Corbin and Zuri met in college at Northwestern University. He was a sophomore and she was a freshman. They had seen each other around campus a few times, but their first real conversation happened during a kickback thrown by one of their mutual friends. Their friendship mostly blossomed through AIM messaging (don’t act like you didn’t have AIM!) and encounters at the gym. Zuri shares their proposal story and what they do to stay sane while planning a wedding in her hometown, Atlanta, while living out of state.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
Corbin proposed to me on June 27, 2016. He says the proposal was a full year in the making. In the summer of 2015 our schedules only aligned for three days of overlapping days off, so that left no time for a summer vacation. We decided then to go to St. Lucia the following year. We stayed in the amazingly picturesque Jade Mountain resort. Corbin secretly arranged the surprise proposal with the resort staff.
The wedding is just a symbol and a celebration.
Once we arrived after traveling all day, we relaxed into our room (aka “sanctuary”) which featured a wonderful infinity pool, and stunning views. About an hour later we started preparing for dinner. Corbin had arranged for us to have dinner on the Celestial Terrace, which is the highest point at the resort and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and the majestic Piton Mountains. Corbin is slightly afraid of heights, so I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t want to go to the overlook. I ventured off to absorb the view.
When I turned back around, Corbin was kneeling on one knee. He said something very beautiful; unfortunately, I have no recollection of exactly what. Then he asked me to spend the rest of his life with him, which I happily obliged. Immediately following the proposal we had an engagement shoot on the beach. Then we had a candlelit dinner on the terrace before reclining back to our sanctuary to share the good news with our family and close friends. We had a blast, it felt like a dream!
elopetoparadiseweddings.com
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
It has been really awesome to see how excited our friends and family are to come celebrate our union with us. We really have wonderful people in our lives and this has served as a perfect reminder.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
We are getting married in my hometown of Atlanta, so with both of us living out of state we have had to rely heavily on my parents and our wedding coordinating team. We just try to remember that it’s only one day, and that helps us to pick and choose our battles. We are also doing premarital counseling and that keeps us sane and reminds us of the “why” behind the wedding.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
We love the way that it allows us to interact with our guests and also spotlight our wedding party. The app is pretty awesome too!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Play around and have some fun with it. Most importantly, let the staff know if you have a question or suggestion to improve your website. The staff is awesome! They are quick to respond, so friendly, and super accommodating.
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
Right now we are preparing for marriage. The wedding is just a symbol and a celebration. We’re not looking forward to one day, but rather the next 70 years or so! So, we’ll enJOY the day with our family and friends, and continue to build on it for the rest of our lives!
