Kelly and Austin met around the time Austin moved to Dallas after living abroad in Australia for two years. When he moved back, Austin reconnected with one of his fraternity brothers who had become good friends with Kelly. Through their mutual friend, they had been invited to a couple of the same parties. Austin caught Kelly’s eye right away. Austin was casually dating someone else, so they didn’t start dating until a couple of months after meeting. But the rest, as they say, is history.
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
I knew immediately where I wanted to propose: Klyde Warren Park, a park in downtown Dallas. The park is important to us because the first time Kelly and I hung out, we ended up there. Two years ago, we met up with some friends to grab brunch which turned into an afternoon full of March Madness.
Little by little, our friends left and it ended up being just the two of us. It just so happened that I was right smack dab in the middle of ballroom dance lessons and we were near the park. We headed over and, a few drinks in, I was ready to show off my skills! It wasn’t too far into my lesson when security approached us and told us we were being kicked out—the park was closed and visiting hours were over.
Once word got back to our friends, it became a running joke. How in the world did I get someone as bashful as Kelly to dance in a public? The bigger question, who gets kicked out of a public park on a Sunday?
So, I had the spot in mind, but now I actually had to pull it off. Anyone who knows me knows that this had to be a COMPLETE surprise, so I got her maid of honor, Stephanie, and my best man, Al, involved immediately. Al scheduled a happy hour so that the four of us could celebrate the holidays before we all went home to family. We agreed to meet a local bar, two blocks from Klyde Warren Park.
I think we both know that it will never be easy 100% of the time, but even in hard times I know I’ll enjoy having him as a partner.
Now I just had to stick the landing. I got my ring from a place in Chicago, which helped keep the surprise, since I was there so often for work. That said designing a ring several states away still left me anxious. Did I cover my tracks? Is there any way she might suspect something? I wanted every detail of every step calculated.
After the first drink, Al suggested we grab dinner at Savor, located right in the middle of Kylde Warren. A quick ride and I couldn’t think of anything but not dropping the ring. That, and how bashful Kelly would be when she was proposed to in a park. Once we arrived, Al and Stephanie said they’d go into the restaurant and get the first round at the bar and wait on a table. Kelly and I would go snap a quick picture in front of the park’s Christmas tree.
After a short walk, it was time! We reminisced on that first waltz two years ago and I asked for a dance. I needed to see how much she’d improved! Anyone who knows Kelly knows her response was, “Really? Here in a park? There are people right there!” Surprisingly, she gave in rather quickly and we danced. I stopped and said before we go find Al and Stephanie I had one more question, and I dropped to one knee.
Everything worked out perfectly, our photos were phenomenal, and Kelly was COMPLETELY caught off guard. In Kelly’s words, it was the perfect weekend!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
It’s all been so fun, I like brainstorming ideas with Austin, he’s really good at suggesting things that are truly personal and unique to us as a couple.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
We are a good team, I can be Type A and my mind goes all over the place. Austin is good at distracting me whether it’s with a night out or a game night in.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I like how personal we can get with it—from adding stories to introduce our wedding party, to the Q&A, I feel like we can really show our personality and fun details about the wedding through the website.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
I think it’s important to really utilize each section of the website, and to incorporate both of your voices when you’re answering the questions!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
When I think about my future with Austin the first word that comes to mind is excited. I think we both know that it will never be easy 100% of the time, but even in hard times I know I’ll enjoy having him as a partner.
