Ashlee and Caleb met in middle school. They dated when they were 13, until Ashlee moved to North Carolina. They kept in touch over the course of 15 years, but the timing was never right. One day, Ashlee invited Caleb to go on a Vegas trip in the summer of 2012—and here they are, four years later, planning their wedding!
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
In September of 2015, I decided to participate in a charity event for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. I took donations, shaved my head, and donated my hair to Wigs for Kids. Caleb was amazingly supportive. On September 19, we drove down to Charlotte, NC for the event. All of my friends and family came out to watch and support me. While I was getting my head shaved, Caleb decided to join me on stage to get his shaved too. He didn’t have much hair, of course, but all in the spirit of charity he joined in.
The wedding is just the celebration of the life that you are beginning. It’s the first day of the rest of your lives!
After we were done, my friends distracted me with a prize. They said they because I had traveled the farthest to the event, I won! They were buying some time, searching for “the prize.” When they couldn’t find it, they pointed me in another direction. I turned around to see my wonderful man, down on one knee, holding a gorgeous ring that was his Grandmother’s. The Ed Sheeran song, “Thinking Out Loud,” was playing—everything was perfect. I ugly-cried like nobody’s business! We spent the day celebrating with everyone and having a great time for a great cause.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Shopping for venues has been my favorite part so far! Looking forward to next month, though, when I go to NYC to go dress shopping with my mom and best friend!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I started getting overwhelmed with trying to budget and find vendors, so I immediately hired a wonder wedding planner. She keeps me calm!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love how the whole site is all one page, with as much or as little info as I want! All the extra pages are wonderful. And I especially love how I can pick cover photos for each section, making it a personal space for our details.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Spend some time customizing! It can take some time getting all the details done how you like, but the finished projects is purely yours and super pretty.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
The wedding is just the celebration of the life that you are beginning. It’s the first day of the rest of your lives!
