LOVE STRUCK // Vanessa + Lempe

I was lucky enough to work with these two when I was working as a waitress at Fonda in Albany, back I when I was first starting Kate Ellen Metals.  Vanessa was the always brightly smiling bartender, and Lempe and I worked the floor together, climbing up and down the stairs all night, cracking jokes, and keeping clients entertained late into the night.  

The pair met and married in Senegal, and when we all worked together they were planning their American vows in Sonoma County and wanted to do something special to their silver bands that Lempe had purchased and engraved in Senegal.  I was so happy and thrilled to be a part of this-- we ended up stacking up gold bands on their silver.  Simple, clean, and honoring the original rings and wedding vows exchanged overseas.

1// How did you meet?  What was your initial impression?

V: We met in Senegal in 2003 at my host family's house.  I was studying abroad there.  Lempé is a friend of the Gbaya family and he was also living there at the time.  My first impression: who's that mysterious guy with the sweet face? And how do I pronounce his name again?

L: We met in Dakar, Senegal in 2003 when she was studying abroad, and her host family was my best friend's house, it happened at that time I was living with my best friend.  My initial impression was the LIGHT I was seeing on her face.

2// What is a memorable moment from your courtship prior to getting engaged?

V: We used to walk around the Olympic swimming pool in Dakar, the capital city. We would talk for hours.  That's where we laid the foundation of our relationship and figured out that, if we're going to be together, there will be a lot of compromise and sacrifice.

L: The memorable moment prior to getting engaged was in 2008 when she came back for work, and both realized we can do it anymore with the long distance, and we didn't want to let it go, we just said let's get married. 

3 // How did you become engaged?

V:  Lempé and I were working on a solar oven project in Senegal in 2008 and I got Typhoid Fever. Lempé took such good care of me. Before I was properly diagnosed, he gathered a variety of traditional remedies for my symptoms - remedies his grandmother had taught him when he was a boy. I asked him to marry me one night.  He smiled and told me "you're sick and have a fever, let's talk about it later." But I was dead serious.

L:  In 2008 when we were working together in Senegal, she got sick, and I took care of her as much I can, and then one day she asks me if I want to marry her.

4 // What was one of the highlights from your wedding?  Did you include any special tradition or ritual?

V:  We've had two weddings: our Senegalese wedding in 2008 and our American wedding in 2011. In Senegal, after being married at the mosque, we returned to Lempé's father's house for the reception.  The highlight was meeting close family members I had never seen before.  It was now official in everyone's eyes: I was part of the family. In the States, we celebrated at my family's house in Northern California.  The highlight was most definitely the photo booth with silly hats and props.  All ages of people were crowding into the booth in whimsical attire and then laughing at themselves when they saw their pictures.

L:  Wedding in Senegal: All my family member was able to know her a little bit better, and everybody was in LOVE with her.  We had a ceremony at the mosque, and she wore a traditional clothes for the occasion. The Wedding in U.S: My father and my friends were able to make it to California, and that was HUGE for me.

5 // The magic ingredient is: 

V:  The desire to evolve with your partner. 

L:  LOVE + FAITH

Photo by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

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LOVE STRUCK // Jon + Lindsay

  



Meet Lindsay and Jon, a cute pair of creatives who just got married this summer.  I was lucky enough to help them design their wedding rings to accompany the ring Jon proposed with, an heirloom that he inherited.  I love working with jewelry that has a history in the family-- it makes everything so special.  Lindsay wanted a white gold band, slightly irregular, with rosecut pinkish/greyish diamonds circling around.  Jon opted for a sturdy squared edged band with a weathered finish.  I love their story, enjoy.

1// How did you meet?  What was your initial impression?

Lindsay: We met while I was in beauty school and Jon was in film school.  One of my friends wanted to set us up - she was dating a friend of Jon's at the time.  She was much younger than I was and assumed Jon was her age as well (I was 24 and Sarah had just turned 20 I think).  I had assumed we wouldn't have much in common but I thought it would be at least fun to meet someone new. 

My first impression was that he needed a haircut!  And that he was cute and shy.  We didn't get together right away but I went back to the bar a few weeks later and invited Jon to a party I was going to later that night with my best friend.  Little did I know my friend was pissed at me for inviting a third wheel out to our night, but she forgave me when she realized what a big deal he would turn out to be in my life.  He and I talked in the corner all night, forgetting that anyone else existed.  Turned out he was actually a couple years older than I was and we had a ton in common (both bay area transplants, both close with our families, etc.) He called me the next day (!) and we've been together ever since.

Jon: My film school buddy was dating one of Lindsay’s friends Sarah, and she brought Lindsay into the bar I was working in at the time. Once Sarah asked both of us if we were interested, she decided to bring Lindsay in one night after I got off and Linds asked me if I wanted to go to a party with her.

