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Weddings: Talisha Lewis & Tim Steudler

Hello there After spending the morning reading and relaxing at the Hamilton Square Barnes & Noble, Talisha thought she'd treat herself to lunch at the nearby Chili's.

Talisha Lewis and Tim Steudler
Talisha Lewis and Tim SteudlerRead more

Hello there

After spending the morning reading and relaxing at the Hamilton Square Barnes & Noble, Talisha thought she'd treat herself to lunch at the nearby Chili's.

"I was just about to read a magazine when he passed by."

He was Tim. "She was beautiful," he said. "Her face drew me to her. And there was just something about her."

Tim changed course for Talisha's table. "He was trying to flirt, and then we started talking."

They had just 30 minutes to chat that day in early June 2015 - long enough to discover they were both single, both funny, and both military.

Though her civilian clothes didn't give it away, Talisha is an engineer in the Army, stationed at Fort Dix since March 2014. Tim, who was headed to his plant operator job at the University of Pennsylvania after lunch, had served 27 years in the Army and Navy, and retired in 2015 from the Army Reserve. He was also based at Fort Dix, but they had never met.

After a most enjoyable lunch, they exchanged numbers. Yet Talisha had little hope anything would come of it. The Jonesboro, Ga., native was leaving the next day for a monthlong mission at Fort Drum in New York. In her experience, men didn't have that kind of patience.

But Tim, who grew up in Wilcox, Pa., was patient while Talisha was away. "Being in the military myself, I know what she does," he said. "If she was not able to get back to me right away, I knew why."

There were texts whenever they could squeeze them in, and long, late-night phone calls after his night shift. "We talked all the time," said Talisha, now 39. "We were like high school kids."

All of Tim's patience evaporated when Talisha returned to Fort Dix. She got home on a Friday night. Tim, who lives in Feasterville, Bucks County, was to pick her up at 2 p.m. Saturday.

"I could not wait to see her," he said.

He called from the wrong gate, four hours early. "I wanted to surprise her," Tim said.

Mission accomplished.

"I was wearing bike shorts and a T-shirt," Talisha said. "It's a good thing my hair was done."

Tim brought wine and roses. They talked. They played Uno. It was so fun and comfortable, they abandoned plans to go out, and Talisha cooked shrimp and pasta instead.

Talisha says it was Tim's gorgeous blue eyes, nice build, and apparent unawareness of both those qualities that first attracted her, but she fell in love with his kindness. And he does things that make her happy - such as going to church even though he just got home from working all night.

Sometimes he goes to the Word of Life Christian Center in Wrightstown, Burlington County, with her, sometimes he takes his kids from a previous marriage, Samantha, 15, and Derek, 11, to Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Southampton, Bucks County.

Tim, now 45, says falling in love with Talisha was natural. "We're best friends. It's like we grew up together."

How does forever sound?

The two had talked about marriage enough that Talisha thought the question might be popped during a winter trip to Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Montreal.

What she didn't know: Tim, an old-fashioned guy, had already asked for and received the blessing of Talisha's oldest sister, Marcela.

In Ottawa, Tim suggested a trip to the local mall, where Talisha found a diamond ring she loves at Peoples jewelry - the Canadian sister of Zales - and both chose wedding bands.

Back at the hotel, he knelt in front of the sofa where Talisha sat and put the ring on her finger.

It was so them

The couple's ceremony in the Joseph Priestley Chapel of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia was set to start at 2 p.m. Talisha, ever the engineer, built in a four-hour contingency buffer, and it was a good thing.

She was staying at a hotel in the city, her family at her place on the base. The driver of the fancy bus that was to pick up her people got lost. She left the hotel to find him. Then the wedding planner had car trouble and was also late.

In addition to her cautious planning, Talisha was saved by her makeup artist. Ericka Areh of ANuEraOfBeauty not only brought the glamour but helped the bride put on her dress and safely walk down the stairs while wearing it. "She was my right-hand lady," Talisha said.

All was back on track until, 20 minutes before the ceremony, heavy winds and rain knocked out power to the church.

"In retrospect, I'm glad it happened," Tim said. Candles were lit everywhere around the small chapel, and the sun peeked out enough at the start time to light up the stained glass. "It felt so old-school," he said.

Talisha's dad, Alfonso, was too ill to attend. She was escorted down the aisle by two uncles: Uncle Valentino, her mom's brother, and Uncle Raul, a man who was largely raised by her father before Talisha was born.

Tim's sister, Ronda, and Talisha's sister Janeth stood next to them at the altar. The bride's sisters Marcela and Stephany were bridesmaids, her niece Angelica was a junior bridesmaid, and niece Julie the flower girl.

The Rev. Kathleen Spicer spoke of their special bond, commitment, and love and wove details of their story through the ceremony. Talisha knew Tim was the one when he started going to church with her, Spicer said, and Tim knew Talisha was the one when she gave him the code to her garage.

"I knew then she cared for and trusted me," he said.

Twenty people were present, including the couple and their attendants. "My advice to anyone having a small wedding is to hold it in a small chapel," Talisha said. "It made it really sweet and special."

At the Le Méridien Hotel reception, guests enjoyed heavy hors d'oeuvres, dancing, and wedding cake. Guests received Mason jar mugs as wedding favors.

At the end of the night, flower girl Julie, 8, opened her purse to show her aunt she had collected all the place cards, which Talisha had made.

Awestruck

The couple took a horse-and-carriage ride from the church to the reception. "We felt like we owned Philly for that hour," Talisha said. "Everybody was waving to us. It felt like a fairy tale come true."

"We were at a stoplight, and there was an Amish guy on the corner selling flowers," Tim remembered. "He looked at us and started clapping. Then he went into one of his buckets and brought us a lily and congratulated us. It made me smile even more, if that was even possible."

The budget crunch

A bargain: Talisha made the programs herself with a $13 kit from OfficeMax.

The splurges: $850 for DJ John was worth it as he provided music at the chapel and during the cocktail hour and reception. The transportation company Dave's Best not only got the bride's family to the church but took them on a mini-tour after the reception. "They got to eat a cheesesteak and see the Rocky statue," Talisha said.

What's next?

More texts and late-night phone calls are in Talisha and Tim's future. Her assignment at Fort Dix ends in July. He must stay put for his kids. Talisha, who was recently promoted to major, is hoping to be stationed a reasonable drive from Tim's home for the three years until she retires so the couple can see each other on weekends.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Officiant: Rev. Kathleen Spicer, Two Hearts One Love, Norristown
Venue: Ceremony: The Joseph Priestley Chapel, First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
Reception: Le Meridien Hotel, Philadelphia
Catering: Le Meridien Hotel
Photography: Amanda Mundy, Lovestruck Pictures, Philadelphia
Flowers: Le Meridien
Music: DJ John from A Time 2 Remember DJ Services

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