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Inspiration » Proposal Story » Joy Proposal Story: Athena & Brandon

Joy Proposal Story: Athena & Brandon

by Cali Pitchel

Athena and Brandon met in art class their senior year of college at UC Davis. Brandon took the class because he needed to finish up his GE requirements, and Athena took it because she loves art. They are complete opposites when it comes to love of art, but it turns out Brandon was the teacher’s favorite student, and she did not like Athena’s art pieces at all. They bonded during a very late night, finishing up their final projects. Brandon finished first, and even though he was tired, he stayed with Athena until she finished.

The week after the end of art class, Athena decided to compete in four different half marathons. Brandon tagged along—which meant getting up at 5am and waiting in the cold weather the middle of December for several hours while Athena finished each race. They’ve been inseparable ever since.


Give us the details! When? Where? How?

While visiting my family in Southern California for the holidays, we took a spontaneous trip to Vegas with my father and step-mom who asked us if we wanted to visit the Hoover Dam and stay the night in Vegas with them. Brandon decided he’d book the room for us all. When we got there, he had us walk around the hotel while he upgraded the room. We ended up in a suite that would normally cost $1800, but with a little persuasion, the telling of his plan, and a generous tip, he got the room for a fraction of the price. He told me he wanted to make the most of being in Vegas since we live on the East Coast and probably won’t visit again anytime soon, so he asked me to pick a fancy restaurant for dinner and not to worry about the price. We got dressed up and walked around the strip with my dad and step-mom.

It’s after the wedding where joy really flourishes because the wedding ceremony is only the beginning of the rest of your life with the other person.

From the beginning of the day, Brandon had his GoPro with him and recorded parts of our drive to Vegas, as well as our adventures walking around the strip. We parted with my dad and step-mom at dinner time and Brandon told them to meet us at the Bellagio at 9 PM to see the fountain show. We went to our reservation at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at 7:15 PM and our entrees didn’t come to the table until 8:30. Luckily, I am a naturally fast eater and we were both hungry, so we were ready and out the door by 8:45.

The Bellagio was only across the street and the crowd wasn’t too big yet, so we were easily able to spot my dad and step-mom. Brandon handed my step-mom his GoPro to record just as the fountain show started and with the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” playing, he got down on one knee and proposed. In the end he told me the schedule said they were done with the holiday songs and would return to their normal schedule. They should’ve played “Your Song” by Elton John, but nonetheless, it really did become the most wonderful time of the year for us.

Photo Dec 05, 11 03 02 AM (1)

Daniel Oke

What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?

Being able to show our personalities to make it our wedding (through the decor, the venue, the colors, song selection, etc).

How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?

Everyday doesn’t need to be wedding planning, some days you just need to relax and enjoy your time together without stressing over any details.

Photo Dec 05, 10 59 15 AM

Daniel Oke

What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?

I like that it is free, there are many themes to choose from, and you can create an app to share with friends and family. That is huge in today’s era of modern technology.

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What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?

Look through every section and answer as much as you can. The guests will love to read every detail. You can never have too much!

At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?

A wedding is just the beginning of a joyful life. Yes, you will experience tons of joy on your wedding day, but it’s after the wedding where joy really flourishes because the wedding ceremony is only the beginning of the rest of your life with the other person. It can only go up from there when you’re truly in love. Joy really does last so much longer than just the wedding day, and it only gets better.

Photo Dec 05, 11 15 24 AM

Daniel Oke

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