My initial reaction was one of somewhat skepticism after Lindsay told me that the party was in the Marina (this is not a neighborhood I frequent often). Once we got to the party, Lindsay and I just sat in the corner all night chatting. I feel like I got to know her pretty well fairly quickly and decided she was a super rad chick. I called her a day later and asked her out. I’m pretty sure we moved in together like 3 months after this.



2 // What is a memorable moment from your courtship prior to getting engaged?

Lindsay:  Oh man, there are so many!  Traveling to North Carolina to meet Jon's family for the first time was really great.  I met him after he had only been in California for about 6 months so all of his friends that I met were new friends.  He didn't even have Facebook!  I wasn't sure that this guy even existed before I met him, so it was nice to have confirmation that he did.  Like myself, he is very close to his family and they were so welcoming.  We went to Hilton Head together and had a great time.  It made me feel so much closer to him to know the people who loved him most.  

Jon: After only dating for 3 weeks, I went back to NC for the holidays and Lindsay went back to Cleveland. We decided that we missed each other so much that we couldn't stand it, and I rented a car and drove from NC to Cleveland (an 8 hour drive) Once I finally was up there, we both kinda got a little freaked out that I drove that far to hang out with a girl that I had only been dating for three weeks, and we couldn't decide if I was a total creeper or not. Luckily, we got married so instead of it being creepy, it was just really sweet.




3 // How did you become engaged?

Lindsay: Jon proposed on my 28th birthday with a ring his parents had given him more than a year before that used to be his great grandmother's.  We had been living together for 3 years and had talked about getting married a lot.  He knew that I had been waiting for him to propose for at least a year!  Since it was my birthday, we had plans to go to Sonoma for lunch and wine tasting.  I had a feeling the night before that he was going to propose - I could tell something was up with him.  But I didn't know how or when.  He got down on one knee in our bedroom before we left.  I was just getting out of the shower and was so focused on what I was going to wear, I almost didn't respond right away.  But then I caught on to what was happening.  He was very nervous and shaky and said some really sweet things.  He said he wanted to propose somewhere beautiful and the most beautiful place he could think of was the home we had built together.  I started laughing because the apartment was a mess.  Then he told me how much he loved me and asked me to marry him.  I said yes and he put the ring on the wrong hand.  I laughed again.  The first thing he said afterwards was "we have to call your mom right now - she's been holding this in for 24 hours."  We went up to Sonoma as planned, and had an amazing day filled with wine, food and phone calls.

Jon:  I proposed to Lindsay in our apartment on her bday, before going to Sonoma. I got on one knee in the bedroom while she was getting ready in the bathroom, and waited for her to come in. I actually waited for a decent amount of time. I think she was asking my opinion on some earrings.





4 // What was one of the highlights from your wedding?

Everything.  I think having friends and family involved in parts of the wedding made it really special.  We had a friend design the invitations, another friend sang as we walked down the aisle and another took the photographs.  Our ceremony also felt really intimate - we had collaborated with the minister to come up with something that felt really personal, and had a lot of family and friends involved.  Having so many groups of friends and family from all over the country come together was amazing.  The food was amazing.  We had a bacon caramel chocolate wedding cake - that was a definite highlight.  Really everything.  We were both pretty cynical about having a big wedding beforehand, but I think that there is no real way to describe what an incredible feeling it is without going through it.  It all came together perfectly to give us the most amazing day of our lives.  

5 // The magic ingredient is: 

Lindsay: Humor.  Letting your guard down and showing your partner your real, true, deep-down dorky self.  And unconditional support.

Jon:  Being able to let your guard down 100% percent around your partner and not being afraid to be as dorky as she is.



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In The Studio //

It's been a while since I've had a production day in the studio, I have to say I really miss it.  Today I cleaned all my inventory that has been at Crown Nine, and now it's all organized and sparkling!I also made some hoop earrings, replenished my Cerco earrings and necklaces, made a few Pentagon Cuffs, and started the work of making the "gravel" for everything in my Meta collection which sold out in the store.  Tomorrow I am blocking out time to carve some wax for some engagement ring ideas I have...I love having time for doing experimentation.  If I get anything done I'll post it on my Instagram.  xo

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A Rarity Getting Some Love!

The style powerhouses over at Refinery29 spread a little love our way today!  We are so excited to launch this project via Crown Nine.  Want to get the inside scoop?  Become an Insider: http://eepurl.com/v2Z-f

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Custom Schedule is Packed

Blurred to protect the recipients surprise factor!

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Constellation Bling

Stack 'em up

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Congrats to Angie and Dave!

Angie says YES! to Dave with this custom engagement ring

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