Joy Wedding
Joy Baby New
Registry with Free Shipping
Registry with 20% Completion Discount
Registry with Zero-Fee Cash Funds
Registry with Easy Returns
Registry with Free Shipping
Find an Event
Inspiration » sarah anne photography » Joy Proposal Story: Sarah & Reilee

Joy Proposal Story: Sarah & Reilee

by Kelsey Vickers
Joy Proposal Story: Sarah & Reilee

How did the two of you meet?

It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at Oklahoma State University, and I was excited to volunteer at OSU’s Camp Cowboy as a camp counselor. At my very first camp, I remember meeting a boy named Reilee. Once I saw him later in the day, I asked him if he wanted to play catch with a football. The next day, he asked if I wanted to go to the group campfire together (and offered his s’more as bait). I agreed, and the rest is history!

Sarah Libby Photography

Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?

I proposed to Sarah in October of 2016. We had talked about waiting to get married, but I decided I really wanted to take the risk and ask her anyway! I picked out a ring that I thought she would like (and I couldn’t return, so I REALLY wanted her to like it), and planned a date for us. We started by driving to Tulsa to go horseback riding. We both love horses and we had a lot of fun taking pictures and playing with the different animals on the property. Then, I told her we were going to a park for a picnic. When we got there I found the spot where a photographer I had hired was pretending to take pictures of her kids. We set up the picnic, but instead of food, I pulled a book out of the basket. I read a short story I had written for her, and at the end asked her to marry me as I pulled out the ring. She looked more surprised than anything else, and I was afraid she might say no! Fortunately for me, she agreed, and we finished taking pictures before going to a restaurant for some actual food. We called our families to tell them the news, and show off her ring (even though I guessed the wrong size). We went home that night and our friends surprised Sarah with an engagement party in Stillwater. We ate cake, had champagne, and celebrated the day. It really couldn’t have gone any better!

Sarah Libby Photography

What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?

The best experience has been picking our venue. When we first started talking about what kind of location we would want to be married in, Sarah and I agreed that we wanted to be outside for the ceremony. We looked around online for places we liked and came up with a long list of locations all throughout Texas. Then we scheduled visits and started a weekend road trip from North Texas all the way to Corpus Christi. The drive was long, but we had a great time getting to explore the different towns along our route we had never seen. The best part was taking a few hours off to walk down the beach in Corpus and enjoy the ocean. We visited about ten venues but ended up choosing the first one we looked at, Villa Antonia. It has an amazing view of the Lake Travis Area in Austin and will be a great place to get married!

Sarah Libby Photography

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

As the groom, it’s not too hard to keep my cool when it comes to planning the wedding. I just help with whatever the girls want to do. It’s impressive to see the whole thing come together and all of the time and effort that goes into it. Sarah has been in dental school since August, and I’m really impressed that she has been able to juggle her studying along with planning the wedding. I know it can stress her out, but she does so well at managing her time and focusing on the important things. It wouldn’t have been possible without family and friends who have stepped in to provide so much support. Sarah and I are both very thankful to have so many wonderful people to help us and make us feel loved.

Sarah Libby Photography

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

It was so easy to use and when finished, Joy looks so pretty and put together. It made it easy for us to put all of our wedding details into a simple format that is accessible to our guests.

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

Play with it and see what you like! Joy has so many nice layouts and just a few tweaks can make your wedding website beautiful and personal.

Sarah Libby Photography

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

The joy that comes from getting to marry my best friend, from bringing our friends and family together, and from the memories of our wedding day will be something I treasure for the rest of my life.

You may also like