nurturing sense about her,” says Joe. “He’s an all around nice guy. He was that person on campus everyone liked and respected,” says Stacie of Joe. As their friendship progressed, the coeds began a ritual of watching the moon together. “We became moon buddies,” Stacie recalls with a laugh. As the pair advanced from friends to couple, their spiritual faith also grew. “We read scripture together and we also made the decision not to have sex before we were married. It was a challenge but we kept the relationship interesting. I gave her a single (red, white or pink) rose every Wednesday,” says Joe. “He has strong character and is the oldest of his siblings. He sacrificed a lot growing up. His strength made me fall in love with him,” affirms Stacie.

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[All images courtesy of Fixed Focal Photography.]

Culture Club When their romance became more serious, their cultural differences began to surface as well. “I was born here [in the U.S.] and Joe was born in Kenya,” Stacie explains. She adds, “Those differences made us a stronger couple.” She continues, “Trying to get our families to understand the others point of view when it came to dating and the marriage process wasn’t easy but we did it.” Joe echoes this sentiment, “My family often relied on me as the only man in the household so there was a lot of adjusting for all of us. Plus, some loved ones thought I was too young to get married and questioned if I would be able to provide for Stacie and myself. All these things definitely made us a stronger couple.”   

It’s A Love Thing After returning from a month-long stay in Ethiopia, Joe decided to ask Stacie for her hand in marriage after receiving her parent’s blessings. Since Stacie is a self-proclaimed “detective”, he proposed when she would least expect it, at home in her apartment after a day of shopping. Stacie was in the midst of taking a nap when she woke up to “It’s a Love Thing” by The Whispers. A joyful Stacie accepted and a year later the couple became husband and wife on the University of Georgia campus where they first met. “We fell in love there so we decided to bring our friends and family there for our wedding.” “Stacie was absolutely flawless walking down the aisle,” brags Joe. Their reception was one big, fun-filled party courtesy of DJ Battle of One Sound & Entertainment. From the live music during the ceremony to non-stop dancing at their reception, Stacie and Joe’s wedding was a day their guests won’t soon forget.

Stacie’s Money Saving Tips for Future Brides

Three is the Magic Number Since Stacie was burned by booking a couple of her vendors too quickly without shopping around first, she strongly suggests nearlyweds use the magic number of three when narrowing down their wedding day choices. “Try talking to three vendors in the same category before making a final decision,” she warns.

Sisterly Bonds “I frequently used online message boards to bounce ideas off of other brides,” says Stacie. You too can rely on the savvy advice of other brides when planning your nuptials. Looking back at Triple B’s Tie the Knot Tuesday archives for past budget bridal tips is an excellent way to do this as well.

Reuse, Repurpose, Redefine “I wore my mother’s veil as my something old.  It was originally attached to a hat but we detached it and sewed it onto a comb,” shares Stacie. The result of this recycling effort was not only cost-efficient but also personal and Stacie knows that no one has the same veil as she did.

Take a look at past Tie the Knot Tuesday features here.

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