Joy Wedding
Joy Baby New
Registry with Free Shipping
Registry with 20% Completion Discount
Registry with Zero-Fee Cash Funds
Registry with Easy Returns
Registry with Free Shipping
Find an Event
Inspiration » Proposal Story » Joy Proposal Story: Margot & Ryan

Joy Proposal Story: Margot & Ryan

by Kelsey Vickers
Joy Proposal Story: Margot & Ryan

Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?

We had been discussing marriage for some time but weren’t in any rush to pull the trigger. We thought it’d be something we’d do a little bit further down the road given our relationship was so new. But crisscrossing state-lines and the imminent questioning that ensued about our intentions at every destination, quickly put all romance aside and opened our eyes to the realization that not sharing a nationality was going to be a problem for our life together. (Where do a fish and a bird build a home?!). After some months of this, Ryan took a work trip to Mexico leaving Margot behind in his America. It was then, being away from her, that he realized there was no need to wait to start their life together, he wanted to make it official. When he came back we went for dinner at our favorite restaurant “Harry’s Fine Foods” in Seattle and it was there, over negronis, that he shared his realization. He knew, without a doubt, he wanted to marry Margot. Margot replied saying she knew she wanted the same. While there was no grand gesture, no kneeling, and no ring, the moment was very sweet and intimate. This was a decision we had arrived at both independently and together. We had the biggest smiles on our faces and were glowing as we left dinner and into the next days. We were so excited to share our decision with all our people!

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

First, we needed to find out how to get married, we actually googled it! We decided we would elope, just us two, and hold a ceremony (or two) later on with all our families and friends around the world. After some research, we decided that the trip to New Orleans we’d been wanting to make would be a great place to have our elopement, a city neither one of us had been to before. With a wonderful mix of cultures, cuisines, and a touch of European spirit, New Orleans would be the perfect setting for us. Algiers Courthouse, among the oldest in America, would be where Judge Teena would legally bind us.

Genna Green- Green Still Photography

Ryan told Margot he’d like to get her a ring, something she really didn’t expect. So, we set out to find one, together. Margot being the indecisive untraditional bride she is, could not decide on a ring. After visiting numerous jewelers and digging through the universe of Pinterest, they stumbled upon a ring by a Brazilian designer Margot used to work with. She reached out to him, and it just so happened the ring was also sold at a store in Seattle. When we saw it, we both immediately fell in love and knew it was the one. It had a wave design with brown diamonds in all different cuts set in rose gold, so unique! However, ordering the ring on a special deal with the designer meant it would not be ready for our elopement date. We were just so relieved to find something we both loved that we didn’t mind this fact.

Genna Green- Green Still Photography

We eloped in New Orleans, a totally awesome three-day adventure where we rode bikes from our Airbnb (that coincidentally matched Margot’s dress and Ryan’s shoes) through town, onto the ferry, and across the Mississippi to the Algiers courthouse to be wed. We returned back to Seattle legally wed. About two weeks later Ryan asked Margot to take a walk in their neighborhood. Ryan was awkwardly quiet and kept changing directions, he seemed to have something on his mind. Walking near “Harry’s Fine Foods” (where we’d made the decision to get married) Ryan suddenly got down on one knee, held out the ring, and asked Margot to marry him. Giddy and smiling broadly, Margot grabbed him tight and told him, “I already did, you silly goose!”

Genna Green- Green Still Photography

A few months later, Margot’s parents flew over to Seattle to congratulate them and meet the in-laws. In honor of this and in lieu of an engagement party, we organized a reception for our friends and family based in America, the first of our “celebratory world tour”. We recreated our Nola experience with a secret garden party in a small park tucked away right in the heart of Seattle. We are currently finalizing plans for our Singapore tea ceremony and Thailand beach wedding in March of 2018!

Kristina Bozanich

What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?

We have really enjoyed hearing our friends share their marriage experiences, learning from them, and incorporating some of their ideas into our own wedding. Getting everyone excited to be together is another thing we really love! Margot is a big planner and loves to curate experiences. Imagining what it will be like to have everyone meet, hang out, and spend time together is something we really look forward to!

How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?

For our “big wedding” in Thailand, most of which will be organized from afar, it helps to have friends and family from all corners of the globe helping. Arranging the occasion and talking through tough decisions has been a massive relief and really kept us from losing our heads.

Kristina Bozanich

What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?

It is so user-friendly and I’ve really enjoyed the friendly, personal customer service. Both of these things really made the decision to use Joy, very easy!

What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?

Be sure to use the RSVP and photo feature sections. Also, give your guests a heads up before and during your event about the app so they can get involved in your big day by sharing their photos!

Kristina Bozanich

At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?

A moment (or a day) like a wedding, can bring so much happiness. Happiness is an emotion and therefore it’s temporary and fleeting. Joy is something that is ever present, it is the fiber of your soul, the oxygen of life. And because joy is a foundation to your being, every other state or emotion can rest on top of joy, it can support everything. When you realize this, you can experience the simple joy of just being alive. The joy to be here, connected, breathing, blessed, resilient, to be broken, to be open, to have what was, what’s left, what’s coming. Feeling joy just to be part of reality, it’s so cosmically basic it’s mind-blowing.

“Happiness. Love it when it comes.
Joy. It’s the love that lasts no matter what.”

You may also like