What’s better than one proposal story? TWO proposal stories! Marlene and Jess took turns asking each other to marry them under very different, unique circumstances.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
This is how Jess likes to tell it:
Marlene and I had joked about who would propose almost since we started dating. In Nov 2015, we decided to get a group of friends to go to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose to celebrate our roommate’s birthday. We both love creepy stuff, like horror movies, haunted houses, and Ouija boards.) Marlene is very sensitive to energies from living and nonliving things, so I decided to hold her hand throughout the entire tour in case anything happened. When we got to a creepy bedroom in the house, Marlene’s body language changed. I thought she just sensed something strange.
Moonstone is known as the “lover’s stone.” That is exactly the type of dynamic we have in our relationship.
Then our tour guide directed us to the next part of the tour, the seance room. Marlene led me inside and I thought she was just trying to get out of the bedroom. I stepped inside and noticed that there were Ouija boards scattered all over the floor. At first I was confused, but then realized that they spelled “WILL YOU MARRY ME JESSICA?” Suddenly Marlene was on her knee. She pulled out a ring and said, “Remember that one time I asked you to marry me first?”
I had never been so surprised in my entire life! I said yes.
This ring meant a lot to me. Moonstone is known as the “lover’s stone.” That is exactly the type of dynamic we have in our relationship. I’ve never met anyone like Marlene in my life and the thought of spending the rest of my life with her made my heart happy. To this day, we are the first people to have ever proposed inside of the Winchester house. Her proposal was the most romantic gesture I have ever experienced in my entire life. Even though she beat me to it, her proposal will remain unforgettable to me.
To this day, we are the first people to have ever proposed inside of the Winchester house. Her proposal was the most romantic gesture I have ever experienced in my entire life. Even though she beat me to it, her proposal will remain unforgettable to me.
A year later, Jess returned the gesture and proposed to Marlene at a Kinney concert on New Years Eve.
Marlene and Jess dressed up celebrating a friend’s wedding.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Deciding who we want to invite to the wedding has been a fun experience. Knowing that a lot of our friends and family will be there to support our relationship makes us very grateful. We are getting married on Friday the 13th this year. To us, this is a very lucky day and putting together the theme of the wedding has been really exciting.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Lots of people have asked us this question! We just know that everything will eventually come together. Communication is key, so for us, knowing when to talk about the wedding is another way for us to keep stress levels to a minimum.
Marlene and Jess celebrate Valentine’s day with a delicious steak dinner. Marlene notes that everybody kept commenting how beautiful Jess looked.
How did you hear about Joy?
We found www.withjoy.com while researching wedding websites. Joy was the best wedding webiste resource we found for sure!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
The website is very user-friendly.
Christmas at the Linares house in 2016.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Using Joy is a great way for people to get information about the wedding. We’ve written down details of the wedding and travel accommodations for our guests.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
A wedding is a day when people can come together to celebrate a healthy relationship. The amount of support that is given on that day sends an overwhelming energy of authentic love and joy. These feelings will continue to last forever.
