Lucas and Emma both attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and happened to live in the same off-campus apartment complex. (Apparently, Miami Mergers are a thing—the school prides itself on alumni marriages!)
The first time Emma saw Lucas was at the pool (though later she found out it wasn’t the first time he’d seen her). Emma was planning to leave when a mutual friend invited her to hang out, and there was Lucas—and his smile. From that moment Emma was hooked. Lucas showed his interest by throwing her in the pool…. Later that evening, his friends invited Emma to hang out at their place where the two couldn’t take our eyes off one another.
Tell us more about that first night!
I didn’t believe in “love at first sight” or feeling “fireworks” during a first kiss until a little bit later when he kissed me. I was even engaged to someone else when I met him, but I know nearly from the moment we met that Lucas and I were meant to be. We knew we wanted to be together forever from that moment.
How long have you been together?
We met in early June of 2014 and have been together since. That’s about two and a half years.
Who proposed? Give us the details! When? Where? How?
Lucas proposed on May 8th, 2016. I had just gotten home from 9 months teaching abroad on the 7th, but Lucas insisted on dragging me down to our alma mater (to my favorite town, Oxford, Ohio). I was so jet-lagged that I barely noticed his anxious behavior. He hardly touched his food at lunch!
We believe our love is forever and as long as we have that love, there will always be joy. Even in the harder moments, we know we’re not alone.
After lunch, we walked down our favorite path, Slant Walk at Miami University. As we walked closer to the heart of campus, I heard an a cappella group singing, “For the Longest Time.” I tried to walk passed, but Lucas pulled me to a stop. “It’s for you,” he said. I had always wanted a serenade.
Before I knew it, I could see my mom, sister, and several close friends walking up to meet us. Lucas got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I don’t remember saying yes, but I do remember seeing the beautiful ring and jumping into his arms!
Afterwards, I ran to the group of loved ones Lucas had gathered, there were lots of hugs and congratulations!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Though planning the wedding is a lot of work, Lucas and I really enjoyed getting to go back to MU to sort out the details. We’re getting married where it all began!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
This is my first year teaching and, honestly, planning the wedding is easy by comparison. But even more than that, it’s the fact that Lucas is pulling more than his weight. I couldn’t have asked for a more helpful and eager groom. He’s made a lot of the plans for meetings and done quite a bit of research of different vendors.
How did you hear about Joy?
My best friend from high school is getting married the same month as me and I didn’t want the same wedding website as her. So I did my research and found Joy. I’m really happy with it so far!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love the RSVP feature and adding our own touch our site! We’ve already gotten some responses!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Make your website and make sure to send the link/code along with the Save-The-Dates, giving your guests tons of time to RSVP.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
We’re not just excited about our wedding, but we’re excited about the marriage that starts after we say “I do.” We believe our love is forever and as long as we have that love, there will always be joy. Even in the harder moments, we know we’re not alone.
