I am going to say something that may shock you… I planned our wedding before Pinterest.
*Pause for dramatic effect.*
I know, I know. How is that even possible??
To be honest, it was actually kind of nice. I didn’t have to worry about trying every single DIY project I saw on Pinterest nor did I have to worry about everyone knowing exactly what our wedding would look like before the day even arrived. Though, I have to admit, there were some things that may have been a little bit easier if I had been able to have a board called “Someday, When I DO” or something cheesy like that. For example, “the ring”. It would have been so nice to be able to “pin” rings I liked and hope that Jacob would remember to look at my “future wedding” board when it was time to get a ring. You see, I was adamant about not going ring shopping. I felt like it would steal the magic. Plus, I’m not one to count my chickens before they hatch. I had heard of far too many couples who had gotten to the point of ring shopping, only to break up a few weeks later. So, this created a problem. How would I communicate my “ring style” without ruining the surprise? I didn’t want anything big or fancy, but I also didn’t want to wear something that wasn’t “me” for the rest of my life. A few months before we got engaged I started emailing myself photos of rings I liked.
One day, my soon-to-be-sister-in-law Ashley (who was marrying my brother in a few months so she understood) and I were chatting. She blurted out, “So, what kind of rings do you like?” I blushed and played dumb, “Rings?” She smiled, seeing right through my game, “Like, engagement rings.” I couldn’t help but smile, “I don’t know! I would like anything!” She knew better, “Well if you had to choose a dream ring, what would it be?” I couldn’t help myself any more. I hopped up, ran to my bedroom, grabbed my laptop, and pulled up a photo. A single cushion-cut diamond, with a skinny band of tiny channel-set diamonds.
She squealed She loved it as much as I did. All she said was, “Good to know,” and we both giggled, imagining a day when I might actually wear a ring on my finger.
A few months later, on the day that Jacob asked me to be his wife, he presented me with this ring, my ring.
He had gone to Ashley for help, knowing that she would have some insight into what I might like. She showed him that photo, he took it to his family jeweler, made some changes, and asked if the ring would be ready in time for his planned proposal date. It would be a close call, but she thought she could make it happen.
On the day he presented the ring to me and asked me to be his wife, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. It was truly the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, exactly what I wanted. But there was one more thing about that ring that I didn’t know. Moments after he proposed he explained, “In high school I got a ring to signify my commitment to save myself for my future wife, knowing that I wanted to present it to her on our wedding day. It was made of white gold, so instead, I had the jeweler melt it down and make your ring out of it.” My eyes welled up with tears. Although I had known about his commitment, I didn’t even know about the ring’s existence, and now I would wear it on my finger for the rest of my life. I could lose every single diamond on this ring and never shed a tear because the most valuable part of it to me is that white gold, and all that it symbolizes. It’s amazing to think about the fact that our love story was in process even before we started dating, the day he got that white gold ring.
One year later, on our wedding day, he would give me another “ring surprise”, but that’s another Little Love Story.
***For more of our Little Love Stories, click here.***
