Joy Proposal Story: Angelica & AJ

We met in our level one improv class, at the Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver.

Like I said, we’d talked about it. I knew it would happen but I didn’t know the details. The one thing I asked for was that he surprise me. I’m hard to surprise. My good friend, Kristen Coffin, makes these out of this world engagement rings and I knew that I wanted to make my ring. I showed him a few I liked several months before the engagement. That morning, after our improv practice, he was being unusually absent and on his phone. I saw that he was texting Kristen. He convinced me that he just started the conversation about ordering the ring. Typically, he’s a terrible liar and full of unnecessary guilt. He planned a progressive dinner date for that evening to “thank” me for being supportive of some life changes with work and to celebrate his new job. I totally bought it. I mean, subconsciously I must’ve known something because I shaved my legs. We started the evening with appetizers and cocktails at Cholon, one of our favorite restaurants. There we talked about when we first started dating- I didn’t catch on. Then, we took a petty cab to Aloy, an amazing Thai food restaurant. We talked about our time in Thailand and Costa Rica and started to dream about our next travel adventure- I still didn’t know. He even insisted that the waiter bring out a Costa Rican beer (that unbeknown to me, he had dropped off previously). You know, tie it all together! I’ll take a pause and explain that my sweet AJ is a lot like Winston on New Girl. He goes too big or too small.

Finally, we went for dessert at the Hyatt Regency. When we walked in I started getting butterflies. After getting off the elevator I saw that someone was waiting and he had a reserved spot near the windows with a breathtaking view of the city and mountains, right at sunset. I started getting so nervous I couldn’t even eat. He was cool as a cucumber. Quite the change for us. I couldn’t take the buildup. “What’s about to happen? Are you going to ask me to marry you!?” Typical me. He just laughed it off and kept eating. After a few minutes (hours) passed by, he started telling me how much I’ve meant to him, how he knew that he wanted me to be his wife, and then he got down on one knee and said, “Will you do me the honor of being my wife!?” It was like the whole world stopped. I could hear people clapping behind us but I just held on to him. After we settled down he told me that he had written out what he said. I started reading the words and just wept. We called my mom and dad. We sat and laughed and dreamed. I kept wanting to do it all over again! He obliged but eventually he said enough and refused to keep proposing to me lol.

I got to go on a girls trip with my mother, grandmothers, little sister and cousin to look at wedding dresses. They drove up from Alabama and I met them in Atlanta.

I talk to friends honestly about when it’s hard. AJ also often holds me and reminds me of what matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressures of wanting everyone to feel happy and included. I wish I channeled it all into working out! I’m just not that girl.

I love the simplicity and easy user interface. The RSVP questions are great. It was also fun to pick a cute design!

A lot of people are using at least one form of online communication, Save the Dates or Invites. With that can come multiple RSVP links. I would suggest directing guests back to the Joy RSVP list. Also, encourage guests to download the app and have fun with the pictures and stories. I think it sets a tone.

This is a time to not only plan a wedding, but set a strong foundation for a marriage. Take the time to ask the hard questions, go to premarital counseling, investing in mentoring relationships. This is the foundation for choosing so much joy!