Miami Heat: Michael Vick weds longtime girlfriend Kijafa Frink in South Beach

FOR YEARS, North Philly home girl Kijafa Frink did as the song says. She stood by her man, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. On Saturday, she'll officially nab him.

My wedding invite must have gotten lost, but I'll still be rooting from the sidelines for Frink, because she didn't fumble the football. No, she hung on, blocking all the money-grubbing groupies who would have loved to sack her quarterback.

It must have been hard, but girlfriend stuck to her playbook — through major adversity both on field and off — and came out victorious. Lord knows, Vick put her through a lot, going to prison for that dogfighting ring. But this Saturday, she'll get her payoff, big time, when she finally becomes Mrs. Michael Dwayne Vick.

Touchdown!

Luckily, there are no penalties for her bridal party's doing a victory dance in the end zone — or anywhere else they damn well please. In girl world, Frink just won the Super Bowl.

It was a hard-won effort. The 1998 graduate of Bodine H.S. had two daughters with Vick, and stayed with him through his 18-month imprisonment, through his bankruptcy and through his comeback.

The North Philly native is down-to-earth enough to man the sales floor at PNK Elephant, her jewelry boutique on South Street, but fabulous enough to book her big day at Fountainbleu Miami Beach, on the aptly named Millionaires' Row.

Last summer, Fountainbleau hosted the nuptials of Miami Heat star Chris Bosh, who reportedly spent $300,000 for a lavish three-day event. Heat players LeBron James, Juwan Howard and Dwyane Wade were among the guests.

We don't know how much the Frink-Vick will cost, but it isn't going to be cheap. Vick Wedding packages at Fountainbleau start at $185 a head, which include four hours of open bar, plated dinners, cake and wine with dinner. Rooms start at around $300. Earlier this week, the hotel was asking for a three-night minimum for a Saturday stay.

We know the couple isn't shy when it comes to grand gestures. In 2009, Vick, who is set to make $12.5 million in base salary this year, surprised Kijafa at her 29th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton by getting down on one knee in front of their guests and formally proposing. The following year, TMZ reported that Vick gave her a fully loaded Porsche Panamera as a birthday gift.

They met in 2001, at a restaurant in Virginia. Frink was a sophomore majoring in marketing at Hampton University and Vick played football at Virginia Tech. They quickly became a couple. Though they broke up for a time, the lovebirds decided to marry shortly before Vick surrendered to authorities in 2007 on dog-fighting charges. When Vick, who was convicted for bankrolling the infamous Bad Newz Kennels, was released nearly two years later, Frink was waiting. (The Eagles signed Vick in 2009.)

I pressed her once for details about the wedding, but all she would say was, "I feel like that's something we can at least keep private in our lives, hopefully."

I'm not sure how that's going to be possible. Besides her wedding, Fountainbleau is hosting a big concert Saturday night. A hotel worker who'll be involved in setting up the Frink-Vick wedding said security will be extra tight.

The New York Post reported that the couple's guest list includes Vick's mentor, former Colts and Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, along with Eagles coach Andy Reid, Vick's NFL superagent Joel Segal, and Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, among others. Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is not expected to attend.

We know a room was set aside for Brenda Vick, Michael's mom, but there's no word on whether his dad, with whom he has a strained relationship, will attend. On Twitter, Vick (or whoever tweets for him) posted this: "Miami here we come…this about to be beautiful."

Frink's publicist declined comment on the event. "Kijafa's mom just died. I'm going to respect all her wishes. She doesn't want any press," Carmena Ayo-Davies told me via text earlier this week. "She doesn't want any comments. This moment is for her family and close friends."

No biggie.

We're just glad Vick's no longer milking the clock.