Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
It wasn’t exactly a secret that he was ring shopping. Given that he had already asked for my ring size (he did that on our first date, as a matter of fact), solicited pics of rings I love, asked all my girlfriends (and Aria!) for advice, and even taken me to several jewelry counters at the mall to see what styles look best on my finger. He knew it would be a challenge to surprise me with the proposal. He cast up a lot of smokescreens, including planning a weekend trip to Vancouver, to throw me off the scent. March 19, was a really beautiful day and I was stressed out about some work stuff, so he suggested we take a walk someplace pretty. I took him down to the waterfront, thinking we’d just walk for a bit and head back, but it was so gorgeous we ended up walking all the way downtown. We had lunch on the waterfront and kept on walking all the way down to the ferry docks. We were standing up on the upper level, looking out across the water, and he got this impish grin on his face. “What?” I asked. “Just… looking for a good spot,” he replied mysteriously. So after that, I took him to every romantic spot I could think of in downtown Seattle. We went by the lock wall, the Great Wheel, the waterfall park in Pioneer Square, etc. But every time, it was just an increasingly elaborate tease. I got so giddily impatient that at one point I even asked him to marry me, but he said no. So I smacked him and we laughed. I began to doubt that he even had the ring with him. I didn’t care. I was loving this game. Finally, we ended up at what we’re calling the “Fortress of Solitude,” a series of cement cubes that house what in the summer months is an enormous waterfall up at the cleverly named “Freeway Park” at 7th and Seneca. It was at that point that he reached into his pocket, and I knew it was finally happening. I immediately fell to my knees and bawled for a couple of minutes straight before I could even look at the ring. Which, by the way, is utter perfection. “Will you marry me?” he asked into my ear. “You’re goddamn right I will!” I answered. And then, once I had caught my breath, I called out for all to hear, “I am gonna marry the f*&$ outta you, David Ross Woodward!” “Aww, Honey,” he smiled, holding my bedazzled hand, “You say the most romantic things.” Then we shared an order of tiramisu at Il Fornaio. Because duh. Tiramisu.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Picking the venue! I loved visiting all the different spots and envisioning what we could do there.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
This is my third go-round so I’ve learned that no matter how thoroughly you plan everything, something always goes sideways. So this time I’m being super chill about it and treating it more like a weekend retreat than a wedding.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
Joy is very user-friendly and easy to learn!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Make sure you click on everything! There were things I didn’t realize were customizable until after I’d sent out the link to our website.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
To me, love is an active verb. You don’t just experience it, you create it. You do that by sharing joy with your partner every chance you get!
