Kevin & Ali

Q: When did you first meet and how?

A: We actually first met on Match.com-- although we weren't actually matched by the site. We met for drinks after talking a few weeks at a bar near my home town-- and now we bought a house and live down the street from that bar! After our first date, I thought Kevin was so sweet but wasn't sure if he liked me but he debunked that feeling by texting me to go out again before I even finished my drive home that night.

Q: What about it made you choose this ring design to be the one?

A: I have been following the F&B Instagram for quite some time-- and we both would keep an eye on the designs. In the end, we both loved the twisted vine-like band that came with this and I am a sucker for a six prong.

Q: What were the days leading up to the proposal like? (Feel free to be as detailed as possible about the event!)

A: Well, I guess the days leading up to our proposal were probably not like many others; Kevin's dad suffered from a heart attack over the weekend so we spent much of our weekend and the beginning of our week with his family in the ICU. Despite the doctors continuously saying he would make a great recovery, we both wanted to stay with his mom and be there to help for when he got home. I then spent the day cooking to get some meals prepped for a home-cooked heart healthy meal when he came home.

We had plans to go to Hamilton on Thursday and in light of all the stress from the situation we decided it would be great to have a date night together. I talked to my best friend on Tuesday and wondered out loud if he might capitalize on the romantic opportunity to propose and she kindly reminded me not to get my hopes up because likely Kevin's thoughts were elsewhere with his Dad having such a tough week. I agreed thinking I didn't want to spoil our night with expectations.

So Thursday came, and Kevin works in Chicago, so I drove down to meet him near the theater for dinner. When he grabbed my hand I said "Why are your hands so sweaty?!" and he just shrugged me off. We had dinner at an Irish pub and genuinely had an amazing time hanging out. Afterwards, we got to Hamilton and took our pictures outside with the lights and big Hamilton sign......I know you're probably thinking this is when he did it-- but nope! So we took our pictures and ventured on to our seats. As we sat down, I thought it would've been such a perfect moment. Kevin later would tell me he just chickened out with all the people standing around. We then walked to our car after the show toward the parking garage, but before we got there, he asked me to marry him. He was so nervous he forgot to get on one knee-- but I told him to and he got down on one knee and asked again. Between tears and giggling we walked back to our car to drive home!

Q: How did you first hear about us? How was your overall experience with Fire & Brilliance?

A: I found Fire & Brilliance when I started to research the quality and ethical integrity of exploring a non-diamond gem for an engagement ring. I started to watch YouTube videos from F&B which discussed in detail the hardness of stone, clarity, and fire that it would omit. I fell in love quite quickly. Kevin said he had quite an easy experience with F&B even after ordering the wrong size and color originally for the ring; the Customer Service team helped him to correct his order before it was too late.

Lastly, we wanted to ask something of each our clients to be featured a question that is unique to their story.
Q: If your partner was a candy flavor, what would they be and why?

A: Kevin would be a caramel candy because he is sweet and warm and smooth, but he is a pain in the butt sometimes-- like how caramel is tough when it gets stuck in your teeth.

Without knowing my answer about him, Kevin said I am a gobstopper because there is more than just one layer and each has a different delicious taste.

Thanks so much for considering us! We love F&B!