Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
We had just been to a friends’ wedding the night before and we were out having brunch with out-of-town friends the next morning. Patrick said we needed to leave plenty early. The day prior he had seemed slightly off, he went on some errands and was busy despite us having a number of plans to accomplish. As brunch was winding down and we were leaving, he asked if we could go for a drive to a picnic (as I’d been hounding him for a summer picnic for months). We drove up to a nearby lake and I went to use the restroom. When I came back, there set up was meat, cheese and a bottle of champagne. He got down on one knee, told me how much he loved me and asked if I would marry him. The errands he ran the day before was picking up the ring he ordered, a ‘placeholder ring’ until we could design the custom ring to hold the stone my grandparents left to me. We cheered with champagne then snapped a pic before retreating to the car, an unseasonably chilly September day cut the picnic short. We had talked about engagement prior, but I had no clue it was coming when it did!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
The time we’ve spent together, learning new things about wedding planning as well as about each other. (We’re both very familiar with event planning, but weddings are a totally different ballgame! We’re the lead organizers of a large regional beer festival in our area, ending three weeks prior to the wedding!) The entire process has been fun, overwhelming, stressful, frustrating, but at the end of each fit of frustration, it’s so rewarding knowing we’re in it together.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
A lot of wine! A huge part of wedding planning is being open to changing direction. If something doesn’t come out how you thought it would in your mind, that’s okay! It’s an opportunity to problem solve and strategize…together. It’s been a lot of fun working with our friends and family and getting to know everyone better, all thanks to this!
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
It’s really user-friendly and the assistance from the Joy team is phenomenal!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Explore and re-explore! Check out different layouts and then explore them again.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
I’m getting to marry my best friend, my rock, my partner in life. I’m getting to marry the person I don’t mind doing yard work with, who sings backup or lead vocals late at night when we share our favorite videos together, who is my favorite to have a glass of wine with and unwind after a stressful day with. I will have him in my life forever to cherish. He’s my source of unwavering joy every day, no matter what happens.
