Michael & Maya Valentine
Bride
Maya Aisha Corneille, 32
Groom
Michael Paul Valentine, 30
Parents of the Bride
Vicki and Gerard Corneille
Parents of the Groom
Paul and Lola Valentine
Hometown of the Bride
Virginia Beach, VA
Hometown of the Groom
Cleveland, OH
Wedding Date
8/7/2010
Wedding Location
Jetton Park - Lake Norman, Cornelius,NC
Occupation of the Bride
Professor
Occupation of the Groom
Business planner
Alma Mater of the Bride
Duke University
Alma Mater of the Groom
Wright State University
How they met:
”We met in Greensboro, NC in January of 2009 at the home of a mutual friend “states Maya. “Mike was on his way to the inauguration and decided to make a pit stop in North Carolina on his way.’When a mutual friend inquired about Mike's interest, Mike announced his interest in 'Maya' to everyone in the room. He immediately had my attention.’As we dated, I admired Mike's commitment to helping people start businesses and do what they are passionate about. He admired my commitment to education and my choice to work at a historically Black college.’Our admiration grew into a beautiful friendship and an exciting romance.
The moment they realized they wanted to be a couple for life:
'We dated long distance at first. Then there was a moment when we realized we didn’t want to be apart for another day. We immediately made arrangements to live in the same city.'After we discovered that the other person gave us the freedom to just be who we wanted to be, we knew we wanted to spend our life together.
The Proposal:
‘Since we believe that that the journey to start a life together is a mutual decision, we decided to have a dual proposal where we proposed to each other. We each planned a time to honor the other person.‘Mike's proposal was in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. He dedicated the book that he is working on to me. He handed me the book turned to the dedication page and the ring was slipped inside. The dedication read: "To Maya: my best friend, my adviser, and my wife."‘My proposal was at Lake Norman in Charlotte, NC in March of 2010. ." I wrote him a poem and had the ring and poem slipped inside a box.
The Wedding:
‘We had a beautiful August wedding in Jetton Park on the banks of Lake Norman.‘We began our ceremony by remembering Mike's mother, Lola, and my sister, Dominique, who are both now deceased. When they walked out, each of our bridesisters,as we referred to them, placed a flower in the vase next to pictures of Dominique Corneille and Lola Valentine. Our groomsbrothers poured water into a vase for a libations ceremony that honored the gifts and sacrifices of our ancestors.‘We wrote our own vows and exchanged rings that have engraved on them an Adinkra symbol that means "love lights its own path." ‘For our reception, we went for a sunset boat cruise chartered by Yachta Yachta Yachta. We enjoyed Southern cuisine provided by Sadie's Soulful Southern Experience and danced the night away. We both consider the day the happiest of our lives.
The Honeymoon:
'We had a very adventurous honeymoon in the Bahamas. We enjoyed jet skies, water skies, and sailing.
Advice to Others:
'Mike’s advice is to make sure that you are with the person that you feel like yourself “squared” and the feeling is mutual. My advice is to spend time working on the things that make marriages work…like communication and discussing expectations of one another.'