Marriage Love &
Michelle & Michael Beckham Mike Eaddy Photography Michelle Murray was first introduced to Michael Beckham (referred to as Beckham by Mi-
chelle) through Facebook. “I just moved to the area, so I was naturally interested in getting to know new people and meeting new friends. When I accepted his friend request, I almost im- mediately had the comment, ‘Hi. My name is Michael.’ I found myself immediately with a smile smeared across my face since Facebook typically already has your entire name listed next to any comment. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Well this is cute. Why is he telling me his name? It’s quite obvious.’ Eventually, I gave him my phone number.” Aſter two weeks of conversing on the phone, they decided to meet in the parking lot of Red Bone Alley. “It was a strange date, sitting in two separate cars in the parking lot of a fantastic restaurant. We talked and laughed, and his sense of humor drew me to him.” She didn’t experience the immediate “He’s the one!” moment that most tend to have. “Initial-
ly, this concerned me. What I did know was that out of all the people I’ve ever met, he and I chal- lenged each other. We became inseparable best friends, drove each other nuts to the moon and back but with more love, trust and compassion than moments (in some cases, hours) before. All of these things made me fall in love with him.” What she loved most about him, however, was his sense of humor. “There were times I would be annoyed at something and he would make a terrible joke. I couldn’t even laugh at his attempt. He would reply, ‘Ya know that’ll be funny later.’ And to his credit, there wasn’t a time later when I didn’t laugh at his joke.” She describes their dating process as odd. “That’s what made it so fun, awkward and refresh- ingly charming. He is a loving Southern man with gentlemanly characteristics who favors music by Queen but drew lines to never quite go out of. I am the most wonky, heavily tattooed member of my family who loves debate, psychology and art. Our dates were as random as our personal-
84 February 2014
ities and as limitless as I could make them. My favorite was when he drove to my house at 3 am with a bag of Starbursts. He raced out to open the passenger door, got in the driver’s seat and he drove us to the beach. We watched the sunrise as I separated my pink and red Starbursts from his orange and yellow. The date was spontaneously mysterious and beautiful, and we had junk food.” Aſter three years of dating, Michael finally proposed with a marquis-cut diamond solitaire
ring from Galloway and Moseley. “I was lying on the couch and out of thin air, he managed to perform this ninja move of sliding down on his knee and sliding a ring on my finger. I never actually heard the question. As a matter of fact, I didn’t hear it the first three times. I literally couldn’t even speak to say yes. He started to have this worried look on his face when he asked again. I ended up nodding like a bobble head on the hood of a four-wheeler, to which he finally figured out that I was saying yes. The ring is simple, timeless and completely me.” Michelle dreamed of successfully walking down the aisle in four-inch heels and a fit-n-flare
dress while surrounded by loved ones. “I wasn’t a kid or teenager that dreamed about a wed- ding. I genuinely thought that if I ever met someone I wanted to marry, we would find ourselves in the courthouse in jeans and Chucks. Beckham is the youngest of four with one sister and I’m an only child, so selfishly I didn’t have big or dreamy plans of our wedding.” Thankfully, she changed her mind. “There was no way I was going to hold my mom back from planning the wed- ding of her only child. Beckham’s sister, Amy, made me realize how many girlfriends I considered my sisters (including her) and how I not only wanted but needed them by my side on the biggest day of my life. He and I were recently saved and baptized. We started growing in our relationship with Jesus. With Him now in our individual lives, we were especially honored to have our pastor, Sam Gibson, marry us. We wanted to celebrate Him together in front of everyone we love.”
shemagazine.com
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