Christian & Abby

Can you tell me the story of how you two met?
We’ve been together since March 26, 2015. Christian and I met through a friend whom I discovered on Tumblr! We kept in touch beyond the website and I went to visit her for a weekend in San Diego sometime in October 2014. She invited a few friends to come out for dinner and brews at a local gastropub called Common Theory.

That was when I met Christian for the first time. We had a great conversation throughout the evening that the next morning he decided to let my friend know that I was cute through text. Then the rest was history from that point on.

What was the proposal like?! How did it happen?!!
It was actually a late anniversary photoshoot that was originally held in March, but I rescheduled after developing a skin condition. I felt very insecure over it and needed my skin to heal until it was safe to go forward with the photoshoot.

Fast forward to May 23rd which is the day I’ll certainly never forget. Christian and I met with our photographer who also did our Christmas mini-shoot last year at Iron Mountain in Poway, CA. We walked through a road that gave us a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. She had Christian pretend to give me a monster hug as I was looking at the opposite direction towards the hills.

I didn’t know when to expect that hug, but as soon as she told me to turn and I found him kneeling, I instantly burst into tears. Instead of saying the traditional “yes,” I ended up saying “ditto” as that word is something he always says during our conversations!

Tell me about your ring!!! What about it made you feel like it was the one?Was it a design you chose together?

Since Christian and I have been together for a long time, I figured it was finally right to start searching for the ring of my dreams. We both opted for a lab grown diamond ring over a traditional one and something on the affordable side. I began searching at various websites that made lab grown diamonds within the last few months. I started to get a little overwhelmed and decided to put a pause to the search.

It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Fire and Brilliance where I found exactly what I was looking for! I’ve been obsessed with oval-shaped rings for so long that I was thrilled to find the Alessandra Oval Center Stone with 4 claw prongs and a diamond band. I wanted something more simple and classic, yet elegant at the same time. Also, the price was within our range so I knew at that moment this was the ring of my dreams.

What are your hopes/plans for your wedding? Are you relieved that it's possible COVID may no longer be a worry by the time it comes around?Being in a global pandemic for over a year has been a unique and terrifying experience, but I’m so thrilled that we are reaching the light at the end of the tunnel with more people getting vaccinated.

I’ve been seeing friends’ weddings getting either postponed or canceled due to the pandemic, but what I find inspiring are the ones who still went forward with their original dates even if they had to invite only a selected few.

Christian and I are looking to have a small and intimate wedding at some point in the future. We’re still open to invite more people, but it all depends on how this pandemic plays out in the next year. We also come from large families which may pose a challenge on who gets invited. We both came to realize that as long as we have our immediate family and close friends with us, nothing else really matters.