Tell me about you and Joe! How did you meet and how did he propose?

Joe and I met through mutual friends at Austin City Limits Music Festival in October 2017. At the time, he was living in Austin and I was living in Dallas. To be honest, I never thought I'd see him again after that weekend, but through a series of events that were to come in the weeks ahead, we would see one another several more times. It was during a friendsgiving that I hosted in Dallas a few weeks later where he helped me solve a "turkey crisis" and asked me out on our first official date. The rest was history. We did one year of long distance between Austin and Dallas before he relocated up to DFW in October of 2018. 

Fast forward to October 5, 2019--he popped the question! I was actually moving out of my townhome that weekend, so my parents were in town to help me move, or so I thought. He had me convinced we were going to a work event for him on that Saturday, to which I was annoyed that it was interrupting my moving plans (but I do my best work under pressure, so honestly wasn't that concerned). There were a few details in the "work event" logistics that just didn't make sense, but he got his boss in on the surprise and sent me fabricated emails and calendar invites pertaining to the "event", so I just assumed it was a coincidence of conflicting events. Joe picked me up and we drove out to a restaurant at a local lake nearby. We were "early" to arrive, so Joe suggested we walk down to the lighthouse that was next to the restaurant. At this point, I still had no clue what was about to happen. We got down to the lighthouse on the water and he said four words that made my heart stop: "We need to talk." 

I honestly think I stopped breathing. He had a look in his eye and the beginnings of a smile that told me this wasn't a negative talk, but instead one that was about to change our lives for forever. The tears immediately started falling from my face. He took my hands and shared his heart, then he got down on one knee and popped the question! I'm sure I let out the most high pitched, woo-girl scream, but I blacked out (ha!). 

Joe arranged for one of my dearest friends to secretly photograph the whole thing, so we took some pictures and then headed back to Dallas. He had all of our Texas friends, friends from out of state and family waiting for us when we got back--talk about another shock to my system. We celebrated the rest of the day, and it was so, so perfect. 

When you were thinking about your engagements, what were you guys dreaming of?

I was familiar with April because she had photographed some weddings of people that I knew. I immediately fell in love with her style and knew that even though we didn't live in the same state, I needed her as our photographer! For our engagements, I wanted her to capture the unique things that make us.... well, us. Joe originally grew up a surfer boy from Florida, so he had taught me to longboard while we were dating. I knew that I wanted to incorporate that hobby somehow, and April made my idea a reality! Those who know Joe and I know our relationship has been non-traditional from the beginning--April was so creative in capturing who we are as a couple and the love we have for one another. 

How has Covid-19 effected your engagement and wedding?

Like so many other brides and grooms, we have been affected by COVID-19. We were originally scheduled to have a destination wedding in Los Cabos at the end of October, but due to regulations, we had to postpone to April 2021. April has been so supportive and such a guiding light for us as we navigate the changes. There have been moments of several moments of stress, but we have fabulous wedding planners and vendors who have been beyond understanding and supportive of our decision. 

But back to non-tradition... Joe and I decided to get married in our living room on July 26, 2020. We recently bought a house and knew that our desire to be married and start our home as husband and wife was more important than the wedding events, so we called an audible and got hitched! Once we made the decision, there was immediate relief. We are hopeful that we will get to celebrate in Mexico next year with all of our extended family and friends, and we can't wait to share the badass photos that April is going to capture!