Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
In a random conversation, Jamal and I had talked about marriage, family, we’d even looked at rings. We were heading to Montego Bay, Jamaica for his best friend’s wedding when Jamal and his friend decided to come up with plans of “a send-off prayer” for the bride and groom the day following the wedding. So to my knowledge, those were the details I’d been given and had planned for. We arrived at the resort, I met the bride and groom face to face for the first time, and Jamal excused himself from the group to go schedule a steaming appointment for his tux. Little did I know, he was also taking a moment away to make proposal plans with the staff.
We’re so happy that we chose a website that will not only capture the details of our special day but will also be something we can look back at, year after year. That’s special!
Fast forward to Sunday morning. Jamal woke up early in a rush, telling me his friend wanted him to help set up early. To my knowledge, he was going to leave early and come back for me later. I was prepared to rush with him to offer a hand, but he insisted I take my time. I continued to get ready and received a message from our butler that someone was on the way for me. It was no big deal in my mind as I’d seen the two of them together and he’d been really helpful during our stay! We walked out and down to the beach where I saw Jamal and his friends gathered. I saw writing in the sand, thinking it was for the couple so I stepped away. When I looked again I saw, “Would you marry me?” At the point of turning around to everyone Jamal was handing me a bouquet of flowers. In shock of course, he shared his feelings, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said, “Yes!” It was such a shock that I asked about the send-off prayer. Not realizing that there was no prayer! They just needed a cover-up to get me down there on the beach. It was beautifully done!
Ricky Clegg
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
I love being creative. The planning experience has given us both a chance to share our personalities with our friends and family. We love old school R&B music. We’ve compiled a playlist of our favorite songs for our wedding guests to enjoy while they wait for the ceremony to start. The girls in my bridal party will carry red bouquets, what was given to me at our proposal. We’re really going above and beyond to put our personal touch on the wedding.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Instead of waiting until the last minute, we usually sit down at least once a week and discuss details of some sort. Luckily, we found an all-inclusive venue in New Orleans which has been a godsend! Our attention has been focused on details such as accommodations for our guests, things to do, transportation, etc. We are in constant communication about the details and planning of the wedding. I think we both can honestly say, we have yet to feel the pressure.
Ricky Clegg
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The site is very user-friendly. We’ve had the ability to put our personal touch on our site and are happy with what we’ve been able to create so far!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Do your research and look at example sites that others have created to get ideas. Also, use your resources! Joy has excellent customer service. They’ve been available to answer questions for us regarding guest lists and more.
Ricky Clegg
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
We’re so happy that we chose a website that will not only capture the details of our special day but will also be something we can look back at, year after year. That’s special!
