Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
Kev was coming home for summer break and asked me to reserve a day so he could take me on a nice date. He told me that he heard his friends did this really cool “memory” date where they went back to the important places in their relationship. So, we marked a day on the calendar to have our date. (This was normal for us because when he comes home from school, everyone wants to see him so we usually make a schedule ahead of time.) A week before, he told me that he wanted to use the new camera he just got from Japan and since we had talked about doing a fun photo shoot one day, we should do it during our date! (This is how he was able to get me to dress up without suspicion.) A couple days later, my best friend’s mom asked me to go get my nails done with her as a thank you for having dog-sat the previous weekend. (It was a normal activity for us to get our nails done together, so again, I had no suspicion.) A day or two before, he told me that his dad won an overnight scuba trip in southern Florida, so I should pack for the weekend because we would be going with his parents and staying there overnight. He also mentioned that I would need a dress because we were going to a nice restaurant one night. This was also completely normal because his dad is a scuba diving instructor and often went on weekend dive trips.
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I do remember thinking that he should propose on our date because I was going to look nice and have my nails done. But, he had convinced me he wouldn’t propose until the following spring. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I pushed that idea out of my mind! The morning of “the date” we started by going to mass and getting brunch with my mom, which was extremely important to me. Then we went to our old high school hang-out spots at school and around the city. At each place he asked, “Do you remember what happened here?” and then we would discuss our favorite memories. To be honest, I have a terrible memory, so sometimes I needed reminders as to what happened where. We ended at our last stop, Clearwater Beach. That was our favorite beach spot, so it wasn’t out of the blue. We got some drinks because he told me we had dinner reservations and needed to kill time. (We were really just ahead of schedule and he needed to wait for the photographer!) The whole time he was on his phone and kept going to the bathroom, which was out of character, but I just pushed my suspicions out of my mind.
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Finally, he said, “Let’s go for a walk before we go to dinner”. As we were walking, he asked, “Do you know what happened here?” I tried guessing (I could have sworn we went to a birthday party at a condo there but again, my memory is horrible). The next thing I knew, he was getting down on one knee and said, “This is where I asked you to marry me.” Or maybe he said “…to be my wife.” I honestly don’t remember anything else he said because, despite my promise to myself that I wouldn’t cry when I got proposed to, I started bawling! To this day I still joke that I never even said yes to him- he doesn’t remember either- he blacked out. Either way, the ring ended up on my finger and I ended up with the man of my dreams! Then we took a bunch of photos, which was a complete blur (I didn’t even get to research ahead of time what engagement poses I wanted, darn it!), but I love those photos because they were raw and real. After, he told me we weren’t really going for a weekend dive trip, he had booked a cute hotel on the beach for the weekend. However, we did have dinner in an hour still, he wasn’t lying about that! So we checked into the hotel, which was so cute, adorable, and everything I could want in a hotel- even a barn door, then got ready and went to dinner. I wasn’t done being surprised because waiting at the restaurant was both our families (*cue more tears*). It was the most amazing day filled with the man I love, memories I cherish, and supportive family. I honestly don’t know how I got so lucky to have a man who is so thoughtful and smooth in his surprises. The funny thing is, he is usually terrible at surprises. Usually, he will last about an hour after he buys someone’s birthday or Christmas gift before he reveals it to them. Now he has definitely set the bar high for future surprises and surprise parties!
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What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Knowing we get to plan a party that not only celebrates our love but that all our family and friends from near and far will get to come to!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Remembering it is only a day, a very special day, but just a day. In the big scheme of things, it is our marriage that really matters, not the wedding.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love how user-friendly and aesthetically-pleasing the website is!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Look at the FAQ page to give you ideas.
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At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
As humans, we can love. Through love, we bring joy. By sharing our love with our spouse, family, and friends, we create memories that last forever.
