Ashley and Andrew met while waiting tables at a french bistro in Hoboken, NJ. Comme c’est romantique! They share their proposal story, what keeps them sane during wedding planning, and what true joy means to them.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
It was December 20, 2015. As a bit of background we are into games and puzzles (I am highly competitive), and for years have done scavenger hunts and escape rooms with a small group of close friends. So, as part of my Christmas gift that year, Andrew told me that we were going to do an Escape Room together (this sounds scary but it’s not). Usually the games allow for 6-10 people, but he reserved the entire room for just us.
In my eyes, our marriage started long before our wedding and will last forever.
I was very excited, because in the past I always joked that if we failed it’s because there were too many people with differing opinions of how to solve the puzzles. Anyway, Andrew had hidden the ring inside one of the locked safes in the room. So when it came time to open that particular part of the puzzle, I remember he was just watching me open it. Of course I’m thinking, “The clock is ticking, why is he just standing there?!”
I opened the box and the ring was there. I was shocked and I hate to admit it, but I teared up a little! He just stood there with his hands in his pocket and said “So, you wanna get married?” I laughed and said, “Of course!”
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Overall, I am an organized person, so planning in general is really calming and stress relieving to me. I would say just the action of making a master list and checking off the boxes one by one is oddly satisfying. I hired a wedding planner because we are doing a destination wedding, so working with her has been great too.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Well, I am actually starting my own business right now with Andrew, so wedding planning is like the fun thing I get to do on the side. I don’t feel pressure at all, but perhaps it’s because we gave ourselves over a year to plan.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The website is seriously user friendly and I love the look of it. Also there is always someone to talk to live via chat, so if I ever have a question while working on the site, I get the answer instantly.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Be sure to utilize each section to the fullest, especially the Q&A and schedule. The more questions you can anticipate and answer ahead of time, the less people will be contacting you to ask – which just means you’ll be more sane throughout the planning.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
Our wedding is simply one way to share our joy with our friends and family—the celebration of joy. In my eyes, our marriage started long before our wedding and will last forever. (This is definitely the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said.)
