Alma and Mike met online—on the wild west of dating websites, OkCupid. Mike sent Alma a message, and they decided to grab drinks at a neighborhood bar. It was August, and it was hot. Alma was incredibly nervous about running her first race at the time, and Mike showed her proper stretching and running form. (What a guy!) After sharing some eggplant fries and beers, Mike walked Alma back a few blocks to her place where she promptly planted one on him. It was pretty obvious there would be a second date. Alma shares the proposal story, how she stays sane during wedding planning, and how to keep the joy in everything they do!
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
Last February, we escaped to sunshine and blue waters after a brutal winter in DC and headed to Guadeloupe, a beautiful little island in the Caribbean. A few days into the vacation, we hiked an active volcano. Mike had planned to propose at the end of the hike, but after being greeted by 50+ mph winds and pungent sulfur smells at the top, he thought better of it.
The next day, we took a short hike to a beautiful rock outcropping overlooking the ocean and the islands beyond, and as Alma asked a nearby couple to take a photo of them, Mike took out his grandmother Nancy’s ring and nervously mumbled something resembling a question. Although Alma thinks she blacked out momentarily, she definitely said yes. And to the couple who kept snapping photos of the whole thing after realizing what was happening, thanks for capturing the moment!
Emma Weiss
After the big day, we had a few more days on the island to take in the moment and keep the secret to ourselves for just a bit longer! Those days passed in a glow of happiness. When we got back to DC, we shared the news with friends and family, many of whom already expected it or knew something was up. Apparently the only person who was genuinely surprised by the proposal was Alma.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
One of the highlights has been celebrating every chance we get. Every time Mike and I make a decision, we toast or congratulate each other and really remember what all of this is for – to throw a fun party for all of the people we love, so we can celebrate them and our commitment to each other! Besides that, a fun surprise has been finding a local florist from an Amish, family-run flower farm. Because the Amish don’t communicate via email or phone, we had to take a drive one day down a tiny dirt road through Maryland, hoping we were on the right path. Among greenhouses and horses plowing the fields, we met the Weavers, a family who has been providing wedding flowers to local couples for a few years. We sat down in their barn and discussed our vision for the day, and are going back in the spring to see the flower farm in full bloom!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
We’re very good at reminding each other of the end goal – walking towards one another that day to celebrate our love and have a beautiful time with our friends and family. When Alma was trying to make a decision on her wedding dress, she imagined seeing herself through Mike’s eyes walking down the aisle, and the decision got a whole lot easier. We also try hard to remember that a wedding isn’t about things being perfect, or finding the best vendor. In fact, we think that’s a recipe for a lot of stress.
When making decisions, we usually ask ourselves – do we like this? Is it within our budget? Does it make us happy? If the answers is yes, we make the decision and move forward, and don’t look back wondering if the photographer or vendor or food we picked was the most amazing thing in the world. And most of all, we like to keep the joy in everything we do. As excited as we are about the wedding, we’re most excited about marrying each other and being a source of joy for each other in the years to come.
Emma Weiss
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
Alma loves how easy it is to personalize the website to fit your vibe and vision. Mike appreciates the fact that it offers every couple what they need and doesn’t cost anything. And we both love that Joy is fun and doesn’t look like any other wedding website (and we’ve seen a lot)!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Remember to tell your story and open up a bit! For a lot of your guests, this might be a big window into who you are as a couple, and what this day means to you. Take advantage of all of the planning tools and make it easy for your guests, and they’ll have an even better time.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
For us, joy means looking forward to a lifetime with the person you’ve chosen to be by your side, and celebrating them and your commitment to each other, in ways large and small. There are a lot of things in life that are important to us, but at the end of the day, our biggest source of pride and joy is the commitment we put into being our best for each other and planning a life together.
Emma Weiss
P.s. Do you want to see the rest of this absolutely perfect art gallery engagement photo session? Check it out.
