Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
It was Ryan’s White Coat Ceremony for his medical school acceptance at the University of South Florida. Shannon had been excited over this event for weeks. Ryan was already at school, so Shannon had planned to meet up with his family and drive over with them. When she got into the car there was one beautiful red rose and a card from Ryan waiting for her. Her stomach instantly dropped. She fiddled around with the rose and card for a little while as everyone tried pretending they weren’t anxiously waiting for her to open it. Shannon loved every word Ryan had written to her, but little did she know that he had given her a huge hint of what was to come. At the end of the card, Ryan wrote, “I love you, and I can’t wait to take our relationship to new heights.” Not thinking critically about the wording, she put the card away and sat there anticipating seeing Ryan in his white coat. After the ceremony, we went to our favorite restaurant with his family near Downtown Tampa. We enjoyed a great meal and we were ready to go home afterward to relax. Ryan, however, had different plans. He asked Shannon if she wanted to go find something fun to do in Tampa.
She agreed, expecting to walk around downtown near the river. Ryan started driving further and further away from downtown until finally, they were driving around Davis Island, Shannon was very confused. She thought, “Maybe he has his boat here and he is surprising me?” But, she knew the odds of that were unlikely. Suddenly, they pulled into the private airport on the island and Ryan turned the car off. This time, her stomach didn’t drop but she caught an instant fit of the giggles. Ryan looked at her and said, “On our second date, while passing the airport, you said you would get in a plane and go anywhere with me… so let’s go!” Shannon couldn’t contain her laughter, and before she knew it, they were piling into a helicopter. The only words she managed to say were, “I feel like I’m on an episode of the bachelor!” The helicopter took off, and they were flying above Tampa Bay and making their way downtown. They were flying between the buildings, so close you felt like you could touch them, when suddenly the co-pilot said, “When we make a turn right around that building over there, it is the perfect spot because you have the water and sunset on one side, and the city skyline on the other.” Unbeknown to Shannon, this was the code word between Ryan and the co-pilot and suddenly Ryan was reaching into his sock and telling Shannon that he loved her. A red box came out of his sock, followed by, “Shannon, will you marry me?”
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
My favorite part so far has actually been dress shopping! Grab a few of the women in your life that you love and go make a fun day out of it. My mom and aunt flew in from out of town that morning, we grabbed a delicious breakfast, cried over how beautiful my ring is, and then hit the shops! We just enjoyed trying dresses on and I loved dancing in them.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I stay sane by remembering that this day is going to be beautiful no matter what, simply because I get to marry the love of my life. Remember the true meaning of the day and let that melt the stress away.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love how simple it is to use Joy! It’s truly a beautiful site dedicated to you and the one you love. I also love that they allow you the freedom to customize the tabs, font, theme, colors, and more!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
My advice is that you share your pictures! This is something that guests will love to look at, and it is so beautiful to see different pictures pop up as you scroll through your site. It is also an awesome feature that guests can share pictures with you on your Joy site!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
Joy is knowing you have a companion to walk through life with, knowing that this person will be with you through thick and thin. The wedding is just the beginning but the life that you create together afterward is where true joy is found.
