Although his proposal plans were thwarted twice in the same day, Ken persisted in spite of the setbacks and surprised Alisha at Bass Pro Shop. (You read that right!) Read on for the full story, how they stay sane during wedding planning, and what joy means to them.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
This is actually a pretty crazy story. Ken loves to tell people we got engaged at Bass Pro Shop, which is true. It turns out that Ken was actually planning on proposing to me on our one year anniversary where he recreated our first date. He wanted my parents to be there because he knows how important they are to me, but my mom wasn’t feeling well so they had to change the plans.
The next day, I had let go of any notion that we were getting engaged anytime soon. I wasn’t upset because we had so many conversations about getting married, but I certainly thought he would not be asking me soon. We planned to go on a hike as a family through Garden of the Gods (where Ken intended to propose), but it was an incredibly beautiful day so there were far too many people at the park. Ken held back. He and my parents then tried to arrange a place to get dinner, but it was Valentine’s Day and the crowds were crazy!
Although the wedding can be chaotic, hectic, and challenging to plan, we continue to focus on the fact that this is simply a day to celebrate our love for one another.
The day was wearing on, and I was oblivious and hungry. Finally, my dad mentioned wanting to try alligator bites so we decided to go to Bass Pro Shop—but not before we had minor trouble getting the car started. When we got to Bass Pro, Ken coordinated ordering cake for dessert with “Will You Marry Me?” on the plate. I still had no idea any of this was coming and was teasing Ken at the table about when he was going to propose. I kept insisting that I needed to have a manicure so my nails looked good when I finally took a picture of the ring I was sure he would get me.
We laughed and joked at the table a great deal as a family, so when the cake came out (the server practically ran so Ken didn’t have time to get the ring right away) I saw it and actually punched Ken in the shoulder for messing with me. The next thing I knew, he was down on one knee. I’m sure he said some really nice things, but I have no idea what they were. Regardless, I said ‘Yes!’ and my parents were there to be a part of it all along. It was a magical moment for all of us, and really, a pretty amusing story as well.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
My favorite part of the wedding are all of the surprising little moments where my fiance and I agree or have the same perspective without realizing it ahead of time. It can be fun to feel like we are reading each other’s minds and agreeing on those little details when we don’t necessarily expect it.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
This is tricky! I think that one of the things that did wonders for me was having a longer engagement. It gave me time to think and plan things out more carefully. I think it also helps to try to ask for help from my fiance and my loved ones when I need it and to still make time for some of the other things that matter to me.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The simplicity and ease has been refreshing. There are so many things about a wedding that take a lot of time and focus and effort. Creating the website was intuitive, simple, and one of the things that has lightened my stress after spending a couple of hours getting it just right.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Take your time! It doesn’t take much time to use the site, set it up, and learn to navigate it. The more that you take the time to understand what options and nuances you can include or remove it will help you feel more confident and comfortable. It was nice for me to realize that I could come back to the site and add more later rather than feeling like it all had to be done immediately too.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
When Ken and I think of joy, we think of contentment and simple pleasures. Although the wedding can be chaotic, hectic, and challenging to plan we continue to focus on the fact that this is simply a day to celebrate our love for one another. The joy we have together will be something simple, beautiful, and fun for the rest of our lives.
