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NOIRE Black Love Showcase: Being The Godines

by NOIRE Online

March 2, 2022 515 views
 

Christopher Godine and Brinkley Byrd met on the campus of the Southern University A & M College in 2008. They shared similar interests including their college majors. After several interactions, they decided to take a chance and go on a date. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out. Although the relationship was brief, they stayed connected exchanging well wishes throughout life’s many milestones. Then as fate would have it, in 2017, they reconnected and gave love another chance.

As Brinkley shares her memory of their first date this time around, her eyes sparkled. She recalled Christopher inviting her on a picnic. During this time of his life, Christopher was a struggling student in law school. His budget was tight, but in an effort to create a special date, he made some sandwiches, bought some cheap wine, and chose the perfect spot at Herman Park. On that day. They watched the ducks swim by and talked about their time wasted on other relationships that ended.
 
Brinkley had been working as a licensed cosmetologist and was growing a loyal clientele. Growing up in Port Allen provided Brinkley with the best of both worlds. She was in a community small enough to know most people in the area, and close enough to the capitol city to enjoy all of the amenities of the “big” city. She decided to open her first salon in Port Allen. After long hours, days, and months of renovations, installing equipment and furnishings, painting, and decorating, The Hair Spa was opened for business. Although Christopher was busy in law school and Brinkley was busy as an entrepreneur, they found time to maintain a strong connection and intentionally scheduled time together.
 
She also recalled thinking, “I always knew it was something about him but at the time I didn’t know he would become my husband. It was a feeling I never had before and I wanted to allow this feeling to lead, instead of it me leading.” Now he is her husband, and she couldn’t be any happier.
Christopher knew the very day he and Brinkley reconnected that he wanted something more with her than friendship. One day while talking on the phone, he stated, “If you stick with me during my mock trial, and studying as I prepare for the bar exam, I will do everything I possibly can to make you my wife.”
Well, Christopher passed the bar exam and as they say, the rest is HIStory and HERstory.
The proposal was like a story lifted from the pages of a romantic novel. Watch the video.
After the excitement of the proposal, Brinkley knew she had work to do. She had recently helped her Soror plan her wedding. Yes! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Oh, and he is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. She knew the amount of stress wedding planning could bring. They were also in the process of building a house. More stress!! Brinkley and Christopher decided to hire a planner. This decision limited their stress, but the anxiety was still high. “The decision to marry on a holiday made choosing wedding colors and the theme super easy,” according to Brinkley.
“Our wedding day was beautiful. The room was draped in black, full of candles, and it set the ambiance for an intimate evening. Our wedding party wore all black with complimenting tones of ivory roses and other flowers. Christopher and I stood on an all-black stage, covered with candles. It was perfect,” said Brinkley.
Immediately following the ceremony, the room was transformed into a reception space created with love. The smoke-filled, dark, candlelit room was the perfect backdrop for all the evening’s excitement. There was food galore! The menu included lamb chops, prime rib, seafood-stuffed fish, deviled eggs topped with oysters, truffled potatoes, asparagus, mini angus burgers on black buns, and chicken tacos. The beverages for the evening were two signature cognac drinks, the Grand Godine and the Glamorous Godine. While enjoying great food and drinks, they danced the night away! The reception wrapped up in traditional Louisiana-style with a brass band, a second line, and fireworks! As fairy tales go… and they lived happily ever after.
 
 
 
 
 

View other installments in the NOIRE Black Love Showcase series.


[Updated on March 9, 2022]

 
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NOIRE Online
NOIRE is a new online magazine that scopes the Black and multicultural community from a cutting-edge perspective. Our mantra is “Our Lives, Our Stories, Our Voices.” Our vision is to become the leading source of true, high-quality narratives of people of color.
 

 

 

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