How did the two of you meet?
Michael and I met in a miraculous way. In spring of 2016, I was longing to transfer back to Northern Arizona University and was actually in the process of sending in my transcript. Then that same week, a man named Michael reached out to me. God had a plan and this was just the beginning. One day a cute guy named Michael Gabhart messaged me on Instagram. I obviously responded because he’s super cute and he asked if I knew a girl that went to his school. That girl was one of my close friends (and now my bridesmaid) who I grew up with. But I stopped replying because I thought someone like him was too good to be true. One night Gabi came to my house and completely opened my eyes.
“I looked up at him and the first thing he did was kiss me. I knew right then that I was where God wanted me to be, and that this man was going to change my life..”
She told me that Michael had talked to her about me many times. He told her that he felt strongly about me and really wanted to meet me. I immediately got goosebumps and that night, I responded to him. Everything about Michael is more perfect than I could have ever dreamed. He loves Jesus, he is incredibly smart, he has a heart of pure gold. He is so kind to everyone he meets and is motivated to be successful and impact so many people’s lives. We talked hours on end for a month. He lived five hours away from me but one night, he drove to finally meet me in person. I ran out to his car we just embraced in the biggest bear hug I have ever had. I looked up at him and the first thing he did was kiss me. I knew right then that I was where God wanted me to be, and that this man was going to change my life. I know it’s a little crazy after just meeting him, but when you know you know. The next day, we went on our first date. I couldn’t have asked for anything more! We went to the Maquoketa Caves. It was like we’d known each other our whole lives, we meshed perfectly. I could already see myself with him forever. By the end of the date, we already knew we loved each other.
Ivory + Bliss
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
On June 24, 2017 Michael surprised me in a way I never could have imagined! We were driving up to Chicago for the weekend with my sister and her boyfriend and planned to stop at the Maquoketa Caves on the way. We wanted to go there because it’s where we had our first date and my sister and her boyfriend had never been there. When we got there, I was reminiscing about on our first date. Randomly, Michael asked my sister’s boyfriend if he wanted to go to the bathroom quick and I of course didn’t think anything of it. When they came back, we started walking around and eventually ended up in the prettiest place. I made my sister take pictures of us because it’s where Michael and I took photos on our first date. While she was taking pictures, her boyfriend all of a sudden pulled out his phone and started taking a video (the reason Michael asked him to go to the bathroom with him).
“Our goal for our wedding and marriage is to have it be entirely centered around God. We want to make sure that us and everyone who attends our special celebration, knows that God is the one who brought us together and will hold us together.”
All of a sudden, Michael was on one knee. I thought I was going to faint. I didn’t know what was happening! I froze for about five seconds and just looked at him and my sister and asked, “Is this real?” and fell to the ground crying. The best part was, my sister didn’t know either so in the video all you can hear is her freaking out and me crying! I stayed on the ground for awhile and Michael had to ask me again for me to finally say yes! I was so in shock and I couldn’t stop crying to save my life! It was the best proposal ever and the best part was, I had no idea it was coming. Our goal for our wedding and marriage is to have it be entirely centered around God. We want to make sure that us and everyone who attends our special celebration, knows that God is the one who brought us together and will hold us together. There is no greater love than his so through this journey, we know that he is and will be the most important thing.
Ivory + Bliss
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Getting to bring my wedding dreams to life and making every aspect of it centered around God. We want everyone who is attending to understand that we love because He first loved us, and God will always come first in our marriage.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I remember that I will only be engaged for a short time once in my life, so I focus on making it the best it can be! When I stress, it gets in the way of that. Michael and I remind each other that it’s not about the details of the wedding, it’s about us starting our temporary reunion of love under God to further his Kingdom. The small things like food, schedule, and centerpieces are not what is going to be remembered.
Ivory + Bliss
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It has everything I need! It allows me to customize my website exactly the way I want with the colors, fonts, and designs I love! It also has so many features like love story, tidbits, Q&A, schedule, wedding party, and registry! The people at Joy are so helpful and kind and always respond to me right away. I would recommend it to every bride!
Ivory + Bliss
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Check out every feature and ask for help if you are confused! The team is amazing.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
A wedding itself brings happiness, which is temporary. A marriage of two people coming together as one brings eternal Joy. I believe that the Joy of God is permanent compared to other things in this world that only bring temporary happiness. That being said, the marriage of two people in love brings Joy under God and will last forever.
