John and Kate met on their first day of graduate school in Louisiana. After driving 22 hours, Katie realized that her apartment was in a not so nice part of town, and to boot, it wasn’t unlocked for her! A couple of phone calls later, John was letting Katie crash on the floor of his apartment. His generosity is one of the things that Katie loves about him! They became close friends immediately and started dating a month later. The rest, as they say, is history!
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
Right around our 5th anniversary John suggested a nice meal at a steakhouse in downtown Baton Rouge. I had been thinking that he might propose the summer before while we were in Italy, so when this dinner happened, I wasn’t expecting a thing! It turns out that John had remembered that that restaurant was our first nice date!
We bring joy to each other through laughter and the understanding that our life will be full of challenges and changes. We really just want to have our wedding represent a slice of that for our family and friends.
He tried to get me to go to the Mississippi levy after dinner, but I joked that my heels were way too high for a walk! So he proposed right in front of some beautiful fountains and a stage that we had both performed on for the local orchestra. It was perfect for us! I loved that when we told his parents, his dad asked him if he had gotten on one knee. Without consulting each other, John and his dad had both stayed on two feet!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
After a two year engagement and a move to Philadelphia, we’re just happy to finally make lots of decisions and put the plans in motion! We know what we want and don’t want! We’re also really fortunate to have family that wants to help make our lives easier!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I now work as a professional event planner, so this feels pretty comfortable. Rather than add a lot of pageantry and fuss, I just want to make sure everyone is relaxed and has fun! We’re just trying to trust that everything works out for the best, and that sometimes the best answer is right in front of you. Our wedding is taking place where I work – it’s a beautiful location, and we know it so well, it was just a great fit without a lot of stress involved.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love that it’s unique and different from all the other weddings websites I’ve used as a guest in the past. It sets the tone that our wedding will be different right from the start!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Explore and don’t be afraid because you can always change your mind!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
We’ve been slow to plan a wedding because really the joy from our lives together means more than the symbolism of a wedding. We bring joy to each other through laughter and the understanding that our life will be full of challenges and changes. We really just want to have our wedding represent a slice of that for our family and friends.
