Jamie and Zack met in August 2009 at a restaurant in New Orleans. Jamie was with her friends for a birthday party and as fate would have it, Zack was her server. He stopped her on the way to the bathroom to tell her how pretty she was and Jamie, playing coy, just smiled and went back to her table. She must have felt sparks though because she left her number in crayon at the table. Zack texted her later that night and seven years later, Jamie said yes on the New Orleans stage.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
We took a trip to New Orleans to celebrate my 30th birthday. We drove the eight hours from Austin to New Orleans after Zack got off work and arrived in New Orleans around eleven. We knew one of our favorite brass bands was playing a show (every Sunday night), so we quickly changed and went straight to the venue. A few minutes after arriving at the show, Zack went to the bathroom and left me in the audience. Then, I heard the band call Zack to the stage. I panicked. Do I go? Do I stay? They asked me to the stage as well and Zack took the mic. He got down on one knee and proposed with the whole audience cheering. I, of course, said yes and immediately grabbed the box because I couldn’t see the beautiful ring in the dark. We kissed and walked off the stage.
We decided not to tell our family/friends right away so we can enjoy time together in New Orleans. The next day, we went to our favorite places in New Orleans, including the house where we used to live and the restaurant where we met. That night, we went to another brass band show and ran into some people who were at the same show with us the night before. And they took a video!! They texted it to us, and that is how we shared our engagement with our friends and family.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
I’m just excited to throw a huge, fun party for all of the friends and family that have been with us over the past seven years!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Planning a destination wedding is difficult, but having to travel to New Orleans is not. We have gone on two planning trips to New Orleans, which makes planning a lot more fun (planning/vacation!).
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The “moments” feature has been great. We have been together a long time and have a lot of photos from all of our adventures. I just loaded up them all! I can’t wait for everyone to see them and make comments. We are also planning to use with joy as our RSVP, so no paper return cards needed!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
That wedding planning is and can be a joyful experience because it means you get to spend time with the one you love, and all the wonderful people that have and will surround you for the rest of your life!
