How did the two of you meet?
We met in the hallway of our high school in front of our social studies teacher’s classroom. We were lavishly clothed in our school uniforms and both wavering between trying to be as cool as possible, but we were extremely shy. We were not high school sweethearts. Far from it, but we always shared an interest and admiration for one another, cheering on each other’s successes. Garrett was one of a handful of people to write in Nicole’s yearbook leaving a message that read “Waiting for my chance with you.” The cap Nicole caught on graduation day turned out to be Garrett’s. We went off to college with athletic scholarships across the country from one another. We reconnected two years later when we ran into each other in NYC at, of all places, ESPN Zone. We still have the yearbook and the cap!
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
After 11 years, Nicole had about stopped inquiring as to when a proposal may happen. We took a long weekend to Vermont where Nicole’s parents have a house. We settled in and had a rare Friday off to make use of. We went on a spring hike midday, so it was quiet. We walked for a while with no real agenda and were headed back to the car when Garrett started talking about our time together and what a great team we make. I’ll admit, I was half listening but agreeing. He went on a bit longer than usual, sharing some of the times we’d spent together and talking about how we’d grown. At this point, I still somehow had zero idea he was proposing.
We got back to our car and he said he had a gift for me, he ran to the back to pull out a box. Naturally, it was a Nike box. There is no better gift for a girl who is an athlete at heart. I opened it quickly and was psyched! I said, “Thank You” and assumed we’d be on our way. He stopped me to say something to the effect of “Why don’t you take them out of the box?” I quickly removed them from the box, looked at them and put them away. At this point, there was a look of disbelief on Garrett’s face. He asked me one more time to take the shoes out of the box. As you can imagine, I was confused, but I complied. Finally, I was paying close enough attention to realize the back of the sneakers had a pretty un-missable inscription that read, “Marry Me?” In disbelief, I responded, “Wait, are you for real?” Garrett then got down on one knee repeating his question. I’m sure he remembers the words better than I do. I was too busy crying at this point. It was hilarious and amazing and we called our families shortly after to share the news.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Nicole: Getting to see the random and obscure things that Garrett cares about. Oh, and looking forward to spending some time with close friends in Cuba for the Bachelorette.
Garrett: Realizing that this is really happening. Every decision that we make is one step closer to the rest of our lives together. Also, watching two families come together as a single unit has been exciting to experience.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Keep it in perspective by reminding myself that most of these things aren’t worth freaking out about. Nobody is going to notice what kind of forks they are using or what was in the salad.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It’s so simple to use, everything is straightforward. The look and feel of the site is clean and I was able to buy a simple domain and forward my site which made it even easier for my guests.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
I’d say explore all that is offered and every section you can include on your site. Otherwise, no advice needed. It’s so simple. The sections are intuitive, modular and easily amendable.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
To have joy forever means to evolve both as individuals and as partners. We do this to be able to put our best foot forward every day and push each other to be better. Most importantly, remember to stop and enjoy the little moments of dancing in the kitchen, watching terrible sitcom TV or sitting on the train together.
