‘It Was Special to Marry the Person You Cherish and Look to Enjoy a Lifelong Union’

BY KEISA SHARPE | Special to the Birmingham Times “You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique. HERNANDEZ AND VALERIE JOHNSON Live: Birmingham (Winewood) Married:  Dec. 19, 1987 Met: 1985, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Birmingham. Valerie went to church with her sister Angela and says she spotted Hernandez from afar at church and claimed him before he knew who she was. “I told my sister when I saw him, that he was going to be my husband one day when I didn’t know he really would be my husband one day,” she said laughing. Months would pass before they would see each other again, but Valerie says they missed each other initially because he was in the choir loft, and she was looking for him in the pews. But they were reunited in service through their love of music. “I decided to join the choir months later, and I was like, ‘Here’s the guy that...