Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
We were in Tampa, FL for the Hot Chocolate 2016 race and to celebrate Christmas with Lou’s family. The day after the race, the entire Seal family went on a Pirate Ship cruise for a majority of the afternoon. After the cruise, Lou and I left the group and headed to a nice Italian restaurant in downtown St. Pete. On the way, Lou said he wasn’t that hungry and suggested we check out this beach his mom recommended at a state park and watch the sunset (why I didn’t think Lou not being hungry was weird is beyond me). When we finally got to the North Beach at Fort DeSoto State Park, the beach was essentially deserted. I wanted to take some pictures but also wanted to just enjoy the beautiful sunset. So after taking a couple, I gave my phone to Lou to hold until dinner. After walking down the beach for a little bit, it was just the two of us and Lou turned me toward him and started saying all of these romantic things to me about us and our relationship. At this point, I still didn’t think he was about to propose but then he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him! After getting the ring box unstuck from his back pocket, I, of course, said yes. Then we FaceTimed my parents and our best friends before heading to dinner to celebrate! It was perfect – he even hired a local photographer who perfectly captured every detail and I didn’t see until Lou pointed her out to me. I’m forever thankful that, even though my nails weren’t done, he made sure that moment was captured forever.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Lou and I both work in event planning in some capacity so it’s been a ton of fun to work together and plan something that will truly represent both of us as a couple. We’re very different as individuals so it’s been a fun challenge to find a venue, theme and everything else in between that encapsulates us both individually and as a unit. Lou’s last name is Seal so I’ve had the most fun finding ways to incorporate the animal throughout the wedding, from the cake topper to a custom event logo to the music for the entire day!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Luckily, we’re both planners by nature so stress isn’t something we’ve felt much to this point. Plus, we’ve had a long engagement. Planning ahead of schedule helped, we contracted with our venue two years ahead of time! When life gets crazy with work, hobbies, social life, and still prioritizing your relationship all while planning the big day, our favorite way to relax is to get active together or just spend a night in. There’s nothing better than a free Friday night with each other!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love the unique design of Joy! It gives us the opportunity to showcase who we are as a couple and the memories we’ve created over the years.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
If you can plan ahead, do it! Our website was 90% complete by October of 2017 because we knew the majority of our details. The closer we get to the wedding, the happier I am that it’s already done. It helps to get everything organized on the website without feeling rushed when figuring out the little details for the wedding day!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
We’ve been building our life together for seven years, and while our story has been unconventional at times, it’s been perfect for us. We can’t wait to celebrate with our family and friends on our wedding day but mostly we are excited about our future together and to be officially #SEALedwithakiss2019!
