When You Wish Upon a Star
Dallas and Tristan’s first date found them sitting by the canal in Griffintown, the historic Montreal neighborhood, watching the Perseid meteor shower. It’s since become a tradition for them to do something special on Perseid meteor shower nights. They hit it off right away, both walking away from their first date head over heels and ecstatic that the date had surpassed both of their expectations. They’d both been used to less-than-ideal dates, so when they found that this one was different - with chemistry and vulnerable conversations from the start, they recall that feeling that something special was in the works. Things progressed quickly and they spent their third date on a camping trip!
A Slow Burn, Not a Lightbulb
Both Tristan and Dallas agree that communication is what makes their relationship special. From the start, there was space in the relationship to be honest and vulnerable, without having to show the best version of themselves or being afraid to come on too strong. As a result it’s made for a relationship where they don't let things get swept under the rug. They’re intuitive about the other person and address when something's wrong instead of shrugging it off and hoping it resolves itself. They’re proactive - talking about things before they become big problems, which has been a major key to their success as a couple. The idea to get engaged wasn’t a lightbulb moment, but the culmination of many conversations and over time, something that felt like the right next step!
Design a Custom Ring
Tristan and Dallas were already starting to think about creating custom rings when they discovered Wove through a feature in NPR. Since they were already excited about creating a bespoke piece, once they found out that Wove offered a custom ring home try-on as well, they were sold! Creating something custom was important to them since both wanted the piece to be significant and both appreciate the craft of making jewelry. Before finding Wove, they had started doing research and found designs that were almost perfect, but not exactly what they were looking for. Although they’d already started to think of going the custom ring route, they still weren’t sure exactly how to do that when they serendipitously came across the Wove article. They started working with Kendall right away on the design of their rings. They loved being able to get their own unique sketches, and have Kendall go over the pros and cons of different elements of the design. They talked through every aspect from the gemstone, to the setting type, to the best metal to use.
The Home Try-On Ring
The at-home try-on ring service caught their attention because they loved the idea of being able to get the ring in person and make adjustments as needed. When they first received their try-on ring they remember feeling anxious about wanting to make small adjustments. However, they realized that the whole point of the try-on was, in fact, to figure out which changes needed to be made in order to get the ring of their dreams. For example, they weren’t sold on having a knife edge ridge to their rings for fear of discomfort but after testing it out, they altered the design to round it out to ensure both maximum comfort and style. Another element they decided to change was having a bezel set stone. Although it looked great in the sketches they were sent, when they received the physical ring, the gemstone looked much smaller in the bezel setting than they had anticipated, which caused them to change to a prong setting instead. The try on process helped them communicate to Kendall some of the smaller, non-obvious changes they wanted to make to the ring that were only best described once you had the ring physically in front of you.
The Wove Experience
At first they were worried that creating a custom ring meant they had to know exactly what they wanted. When they found out that wasn’t the case and that their designer, Kendall, had the patience to walk them through all the steps, they were grateful and relieved. Not only did they not feel rushed, but Kendall reassured them to take their time in making decisions about the significant piece. They recall the entire experience - from getting to try it on, to the unboxing and packaging, to the professionalism of the team, felt trustworthy and cohesive.
A Rocky Mountain Start
While the decision to become engaged came easily, finding the perfect time to propose was an adventure of its own. From the start, they knew they wanted to have a mutual proposal and they set out to the Canadian Rockies to find the perfect place to do it. From the moment they landed, every hike, river, lake, mountaintop and canyon became a possible site for this special moment. Before they had set out, the couple had a friend identify the closed ring boxes. Although they had both seen a picture of their rings from our production team, they had agreed not to look at the actual rings until the special moment. Throughout their travels, the rings followed them, stowed safely in their travel packs as they drove over 600 miles along mountain passes, hiked in dense forests and swam under glacial waterfalls. All the while, the two were collecting memories, taking pictures and enjoying their mutual passion for the outdoors waiting for the right moment to exchange their rings.. Every day, it seemed, they got closer and closer to that special moment. On a rainy day, they climbed up a beautiful mountain pass to an isolated lake at its peak. They brought up that maybe the view from the end of this challenging hike might be a perfect moment to propose when a violent lightning storm began. As hail began, the couple laughed as they shambled back down the mountain taking it as a sign that there were better opportunities ahead. Dallas agreed that the threat of electrocution and landslides, “killed the mood a little bit”. Another close encounter happened as the two were watching the sunset at the end of a beautiful day. Perched on a cliff outcropping over a secluded log cabin, with the sounds of waterfall babbling nearby, the two shared a glass of wine and brought up the rings again, stowed neatly in Tristan’s bag. Tristan jokingly said, “Who knows, if we don’t propose now we might get eaten by a bear”. In perfect timing, that's when the two heard a rumbling growl from the forest below and they hurried back to the cabin over nervous laughter with their bear spray in hand. It was as though luck was ensuring they didn’t propose before the perfect moment. As they hiked to a remote hot spring, the wildfire smoke dissipated completely and Dallas and Tristan enjoyed complete privacy of a natural hot spring of crystal clear turquoise water with a beautiful view of the mountains. For an hour, the two enjoyed the warm waters and rested the legs they had been hiking on for the week leading up to this moment. With a knowing look, they took out the rings and exchanged them. No big speech required because over all the drives and the hikes and the quiet cabin evenings, everything had already been said.
