One day Kara asked her friend, Jamie, “Where are all the tall, dark, and handsome men in this city that have a real job and swimmer shoulders?” She figured he can’t be too hard to find, and she wasn’t being that picky. Jamie and Kara laughed, but then a few minutes later Jamie said, “I think I know someone!”
She immediately texted Steve and it took a few weeks but they two finally met up. After meeting him that night, Kara was able to see how nice, patient, and calm he was—exactly what she needed in her life!
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
We had talked before about marriage and spending the rest of our lives together, but we weren’t in a rush. Steve had told me that it was going to be a surprise and that I would be blown away. I said, “Prove it! Can’t wait for you to surprise me!” We do everything together, and I always know what he is up to so I really thought there would be no way he could surprise me.
I was going home to Arkansas for Thanksgiving and Steve was staying in Colorado to be with his family. I arrived in Little Rock on Monday night so Tuesday, November 22nd, was set to be a completely normal day with family. My mom, sister, and I had eaten lunch and then were going around to my favorite stores in town. We were getting my Grandmother, Joy, a birthday present when my mom said, “Your dad just called. They were making a statue of Pappy, my great grandfather, at the park and they have finished it. Let’s go check it out!”
Joy lasts forever and it is something inside of you that comes from experiences and meaningful relationships.
I, of course, agreed. Knoop Park is in Little Rock, Arkansas, my hometown, and is dedicated to my great grandfather. My mom and I started walking into the park, as she’s going on about all the memories we have made at the park. Suddenly she said she left her phone in the car. She told me to go check the bench then turned around and ran off.
I checked the bench and saw flowers and thought, “Someone left some pretty flowers…weird.” I looked around for the person that left the flowers but didn’t see a soul. I did notice that the park was decorated and thought, “Something must be going on.” I walked over to the decorations that were hanging up and figured out they were pictures. I thought, “Oh, how cute!” I saw my face on one of the pictures and was taken by surprise! I went back to the flowers to check if they said my name and they didn’t. I was very confused.
I went back to the pictures and looked again and saw a picture of me and Steve. Then I noticed that all the pictures were of me and Steve. There were 200 pictures of us strung up through the trees. I was shocked and thought, “Oh gosh! This is it. Be cool, Kara!” Steve popped up from behind some bushes and walked me up to the top of the overlook with a beautiful view of downtown Little Rock. He had lined the stairs going up to the overlook with candles and rose petals and there was music playing. He had a speech prepared and then he got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked.
I said YES! I had to ask him later to make sure I said yes. I couldn’t remember. He brought out champagne and we celebrated! My dad was hiding in the bushes taking photos the whole time. My mom came back down and we all got to be together. He thought of everything! It was perfect. After the park we went to my Grandparents’ house where my family and friends were waiting to celebrate with us. It was the most thoughtful, loving way to start the rest of our lives together.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Planning things together. Family, friends, food, being outdoors, having fun, and going on adventures are all important things to Steve and me. We want to be able to include all of these things in our wedding weekend. Planning together, coming up with ideas, games, and adventures, has been fun. I tend to be the planner and like to go overboard on birthdays and holidays, so I have enjoyed seeing Steve be as excited as me to plan the wedding.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
This is one of the many reasons I am marrying Steve. Sane, pressure, and Kara are not always used in the same sentence. Having Steve to talk to and remind me that “it’s not a big deal” and “everyone will have fun and think it’s great too” helps a lot. Honestly, Joy is the biggest help! The wedding will be in Durango, CO, so everyone is traveling for the wedding. Having everything we need to answer 100+ people’s questions in one spot takes so much weight off our shoulders.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The different types of pages you can add on Joy and the ease of editing them to fit your needs is my favorite part. I am the farthest thing from tech-savvy. Being able to easily understand what I am doing and have all the information I want on my website with links and pictures is the greatest thing! I also love that people can view the schedule and you can make schedules for specific people. I want people to be able to enjoy their weekend in the mountains but also be in the know on when planned events are occurring. You guys have thought of it all!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Play around with the website. Joy is great about having examples of what to do or how to answer or write something. They make it so easy. Also, they are great to work with. If you ever have a questions, use the little text box chat function at the bottom right of the screen. They are so helpful and timely with their responses.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
I think it is easy to get wrapped up in all the “things” in life. Sometimes people think that the “things” are what brings them joy, but really joy cannot be bought. Joy lasts forever and it is something inside of you that comes from experiences and meaningful relationships. Wedding planning can be tough because you get wrapped up in the “things” and planning (but really purchasing) the perfect wedding.
Focusing on the people that mean the most to us, doing the things that we love all together, and creating new memories with our new families together will be the perfect start of our everlasting joy!
Weddings are a joyous occasion, but the exciting part is spending the rest of your life with the person that helps you be a better person. I think we have tried to make our wedding reflect what brings us joy in our lives. The icing on the cake is having our families and friends, the people who have shaped us into the people we are today, come together to celebrate us becoming husband and wife. Focusing on the people that mean the most to us, doing the things that we love all together, and creating new memories with our new families together will be the perfect start of our everlasting joy!
