Kari and Alex were introduced through a mutual friend in Kelowna Canada. Six years later, Alex proposed to Kari after meeting a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. Read about the happy coincidence and how Kari and Alex have enjoyed the planning process thus far.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
We were on a family vacation in Hawaii in March of 2015, and Alex and I had decided to have a date night, just the two of us. We decided we would go to this lounge on the beach and listen to some live music and have a cocktail before we went out for dinner. As we were strolling along the beach we met an elderly couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary from New York. Alex asked if we would take a photo of them. After agreeing he snapped a picture of the two of them so blissfully in love after 50 years.
The joy you experienced when you first met, to the joy you felt when he proposed, to the moment you said “I do,” and even to the day where you both are sitting at home reading a book and making dinner twenty years later—you should always be thankful for the joy that you share.
Alex then asked if they would reciprocate and take a photo of us as well. Alex passed them his phone and the woman explained that she isn’t 100% sure of how to work the device but Alex assured her to just point and shoot and he promised it would work. After I was done trying to fix my hair and iron out the kinks in my dress, I tried to put my arm around Alex’s waist to get close to him for the photo, except he pushed me away. Me being stubborn I tried to pull him in again but he wasn’t there.
I turned to look at him and he was on his knee with a beautiful ring in his hands and tears in his eyes with a giant smile on his face. He explained to me how much he loved me and then popped the question. I could only respond with “are you sure?” with little giggle and many happy tears. And of course I replied again with “YES!” As all of this is happening, this elderly couple is yelling and laughing and clapping their hands in joy and excitement.
Although, the pictures the woman captured are a little blurry, they still capture the moment Alex asked as well as the moment I agreed to spend the rest of my life with this incredible man. After the excitement wore off a little, we decided to head to the restaurant where we had made dinner reservations and we shared a shuttle with the couple who we met. We have actually invited them to our wedding in July. We hope they can make it! We also ended up meeting my parents and brother and sister-in-law later that evening (who knew about the whole thing) and celebrated with champagne and a few cocktails. Alex’s family also had known about the engagement since October 2014! It was the best day of my life so far.
Photo by Jenine Kinnee
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Buying the dress for sure. And seeing everything come together. I am so excited for our special day. It is going to be a big party with all of our close family and friends!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
It’s what I do. My job entails planning large scale corporate events and I am also very organized. I have loved planning the wedding (as long as everything goes fairly smoothly).
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
Well now that Joy has adjusted the way guests can RSVP without having to create an account, I would have to say that is my favorite part. However, the designs and the layouts of the website by far is the most beautiful compared to other sites. It is so user friendly and is able to be customized to my liking for no cost. I LOVE IT!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Don’t hesitate to contact Joy’s customer service! They have been so helpful in answering all of my questions and making great suggestions. Also, play around with the site. It is easy to adjust and change things in seconds. If you don’t like something, you have plenty of options to switch it up with ease. Have fun with it.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
Well I would say that the joy you experienced when you first met your significant other, to the joy you felt when they proposed, to the moment you said “I do” and even to the day where you both are sitting at home reading a book and making dinner twenty years later, you should always be thankful for the joy that you share. Those moments are priceless and are what shape us. EnJOY the moments that you share with each other!
