Prince & DeAndrea Hunter
Bride
DeAndrea Liara Gadsden, 21
Groom
Prince Jeremiah Hunter, 25
Parents of the Bride
Odessia Porter Gadsden and the late Whittmore Anthony Gadsden Jr.
Parents of the Groom
Franklin and Bonita Hunter
Hometown of the Bride
Charlotte, N.C. (born in Charleston, S.C.)
Hometown of the Groom
Washington, D.C.
Wedding Date
5/28/2011
Wedding Location
Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens Belmont, N.C.
Occupation of the Bride
Teacher -- Perry Grove Charter School
Occupation of the Groom
Sales Representative-Sprint
Alma Mater of the Bride
North Carolina Central University
Alma Mater of the Groom
University of District of Columbia
How they met:
“I met Prince on March 6, 2006,” DeAndrea recalls. ”I was on a high school government trip, touring the historically important attractions in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia."One of our stops was at the Smithsonian. My friends and I were looking at an exhibit of a wooly mammoth when a little boy walked up and asked what we were looking at. As I was explaining the exhibit to the little boy, a tall, dark and very handsome young man came over and joined our group“He immediately caught my eye and my girlfriend started encouraging me to talk to him and find out who he was. After finally getting up the nerve to say hello, I learned that he was from the D.C. area and was a volunteer with a church group who were chaperoning children touring the Smithsonian. We finished the tour together and exchanged phone numbers.“We spent the next nine months talking on the phone and getting to know one another. We had not seen each other since the day we met and by December we decided to go our separate ways.“It wasn’t until we broke up that I began to realize the depth of my feelings for Prince. I could not imagine myself being with anyone else. Things would not begin to change, however, until June 2007.“While celebrating my birthday, I decided to call Prince to share my excitement. Imagine my disappointment when my call went to voice mail. I read a poem on his voice mail telling him how much I missed him and hung up.“It didn’t take long for him to return my call. We talked and he promised to come to my graduation later that month.“I could hardly wait for my graduation day to arrive. As the processional began, I searched the crowd looking for his face but did not see him. After getting to my seat, I got a text. It was Prince saying, 'I am here. Look at the back.' There he was, waving to me from the back of the auditorium. We officially began dating during his visit.”
The Proposal:
“I have sickle cell anemia. I was hospitalized at Carolinas Medical Center for a sickle cell crisis the day after Christmas in 2008 and Prince stayed with me.“On the evening of December 27, he and my mother said they were going to the cafeteria together. I was surprised by how long they were gone but didn’t think too much about it.“The next morning, I was still feeling a bit tired and woozy from the pain medication. I felt a nudge on my side and heard Prince saying, 'Babe, wake up." I finally open my eyes to see him kneeling by my bed.“I was just waking up, drug induced, drooling and hair going everywhere. He began by saying, 'DeAndrea, I love you more than anything in this world. I've talked to your mother and my family and everyone is delighted and can see that I love you wholeheartedly.' Then he pulled out a white box with a ribbon on it.“All I could say was, 'Babe, you got me earrings. Babe, you got me earrings!' He then pulls out a small black box from within the white box.“He opens it while saying, 'Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you. DeAndrea Liara Gadsden, will you marry me?'“I went from screaming 'You got me earrings.' to screaming 'Oh, my God, are you proposing? Are you proposing?' While crying hysterically, I managed to say YES.“By this time, the nurses came busting into my room thinking that I was in terrible pain only to see us kissing uncontrollably. The nurse and her aid asked if everything was alright. I burst out laughing and said, 'We're getting married.'“Ten minutes later my mother walked in. She asked Prince why he didn't wait for her to get out of church so that she could take pictures. Prince said, 'Ms. Gadsden, it wouldn't have been natural if you were here taking pictures.'”
The Wedding:
“We got married two weeks after I graduated from college, so things were very hectic leading up to the big day.“The wedding was at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful.“My brother walked me down the aisle. I was so nervous that he had to keep reminding me that I was a soldier. That was a phrase he had used often during the times when I was suffering with the pain of sickle cell.“Then I saw Prince and my nervousness disappeared.”
The Honeymoon:
”We went on a six-day cruise to the Bahamas. We stopped in Half Moon Cay and Freeport. We had a great time relaxing on the balcony of our cabin, eating and spending time together.”
Their Plans:
“I am planning to teach at Perry Grove Charter School in Washington, D.C., while pursuing my masters degree at American University. Price will be completing his degree in May. We plan to begin a family in about five years."