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Inspiration » Proposal Story » Joy Proposal Story: Hannah & Matt

Joy Proposal Story: Hannah & Matt

by Kelsey Vickers
Joy Proposal Story: Hannah & Matt

Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?

It was our first anniversary. I got up in the morning to discover that my flatmate, Beth, had decorated the living room and made a super cute breakfast! On the table was a box that Matt had left, containing wax-sealed letters and the times that each should be opened throughout the day. The first one explained that my friends were coming over to have breakfast with me, we had a lovely girly start to the day. The second letter explained that I was going for a manicure in a cute, lovely part of town, so we all drove down and I had my first-ever manicure! Afterward, over tea in a little shop, the third letter told us to go for a walk (which I love) and then the girls took me for lunch in the beautiful Parade Tearoom (kind of hallowed in Portsmouth for top-notch cake!). Matt was dropping little hints in his letters as we went along and at this point, I had a gift to open. This turned out to be a little ring dish that we’d seen at a Christmas market the week before!

The next letter took us to a paint-a-pot place which I loved and we passed a couple of hours in the crafty haven. It was now 5pm and I opened the last letter in the car. It said: 

Dear Hannah,
I hope you have had a lovely day with your wonderful friends, please thank them for me. Now is the time to travel to your final destination. It’s a place we have spent a lot of time together, initially playing music, but was also the place where we fell in love. I am waiting there for you, see you shortly.
Love you loads
Matt xxx

Of course, my friends all squealed and asked how I was feeling. Through a bit of weepiness, I said something like, “I feel all melty like a melt in the middle chocolate pudding!” We arrived at what turned out to be our church! I was dropped off at the door with hugs and tears and I went inside. I could hear music so I kept walking upstairs. When there was nobody there I realized it must be coming from the roof. I walked up the fire escape and stepped out to see a little path lit by lanterns. Looking down it, I saw a roof-top restaurant arrangement with fairy lights everywhere, a table for two, candles, ivy garlands, Matt standing under a green arch and Tyrone Wells playing in the background. I probably walked towards him but it felt more like floating! When I reached him he said to me, “Before I say anything, I’ve got one more letter for you”. He told me he loved me and that I was the best thing that had ever happened to him. I opened the letter, this one sealed with gold wax instead of red, and it read, “Will you marry me?” I looked up and he was on his knee with the ring in his hand. Unable to settle on laughing or crying I just sort of sputtered and grinned and said, “Of course! Yes!” At this point our lovely friend Jonny leaped out from behind the shrubbery where he had been taking pictures and quickly made his exit! We had cheese fondue in our little “restaurant” under the stars, called our parents and eventually came home to champagne and flowers. Absolutely, without a doubt, it was the best night of our lives!

What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?

Being able to do it together. We have very similar tastes and we’re both amazingly excited about being married! The whole planning process has brought us together!

How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?

We keep remembering that once the day itself is over, we’ll be married. We’re more excited about that than about the day itself! So, when all the details seem to gang up on us and stress us out, we take the rest of the evening to remember that we’re in love and to just enjoy each other.

What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?

I love how it gives so much room for making our website personal. It’s not just about facts and figures. We can share our story, our experiences, and our pictures while also catching people up with our story and our joy!

What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?

Take advantage of every option (story, Q&A, photos, countdown). It’s getting us and our guests, even more, excited about our wedding!

At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?

We’re excited about our wedding, (not just because it’s a party where I get to wear a beautiful dress!) we’re excited that we get to be married to each other. It’s a joyful time that we get to celebrate our commitment to being together forever, to do each other well, and to make each other happy. Being able to do life together, starting with this kind of an anchor point, is so exciting! I’m so excited for our wedding day but my fiancé, our relationship, and our future together makes me happier than anything that could happen on just one day. It marks the start of the long haul. I love it!

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