Life is all about joy.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
I am a musician. Not a terribly well-known one, but I’ve been fortunate enough to play shows and make friends with many of my idols in the punk and ska scene. One such group of friends were the band MU330. They had announced a small string of dates supporting the much larger band Streetlight Manifesto, including one near our home.
A few years ago I saw someone propose on stage at a concert and knew that was always what I wanted to do, and I knew this was my best and biggest opportunity I would probably ever get. I started texting with their frontman, singer/guitarist Dan Potthast, and together we began hatching the plan.
At a certain point they would ask for a volunteer to come on stage and play a fairly simple song on guitar with the band (something they do at every show). He would pick me “by accident” and I would bring Trey with me. It was fixed that night, but he sold it well. He showed me the chords and asked if I had anything else to say.
That’s when I brought my boyfriend out of the wings to center stage and launched into my roughly prepared speech. By the end of it I was on my knees, he was crying, and a theater of 3000 people were going wild for us. I then proceeded to play the song with one of my favorite bands, while my fiancé danced along. We actually had our first kiss as engaged couple while I was already playing guitar.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
I’ve actually enjoyed this more than I expected. I’m excited to put together a memorable wedding in a memorable location! I’m most excited, though, for our after party, featuring musician friends of mine from both coasts and Europe!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
The beauty of gay weddings is there’s no pressure for tradition. We’re just trying to be ourselves, and welcome our family and friends into our little world. It almost feels like no pressure at all.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
A website and app are very modern, and for free? It’s a no-brainer.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
Life is all about joy. Or rather, it should be. We plan to make an impression worthy of our love and our unique personalities. We are pretty sure that our day will last a lifetime in the memories of our guests, as well as within us.
