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.
L O V E + M E T A L
S P R E A D T H E L O V E
