Joy Proposal Story: Rene & Robert

How did the two of you meet?

We met at a nightclub at the goodbye party of a mutual friend. It was a happy accident. One of us (Robert) had a little too much to drink, and I ended up making sure he got home safe. The next day, I received multiple apology texts, and that’s how we began talking.

How long have you been together?

We have been together for a just under 4 and a half years. Our wedding date will actually be 5 years from our first date.

Who proposed?

Robert took the big step of proposing first. But being two men, both of us having the opportunity of proposing was important, so I was also able to propose to him a few months after.

 

Give us the details! When? Where? How?

Robert’s proposal was the big one. Every year we throw a joint birthday party because our birthdays are a week apart from each other. Last summer, on 6/11, we planned a cruise-themed birthday party (we are big Disney Cruise Line fans and try to go on one every year). Many of our friends were at this party. Robert surprised me by having a friend announce at the party that there was a birthday scavenger hunt.

The announcer had me find friends who had boxes with them. In each of the four boxes was a handmade ornament that represented a key milestone in our relationship (where we met, our first date, our first vacation, and our first home together). We weren’t planning on getting each other gifts that year, so this scavenger hunt was a surprise to me. The ornaments were so meaningful.

After, the announcer had me call our dog into the room. When he came in, he had a ribbon around his neck with the ring tied to it. Robert got on his knee to propose in front of everyone. I, of course, was overwhelmed with emotion and happily said ‘Yes!” To my surprise, my mom had also been FaceTimed in (she lives in another city). It was nice to have friends and family surrounding us during that amazing moment.

When he came in, he had a ribbon around his neck with the ring tied to it. Robert got on his knee to propose in front of everyone.

When I proposed to Robert, I knew I wanted it to complement his proposal to me, but also wanted to tailor it to him. Since his proposal to me was large, with our friends surrounding us, I wanted my proposal to him to be more intimate. It turned out that our annual Disney Cruise last year was planned to depart on 11/7. The night before, 11/6 was the perfect day to propose (it was the inverted date of his proposal to me).

Since his proposal to me was cruise themed, I decided to keep his proposal lightly nautical themed (especially with it being the night before our cruise). I took him to a Yachtsman Steakhouse (a restaurant in the Yacht and Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World). We had a romantic dinner, then walked along the beach. We had discussed ideas for processional songs for our wedding, but had struggled to find the right one. I knew of a song he loved, and without him knowing I was able to modify the song to match the mood we were looking for.

We are sharing in celebration with our friends and family the joy that we have found. For us, it’s that bond that we continue to foster and that will embrace us forever.

We stopped along the beach and I shared with him that I had found a version of his song that I thought might work for the wedding. I asked him to picture us when he was listening. I showed him the video, and while it looked like a standard music video at first, the photos changed to become photos of us during our relationship. At the end of the song, I told him that I couldn’t think of a better place than to be by his side for the rest of my life, I presented him his ring, and I asked him to marry me (to which he of course said “Yes!”)

What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?

The wedding planning has helped us to revisit all these important things from our relationship. We like the idea of including things that have meaning, so as we plan our wedding, we try to ensure that the details reflect important things in our relationship, so that it is a true celebration of us. It’s nice to relive memories and to incorporate those special moments in unique ways into the planning of the wedding.

 

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

Lots of wine! Actually, much of the process has been good. In times when we have faced a disagreement on ideas, we usually will step away for a while from the topic to clear our minds and revisit it once we’ve allowed alternate perspectives to settle. We also try to include our wedding party in conversations and planning to help give us an outside perspective.

How did you hear about Joy?

As we were looking for sites to help us with organizing the RSVPs, we stumbled across this site. (Thank you Google!). We saw the promo video and we knew this was just the type of site we were looking for. We have very social friends and loved the idea of having them all connected through the app, and getting photos from everyone as they take them at the ceremony.

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

I love the style of the website. Our wedding website is more beautiful than we could have imagined, and it was so easy to set up!

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

Use the chat feature! Any time I’ve had a question or if I was ever confused by something, the staff at Joy has been quick to respond. They are extremely friendly and have been very helpful in helping us understand the best way to utilize the site to our advantage.

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

We often talk about how in love we are. For Robert and I, the wedding is really just a celebration of something we already have. We are sharing in celebration with our friends and family the joy that we have found. For us, it’s that bond that we continue to foster and that will embrace us forever. The wedding will be one amazing moment in time in the story of our happy life together, and I look forward to looking back fondly at the memories, but also at continuing to celebrate wherever the future will take the two of us!