How did the two of you meet?
We met on OK Cupid. We talked for weeks online, then decided to meet in person. I asked him to meet me downtown at Waterfront Station under the Starbucks sign. Our first date was amazing! We wandered around Gastown for hours stopping for hot chocolate and gelato. We talked about our lives, our kids, our past, and what we wanted for our future. I was so impressed with him and I just wanted to hold his hand. I kept brushing my hand against his, and he kept putting distance between us. He says that he was being a gentleman, I like to tease him about it now! When we were done he walked me back to the Skytrain and gave me a hug before I left him. Something about that night left me so intrigued. I couldn’t wait to see him again!
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
We were on vacation in Quebec City, about to leave for New York. On our last day in Quebec, Shaun surprised me with a horse-drawn carriage ride. We had just wandered across most of the city the day before where we found Joan of Arc Garden, which I noted to him was such a beautiful place. When the carriage ride got to the garden, he asked the driver to stop so we could get out and walk around. I thought he was just doing that because I had told him yesterday how beautiful it was. We wandered to a bench on the other side of the park to sit and talk.
“There’s something truly amazing about spending the rest of your life with your best friend. “
We were talking about how amazing things had been, how great our families blended with one another, and how much we loved each other. I started teasing him about our first date, about how he wouldn’t hold my hand. He said that he’d like to see if he could change that. He stood up, pulled the most beautiful ring out of his pocket, and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised and happy, I just started to cry! I couldn’t speak and started to shake my head yes. When we got back in the carriage, he told me all about how he worked with my mother to organize the proposal, how he had asked for his Grandma’s ring, and how his sister and brother-in-law helped get it from Ontario to BC. I was overwhelmed with how many people were involved with helping him in this proposal!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
We decided to grow our own wedding flowers. One morning, when we didn’t have the kids, we took the bus down to the local nursery and picked out the most beautiful hydrangeas. I love that I can look out into our yard and see the flowers that we’ll be using for our wedding!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I honestly haven’t been stressed yet. I love organizing things. I’m the type of person who gets excited about buying a new calendar or creating a new excel sheet. Organizing our wedding has given me a chance to play with some tools I’ve only used for work events in the past!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It seems to do almost everything that I was looking for! It’s a great website, it’s easy to use and has an app.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Snoop around and use the resources they give to you. The demo site had some great ideas! The extras you can access by clicking the addition symbol allow you to really create a personalized site.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
There’s something truly amazing about spending the rest of your life with your best friend. Shaun is my true partner, that joy will be in my heart forever.
