How did the two of you meet?
It was just like the movies. Mike had sunglasses on (at night), and I had on a ski vest and rabbit ears. It was Halloween weekend 2006, in Fort Collins, CO. Amongst the crowds, we traded stories and flirted the whole evening. We hugged goodnight with a proper first date (coffee of course) planned for the next day. From that Halloween on, we’ve been side by side, best friends lucky to be in love. We’ve celebrated, cried, laughed, learned, and loved through all of the hardest and best parts of life for the last ten years.
Tamara Gruner
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
In July of 2016, Michael asked me to meet him at Union Station in downtown Denver. The recently restored and remodeled train station-turned-heart-of-the-city, with it’s restaurants, cocktail bars, and hotel, holds a special place in my heart. My maternal grandparents met there many years ago, my grandfather picking my grandmother up at the train station so that he could marry his longtime girlfriend before he was shipped overseas with the Air Force. Knowing this, Michael led me to the back of Union Station, where the trains still pull up.
Joy is the eternal and immediate comfort we find in holding hands and the knowledge that this is my person, no matter what, for always.
Down on one knee on a busy Friday evening, with strangers cheering and taking pictures, he simply said “April, will you marry me?” And I, stunned and bright red in the face, could only nod yes. Champagne at a special reserved table, a wonderful dinner, and phone calls ensued while our newest adventure started, our engaged to be married life.
Tamara Gruner
We had a room reserved in the boutique hotel for the night and Michael had placed every card I had written him for the last ten year (a LOT of cards, I didn’t know he kept them all!) on all surfaces of the room, with a new card celebrating our engagement on the table.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Thinking and talking about how much we love each other and how romantic our day will be.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Dividing up “duties” so that we share the details of reading contracts, looking up reviews, those types of things. And doing it all with a bottle of wine! We’ve also taken advice and help from those around us and that’s been very helpful!
We’ve been side by side, best friends lucky to be in love.
Tamara Gruner
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The personalization I have over our site and the fast and helpful customer service; they have been so wonderful.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
The custom RSVP questions and Important Info section are very helpful to pass along a lot of the details to your guests in one fell swoop.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
Joy to us means a hug and kiss first in the morning and last in the evening. Joy is the eternal and immediate comfort we find in holding hands and the knowledge that this is my person, no matter what, for always.
Tamara Gruner
