I was lucky to chat with Mae Joyce and Dan, one of our amazing 2017 Granite Ridge couples. They are the kind of couple that loves nothing more than adventuring together and for the past year and a half, which is precisely what they’ve done!
How did you two meet?
Dan and Mae Joyce met through mutual friends nearly 7 years ago – both in other relationships at
the time. They initially met because they are both rowers, which is a very tight knit community. While they remained friendly throughout the years, it wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that they really had the chance to reconnect – at a bachelorette party. Coincidentally, he was helping his friend, the Maid of Honor, set up the event and Mae Joyce was part of the party. It didn’t take him long to get her number and ask her out. Mae explained that Dan is an engineer, making him incredibly quiet and thoughtful. “He takes about two days to carefully think everything through before he makes any decision, I am much more spontaneous!” The way they balance each other is part of what makes them such a great pair. Since they got together, Mae Joyce and Dan have done nothing but adventure together. They train together, race together – they even choreographed a Flash Mob dance together for her sister’s wedding! (As it turns out – Dan is one heck of a dancer.)
How did you two get engaged?
I admit – this story had me laughing. Mostly because Mae Joyce started telling the story with,
“Well, we were doing our annual cross country ski trip in Vermont…” Seriously how fit is this couple? Do they ever stop “fitnessing?” The day before the proposal, Mae Joyce explained that the day before the proposal, she skied up to Dan and said, "Wow, I'm so lucky to be dating you, because we have so much fun together." She thought nothing of it and assumed Dan hadn’t either. The next morning, as the couple zipped into their skin tight cross country ski outfits, Dan made a point to tell Mae Joyce that he was packing an extra hat (to explain the bulge in his pocket that actually was the ring box. This confused an exacerbated Mae Joyce, and she laughed as she explained, ““I was so confused and kept saying – “OK DAN TAKE THE HAT!”” While they were out enjoying the trail, Dan decided to lead Mae Joyce onto a frozen lake they had come across He needed to “stretch” apparently. She set the scene for me – saying how 
beautiful the view was from the lake and how Dan eventually came beside her and says, "I've been thinking a lot about what you said yesterday and I've come up with 3 reasons why I'm lucky to have you." She laughed telling me this, saying it was “classic Dan – taking 24 hours to think of a response and forming this response into an organized bulleted list.” During this time, while Dan was trying to get the perfect moment to propose and keep the romance going, a snowmobiler comes ripping by doing multiple circles around the lake. Finally when the snowmobile left, he popped the question.
What is your vision for your wedding?
Mae Joyce’s goal for her wedding is for it to simply be “a huge party with all my favorite
people.” I told her this was a vision I could get behind. She also said she wants her wedding to be “timeless and classic.” “I want to be able to look at my wedding pictures in 50 years and not be able to tell if I got married today, in the 20’s or the actual time I got married.” I appreciated that but not as much as I appreciated her final comment, which she said laughing, “And if it could be all about me, that’d be great.” Right on. RIGHT ON SISTER.
What vendors are you excited to work with?
May Joyce was raving about her wedding planner, Heidi Brissette of Seacoast Harbor Events before I had even asked this question. “I don’t want to plan the party, I want to be surprised with all the things I never would have thought of!” She detailed how great Heidi has been, “She answers all my dumb questions and gets back to me so quickly.” Another thing she was eager to describe was her dessert table, which will have mini cakes and other desserts, all being made by Lisa Parker, owner of “Cakes For All Seasons.” Mae Joyce explained that because she recreationally makes wedding cakes and birthday cakes for friends, she is incredibly picky. Lisa Parker wowed her immediately with how delicious her desserts are and 
how wonderful she has been to work with. Their flowers will come from Broadturn Farm, a family owned and operated farm and barn that dedicatedly grows and delivers all-natural, seasonal produce and flowers. Mae Joyce said that they managed to provide the floral decorations that she always imagined. To document their beautiful day, Mae Joyce and Dan have entrusted Patricia Takacs of Kivalo Photography, who apparently is “totally awesome, communicative and amazing.” Kivalo Photography will also serve as their videographer. For their catering, Mae Joyce and Dan have selected Gourmet in a Pinch, a catering company out of Bethel, ME. Being the music and dance enthusiast's that they are, Mae Joyce and Dan took their time selecting their DJ. They chose Meritage Entertainment and for their wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, they are bringing in a string trio called SpeechLess out of Boston, MA. She got her dress from one of our favorite companies, Madeleine’s Daughter.
What made you choose Granite Ridge?
Although the engagement was a beautiful surprise and both Mae Joyce and Dan wanted to enjoy it a bit
before diving into wedding planning, they selected Granite Ridge Estate & Barn almost immediately. Mae Joyce, being a friend of the owner, Jill, she knew there was only one date left open for 2016. She knew how beautiful it was and wanted to jump on the opportunity, but Mae Joyce also knew the careful, thoughtful nature of her new fiancé, Dan - who was still recovering from the stress of proposing! A week after their engagement, they were in the car, headed towards Granite Ridge for a showing. ""I kept telling Dan about how my coworker has this amazing wedding venue and he was overwhelmed, saying "I barely even remember proposing yet, now we are choosing our wedding venue?!"" They hadn't even written a wedding budget yet so Mae Joyce says to Dan, "You have two hours to research and come up with a sensible budget because when we get there, we might have to be ready to sign a contract!" (Girl after my own heart really, just knows what she wants and goes after it.) Quickly into their showing of the barn, the very quiet Dan simply goes, "WOW." Mae Joyce was thrilled that he loved it as much as she did because he immediately knew that it was the perfect place to get married.
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