“How did you get your traps so big?” Maybe not be your traditional pick up line, but this is how Nicole and Heather’s love story starts. Heather is a competitive Crossfit athlete and former professional women’s basketball player. Nicole followed Heather on Instagram and was curious about these impressive traps (not to mention, Heather is tall and stunning and who wouldn’t want to know?), so she asked the fateful question. We agree with Nicole that this might be the best pick up line, ever.
“I fell in love as soon as I saw her walk through that coffee shop door, and we have been inseparable since.” —Nicole
The two met for coffee just after Thanksgiving and they’ve yet to figure out how they lived without each other for 23 years.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
It was a duel proposal! To everybody’s surprise, we each had rings ready and waiting for the other to pop the question. I had been carrying around Heather’s ring for two months straight. Every time we went out to dinner, or to the movies, or to any public gathering, I prepared myself for a proposal. Each time it didn’t happen, I wasn’t upset, but I was getting tired of always looking camera ready and having my nails done every week.
In early March we spontaneously decided to check out engagement rings at a local jeweler that was recommended to us. At the end of our first meeting with the jeweler, I had my entire ring picked out down to the size of the diamond. Heather on the other hand had to go back a second time to make her final decision. We decided after this point, we would go our separate ways in buying and finalizing the rings. Days later I bought Heather’s ring, and like I said, carried it around everywhere we went for two months.
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It wasn’t until early May that Heather asked me to take a random Friday off from work. Heather has NEVER asked me to take a day off from work since I am a nurse and only work three days a week to begin with. Knowing this, I put the easy puzzle pieces together and anxiously waited for the day to come. That Friday, my best friend Tessa arrived at our home around 6:30, told me to put on a blind fold and to get in her car.
She then drove in a circle for what seemed like 30 minutes before I told her I’m getting car sick. She pulled into what I could only guess was a gravel driveway and proceeded to help me out of the car. All I knew is that there are children running around and someone was calling for their dog. I internally started to panic and my only “rational” thought was that Heather has a child that she as not told me about and I’ve got this whole situation wrong.
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As we inched ourselves into a building, Heather reached out and took my blindfold off. What I saw before me still stuns me to this day. We were at our favorite wine tasting spot and surrounding my beautiful wife-to-be was our family and friends. Heather proceeded to say a bunch of stuff that I fail to remember, but what I will never forget are the tears slipping down her face as she asks me to be her forever life partner.
Of course I say yes and as everybody is cheering and taking photos, I slip out a dozen photos from our relationship and a poem by Charles Bukowski and ask Heather to marry me. Her mother is crying, my sister is crying, Matt the wine guy pops a bottle of champagne and the rest is history. We got engaged surrounded by some of the most important people in our lives and it is a day that we will never forget. Words have been quickly forgotten, but the love and laughter of that night will never fade from our memories.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Hands down the best thing about our wedding is that we have no guidelines to go off of. Being two women, there is no cookie cutter way to get married. We have an untraditional everything, from our mixed wedding party consisting of bridesmaids and bridesmen, to having artisan-brick-fired pizza. There is nothing “by the books” about our wedding.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Start early and tweak your site as you go. You will find at the end of the day, you are saving time, energy, and money by using this app.
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How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
We have each other to lean on…what’s the saying?…Two brides is better than one. Double the fun of everything. Plus we have two moms that are very invested in helping us plan for our big day. Having a wonderful support system has been crucial to staying above water and not cracking under pressure.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
Joy means spending my life with the person that I choose to love. Joy is knowing that we, and so many other people in the LGBT community, are finally able to marry. Love is love, and love is joy.
Love is love, and love is joy.
