Bri and Jim met when they were both students. Jim was a physical therapy graduate student doing his second-to-last clinical rotation, and Bri was doing an internship at an outpatient Neuro-Rehab Center, Summit Rehabilitation.
Over the course of three months they got to know each other as colleagues and became friends. On the last day of his rotation, Jim asked Bri out to a restaurant called Local in Fairfield, Connecticut. The two sat and talked until closing. The rest is history….
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
It was February 12th, 2016, it was absolutely freezing (20 below zero!), and we had planned a little weekend getaway to Killington, Vermont! It was president’s day weekend, and I was so excited that we had time off from work and grad-school, that while I was rushing to get out the door and start our trek to Vermont, I hadn’t noticed how much Jim was stalling the whole process.
Every time I thought we were going to leave, there was a set-back. He even told me he “forgot” something at his place about 15 minutes away from mine, so he went home and little did I know, he just sat on his couch waiting for Local, the restaurant we went to on our first date, to open for lunch.
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When we finally left, he told me we had to stop three more times! One stop to an ATM in the same lot that Local is in…I thought the whole thing was ridiculous! I kept laughing and asking why he wouldn’t just go to the bank and why we parked so far from the building when it was so cold.
Joy, or happiness, is a feeling and state of mind that someone should always strive to have in their life. Look for the little joys in life, in good times and in bad.
He finally got me to get out of the car, and as we approached the restaurant, I remember him looking at me and mentioning our first date at Local and bringing up how I almost fell trying to leap over a snow bank on the way to the car that night. As he held my hand he got down on one knee and told me that this was where he fell for me, how much he loves me, and asked if I would marry him. All I could do was shake and say yes over and over.
It was everything I could have asked for in a proposal – simple & sentimental since it was where our relationship began. Immediately after, we went in and had a drink on the house – in the same two seats we sat in on our very first date.
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What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
It may sound silly, but getting to check something off our to-do list! Every time we make a decision about something for our big day, it’s like one more piece to our big puzzle is complete. We can see the whole day come together slowly and it makes us more excited each time.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Taking one step at a time, drinking a little wine (kidding?), and telling myself that it’s all going to work out! Jim is great since he has been so supportive and involved throughout the whole planning process. I also think that having a year and a half between the engagement and the wedding also helped since it didn’t put as much pressure on us to get things done!
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What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
We like the layout and all of the options. Everything that Joy has, there is a sample for. This is so helpful when you’re trying to figure out what to say and how to say it in a thoughtful way. You can also customize everything to reflect who you are as a couple and/or give a little snapshot of what your wedding day theme is going to be (that’s what we did)! The options, are just that – optional. So, you can choose what you like most & what you don’t think is necessary for your guests.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Probably to try out each feature and customize it to who you are as a couple…oh, and utilize the chat! Getting to ask any direct question that you have about the site is so convenient and great for someone not so “tech-savvy”.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
Joy, or happiness, is a feeling and state of mind that someone should always strive to have in their life. Look for the little joys in life, in good times and in bad. It’s in your soul, part of who you are, and a feeling that should be shared with the people you love.
nickbensonphoto.com
