How did the two of you meet?
Eric and I met shortly after I moved from Arizona to San Francisco. He is also originally from Arizona but had just moved to the Bay from Amsterdam to get his MBA at Cal Berkeley. I like to joke that he traveled all over the world, just to find himself an Arizona girl. A mutual friend of ours was throwing a happy hour. Legend has it that he spotted me from across the bar before he realized we were part of the same group. We started talking and I couldn’t believe how much he resembled Prince Eric from Little Mermaid. The rest, as they say, is history!
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
It took a lot to get a free, independent spirit like Eric Desai to finally want to settle down. I was ready a good year or two before he was! There were definitely some moments of anxiety where I wondered if he was ever going to propose. I had just returned from a two-week work trip in Europe and we were planning to go spend the weekend in Sonoma, where his boss has a house we can stay at. He told me that his boss had recommended a place where we should stop and have lunch. I was wearing a ratty old dress and somehow right before we left he convinced me to change into something cuter without having me suspect anything abnormal. We arrived at a beautiful winery and were escorted over to our private cabana overlooking the vineyard, that was the first moment I realized something must be up. When he got down on one knee it was as if time stood still. It was a magical moment and I’ll never forget it!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
We’re getting married in San Luis Obispo. For our rehearsal dinner, we plan on throwing a BBQ (since the area is known for their Santa Maria style). We spent one weekend eating at every BBQ restaurant in the area to make sure we chose the perfect caterer!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Wedding planning is a blast. I don’t find it all that stressful. We’re a little older so we can easily sort through what is a must-have, what’s a need-to-have and what’s just absolutely not necessary. When it comes down to it, a wedding is all about great people, great music and great food and drinks. We’re quite positive we’ll have the best of all four.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It’s super easy to use and user-friendly.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Give yourself time and tackle it in pieces. There is no need to do it all in one sitting.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
The wedding is just one day, our marriage is forever! It’s important to find joy in little moments. For me, joy is a Sunday night on the couch between my man and my dog, watching HBO or Netflix.
