Emily and Jason met on Match.com—and in spite of some seasickness and cold feet, it was both their first and last date through Match.com. One cute puppy, one Starbucks date, and over three years later, Emily and Jason are planning their wedding. They share their story, how they stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning (hint: they aren’t even stressed), and how to maintain lasting joy well after a wedding day.
How’d the two of you meet?
I joined “Match” on August 18, 2013. Alison, one of my best friends, was visiting and convinced me that it was an great idea. Hours later, after answering what felt like hundreds of questions, I had an account and was shown a list of my “matches.” I had one 100% match—some guy named Bruce. (Just kidding! Of course, it was Jason.) He had also joined Match that day. A box popped up asking if I was interested, wanting me to check yes or no. His picture was with a puppy, so of course I was interested.
Not realizing that it would send him a message, I clicked “yes.” Unintentionally, I made the first move. Our first date was scheduled for September 1st. It would be the first (and last) Match.com date that either of us would go on. That day, I went scuba diving with friends and discovered that I get horribly seasick! After spending most of the day with my head hanging over the side of a boat, the last thing I felt like doing was going to Starbucks for a date.
I got home and asked my roommate, Sherri, if she thought it would be rude to reschedule. I was also really nervous, and to be honest, I was looking for a reason to cancel. Sherri saw right through me and kindly, but firmly, told me to “Go!” An hour later, I found myself at Starbucks, shaking hands with an incredibly handsome guy. We talked for hours, and when I got home my face hurt from laughing. I hadn’t been on a first date in years and wondered if this was an anomaly, or if all first dates were that awesome. It didn’t take me long to realize that Jason was just special. On February 14, 2016, he got down on one knee, and without hesitation, I said “yes.”
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
Blue Mountain Beach, FL on February 14th, 2016.
I will let him tell the story!
“I found the perfect spot: a beautiful beach setting with a sunset view in one of our favorite areas of Northwest Florida. This was the last beach spot on my scouting mission—not too crowded and very peaceful. I knew this would be a memorable spot for both of us to visit for years to come. Now that I had the spot, I needed a restaurant. I remember searching for hours and making multiple phone calls to restaurants in the same area. However, it was February in a beach town and no one was going to be open the following evening. That is everyone except for one seafood restaurant that claimed they suffered a kitchen fire earlier that month.
“Hmmm…” I thought. “But is there grouper, pasta, and champagne on the menu?” The receptionist said yes to all of that, so I made a reservation for two and scrambled to a nearby florist at a local grocer. I explained to the florist that I needed flowers, but, “Nothing with roses please. She doesn’t like roses,” “Say no more,” the florist said, and shortly thereafter, she handed me a very eclectic bouquet in a mason jar (also perfect). I raced the flowers back to the restaurant where they explained they would keep them in the kitchen with a bottle of champagne on standby until tomorrow.
On your wedding day, you honor the joy that you give each other. That promise of joy last a lifetime. Relationships grow and change, but there are certain elements that should always ring true. Trying to bring joy to your partner on a daily basis is one of those elements.
I left hoping that kitchen wouldn’t catch fire (again) between now and then. There was one obstacle left, to convince Emily that tomorrow was just a routine Valentine’s Day dinner with no surprises, but that I wanted to walk on the beach for 30 minutes before our reservation. “Nothing weird about that,” I thought proudly. The next day went by slower than normal. I was so nervous I forgot to eat. Emily came home from work and got ready for dinner. As we drove to the beach, I think I said maybe a few broken sentences in agreement to a story she was telling about her day as I tried to dodge traffic, wipe sweat from my forehead, and think about what I was about to do.
We arrived at the spot and walked along the coast. As I handed her a Valentine’s Day card, I got in position. My mind quit racing and everything was clear – I was about to propose to the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was thankful for every single moment that led me to this one. All that was left for her to do, was turn around, take the ring, and say “Yes.”
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
I am having trouble picking one, so I will tell you my favorite experience with my fiancée, and my favorite experience on my own. I loved taking engagement pictures with my fiancée. I highly recommend it! Originally, we wanted to take pictures so that they were available to use for our save the dates and invitations. But now we have pictures that we will treasure forever! It also allowed us to get to know our wedding photographer and get comfortable in front of the camera. It was a great experience!
Another special moment happened recently. I found my wedding dress, which was an awesome experience. I live far from family, so a couple of my girlfriends went. I loved seeing their faces when I came out in each dress! I could tell just from that which was the favorite. Buying my wedding dress has been the first concrete purchase. All of the other decisions have been concepts that will be concrete on the wedding day. The wedding dress I could touch and feel. It really made the wedding real for me!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
It has been easy! We got engaged in February of 2016, and aren’t getting married until October of 2017. Having a long engagement has taken all of the pressure off of us. I think that it has also helped that we don’t expect everything to be perfect! Jason has been an awesome partner in all of this. If I get too hung up on one detail, he reminds me to relax.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It has been a breeze to organize. We can add or delete elements as we see fit. I am really excited that it will be such an awesome resource for our guests! It contains all of the information that they need, all in one place, and easy is to navigate.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Create your wedding website early in the planning process so that you can include it on your save the dates and invitations. This will ensure that your guests can utilize the site! It will also encourage you to get started on some of the details early on (registry, hotel blocks, etc.).
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
On your wedding day, you honor the joy that you give each other. That promise of joy last a lifetime. Relationships grow and change, but there are certain elements that should always ring true. Trying to bring joy to your partner on a daily basis is one of those elements.
