Lifestyle News and Feature Stories from The Birmingham News

Our Wedding: Ashley McCall & Junaid Odubeko, married Aug. 8, 2009
By Chanda Temple Guster -- The Birmingham N...

http://blog.al.com/living-news/2010/01/ashley_mccall_junaid_odubeko_m.html

January 10, 2010, 7:00AM

Ashley and Junaid couldn't stop smiling after the wedding ceremony. "I was thinking, 'This is the happiest day of my life,'" Ashley said. (Special / Visual Statements Photography)

In the beginning: Ashley, a Birmingham native, had just finished law school when she moved to Nash­ville in May 2007. Over lunch, a friend asked Ashley if she was dating anyone. Ashley said no, and the friend later said she had the perfect person for Ashley. The friend gave Ashley's e-mail address to Memphis native Junaid, who invited Ashley to meet over coffee. They met at Starbucks on Sept. 24, 2007. "He just made a really great first im­ pression," Ashley said. "I re­member thinking he's as awesome as (my friend) said he was."

First date: They went to J. Alexander's and then to MaggieMoo's for ice cream on Sept. 29, 2007. "Once we saw the date was going really well, he said, 'Hey, you want to grab some ice cream?'" Ashley said.

First kiss: It happened Oct. 27, 2007, following a date. Junaid walked Ashley to her front door and asked her if she would slap him if he kissed her. She thought he was such a gentleman for asking and told him a kiss would be fine.

Will you? Junaid wanted to surprise Ashley with a proposal. But, he knew if he took her to a fancy dinner or did something unusual, she would suspect something. After a few weeks of deliber­ation, he drove to Birming­ham on Nov. 20, 2008, and asked her parents for her hand in marriage. He then asked them to help him sur­prise her. He returned to Birmingham on Nov. 24, 2008, unannounced. When he rang her parents' door­ bell, Ashley's mother per­suaded Ashley to answer the door. Ashley, who was still in her pajamas, thought it was a neighbor returning Ashley's mother's Tupperware. When Ashley opened the door, she saw Junaid hold­ing a ring and getting down on one knee. "I was so shocked. I screamed, 'Yes! Yes!'," she said.

The wedding: They ex­changed vows at South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.

Traditions: A flower that was once on Ashley's moth­er's wedding gown, was stitched into the lining of Ashley's new gown; a satin bow from Ashley's late maternal grandmother was sewn atop Ashley's mother's flower; Ashley's wedding dress and accessories were new; and a blue button was sewn into her dress for the bustle.

Reception: Ashley and Ju­naid each took center stage during the reception at The Club. Ashley's Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sisters sur­rounded her and serenaded her. Earlier, the band called Ashley and her bridesmaids to the dance floor, and had the women encircle Junaid as the band sang, "You the Man." It was a surprise to everyone.

Show stoppers: The ring bearers ruled the dance floor with their Michael Jackson moves. Also, Ashley wore hot pink pumps. "Hot pink is really my favorite color. I wanted to stand out," she said.

Multiples: They received several four-piece place set­ tings of their everyday china.

Honeymoon: They spent a week in Paris, France.

Pedigree: Ashley's pa­rents are Willie and Ronda McCall of Birmingham. Ju­naid's parents are Larry and Deloris Yates of Memphis.

Happily ever after: Ash­ley, 27, and Junaid, 30, are attorneys and live in Nash­ville.

Meant to be: Ashley was still in law school at Louisi­ana State University in Sep­tember 2006 when she de­cided she'd move to Nashville after graduation. A few months later, her mother told her she would find her future hus­band there. As a sign of faith, Ashley confessed the thought daily to God. After meeting Junaid in Nashville, the two later realized they had been going to the same church, at the same time, but had never seen each other. "God ordered our steps so that we could come together as one," Ashley said. "Through our whole relationship and how we were introduced by a mu­tual friend, I learned that you never know who God will use to bless you."