Introducing The Jewelry Center’s September Couple of the Month – Anniversary Edition… Karen and Paul! In our interview with them, we learned about their life started together as a married couple!

HOW DID YOU TWO MEET?

Paul: We met working together at a grocery store in Daytona Beach, Florida. That would have been in 1986!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DATE?

Karen: We went to Disney World! Actually, I took him to Disney World. I was the one with the free passes. So we went to Disney World for the day and stayed over at a hotel that night. Whoops! 

FAST FORWARD TO THE ENGAGEMENT, HOW DID YOU PROPOSE?

Paul: The day I proposed, we went out and played mini-golf beforehand. Then we went to a place called Friendly’s for ice cream and got a giant ice cream sundae.

Karen: It had like 14 scoops of ice cream, it was crazy. 

Paul: Then when we got home, she went in her room to change. So I turned on music, got the ring out of the closet, and asked her to marry me.

WAS THE PROPOSAL A  SURPRISE?

Karen: It was at the time! Before he proposed he always joked with me that he would ask me to marry him with a cubic zirconia ring. So when he actually proposed I got mad at him, I thought the whole thing was a joke. I think I even started to cry, kept telling him that it wasn’t funny! Then I realized he was actually proposing!

DID YOU HELP PICK OUT THE RING AT ALL?

Karen: Nope! I let him pick it out on his own. It is still the same ring today. I have it joined with the first original wedding band and another wrap later on.

THE WEDDING! HOW WAS IT?

Paul: It was small, we didn’t have a lot of money so we only had about 25 people. We got married in Daytona, and our reception was a little sit-down dinner at the Hilton Hotel, right on the beach.

Karen: Our daughter was there too! She was six months old at the time, so it was fun but because of that we never really got a honeymoon. 

SO YOU’RE IN CUDAHY NOW, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

Karen: Paul was originally from here, and I was from Florida. So I did the move up to Wisconsin. Bit of a cold change but I’ve gotten used to it!

ANY MILESTONES AS A MARRIED COUPLE YOU ARE PROUD OF?

Karen: We’ve been married now 28 years, we have two kids, three grandchildren already!

Paul: Just the fact that we are still together after all these years! 34 years together, 28 years as a married couple.

DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR FUTURE MARRIED COUPLES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Karen: Learn the phrase, “Yes dear.”

Paul: She’s always right. 

Thanks so much for coming in for your interview! We had a wonderful time learning about you guys, and you were a very fun couple to talk with for our very first Anniversary Edition of this contest. Hope you have a wonderful date night!