Emily and I met at Santa Monica Pier on 08/13/2020.
 
She brought her pug Louie on our first date and pugs were one of the subjects we immediately bonded over!
 
We chose Ken & Dana Design because we wanted to choose a small family-run business with lab grown diamonds and a focus on the couple's story who would rather meet with five people in a day than a large commercial business that meets with hundreds and just cranks out orders.
 
While we live in Los Angeles, Emily did spend some time living in New York and we had our appointment with Ken & Dana Design on our trip to NYC.
 
Our shopping with KDD was exceptional and Stephanie did such a great job with the customization of everything! She did a great job of listening to what we wanted and didn't try to upsell us or push a higher price tag. I got the sense that she truly cared about our ring order whether it was worth $1,000 or $10,000.
 
We also saw another potential client enter for her appointment after our visit and just happened to see that exact same person hours later on a train!
 
In New York City the odds of that happening have to be astronomical so I took it as another sign that our visit was meant to be.
 
I managed to pull off the element of surprise with our proposal which is hard to do with a partner as intelligent and aware as Emily.
 
We had our best friends accompany us to a winery in Santa Ynez where we checked out a local coffee shop, had an amazing home cooked breakfast, and enjoyed a wine tasting on a beautiful day that was 72 degrees and sunny.
 
Emily did mention quite a bit during the visit to the winery that I missed out on a perfect chance to propose since her friends were all there and she had gotten her nails done with a new dress. She even held up her hand with no ring on it a few times during the wine tasting.
 
After the tasting we went to the field at the bottom of the winery where we took "couples photos". During our photo Emily said "Now get down on one knee" When I actually did it and didn't get up she was surprised and a bit confused at first, but those emotions turned to tears of joy and elation!
 
We had a celebratory dinner afterwards where we got to FaceTime friends, Family, and enjoy a private dining experience for everyone who was a part of the weekend.
 
We are so thankful for the part Ken & Dana Design played in our love story and would whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone who is ready to get engaged!