How did the two of you meet?
We met online when Sarah first moved to Dallas. We went on three dates, but Sarah totally ghosted. Three years later, we re-connected via Snapchat, accidentally. The rest is history!
Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
Justin was originally planning a big public proposal, but after a pretty strong reaction to a witnessed public proposal on Sarah’s part, Justin changed his plans. Justin was acting weird all day and after taking Sarah to lunch at the first restaurant they went on a date to, Sarah thought he was sick and needed to go home! In spite of Sarah’s protests to get him home, Justin took Sarah to the Winspear Opera house in Dallas. He told her that he needed to pick up some music for an audition (Justin is a trained opera singer, but during the day he’s a mortgage banker). So, this was a bit out of the ordinary, but he played it cool. Sarah has always loved the architecture of the building, so they walked around as they “waited”. That’s when Justin got down on one knee and proposed!
It was hysterical and chaotic and lovely, all at the same time.
It was a super warm and sunny day, and when he got down on one knee Sarah realized what was going on…and immediately got a massive bloody nose! Justin wrapped the ring in a handkerchief to disguise it in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, Sarah reached for the handkerchief to try to clean up her bloody nose (Justin had no idea it had even started as he was busy, proposing). They played tug of war a bit before Justin FINALLY figured out that she was hemorrhaging from her nose. After that, he jammed the ring on her finger and the handkerchief in her face! It was hysterical and chaotic and lovely, all at the same time, which was absolutely perfect for the two of us.
Matt Brown- Local Embers Co.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Our favorite part has been seeing our friends and family so excited for us! On top of that, we are planning a destination wedding to Antigua Guatemala. Justin had previously never been out of the country, so we’ve had a BLAST traveling internationally together for the first time in order to get some planning done!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
Justin and I regularly schedule some non-wedding alone time where we check in about the normal day-to-day stuff that we have a tendency to gloss over when we’re in “planning mode.” We’re also in pre-marital counseling, which helps us because then we have a safe space to chat about what is stressing us out- not just the wedding planning but the *marriage* planning, and that’s super helpful and healthy!
Matt Brown- Local Embers Co.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love the mobile integration and optimization! We’re all glued to our phones these days, and it’s so nice to see a website that’s actually designed for that browsing experience. It looks so nice, crisp, and clean, too!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
I would suggest that they poke around on all of the neat features before getting started building their site, especially with the RSVP system that’s in place!
Matt Brown- Local Embers Co.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
I think that it means that when you strip down everything — forgetting the money, the party, the family, the stress, Pinterest, and the need for perfection — you need to be comfortable, at a base level, with who you are as a couple and as individuals. That’s how it lasts. When you choose to have a wedding, you choose to have a party for your family and friends to enjoy, but when you choose to get married (it’s different than just throwing a wedding) it’s way more meaningful.
When you get married, you make a promise to the person you’re marrying…but you also make a promise to yourself.
When you get married, you choose to show your love and commitment to your friends and family, letting them be a part of your joy and having them hold you, at least a little bit, accountable to your partner. When you get married, you make a promise to the person you’re marrying…but you also make a promise to yourself. You promise to build each other up and make each other better and, and those sorts of promises can be hard to keep when you have your day in and day out and people AREN’T there cheering you on or holding you accountable. But those promises are worth it in the end. And if you can actually take the time to keep those promises every day, you’ll have a joy that will last a whole lot longer than your wedding day.
Matt Brown- Local Embers Co.
