An Engagement Story: Kara & Jim

Tell me, if you found out that literal forgery was involved in setting up your first date with someone, would you run for it? 

If your answer is yes, it's understandable. Fortunately, though, our clients Kara and Jim took a different perspective and now, thirty years later, they are celebrating their milestone anniversary with a redesigned engagement ring. Also lucky for us, they agreed to share their beautiful story with us – complete with the most incredible photos of Jim's hilarious balloon-themed proposal set up. Read on to hear how Kara and Jim met (yes, forgery is involved!), fell in love, and celebrated their big day together in 1993...

Take us back to 1991. How did you originally meet?

Jim: We have a relationship that began on false pretenses.  

Kara: It’s true. We met in Charlottesville while I was working at Sovran Bank (now Bank of America). Jim was an estate attorney who often did work for our bank.  I met one of his law partners, who introduced us and suggested we would make a good couple. After that, we would say hello to one another in passing, but that was it. Nothing came of it until his firm's runner, a high school student who worked after school, got wind of it. He came in every day to pick up documents and was friends with the receptionist in my office. They took matters into their own hands and wrote Jim a note on bank stationery and signed my name to it. Embarrassing. But it worked. He called me and we went out for dinner. We didn’t know anything about one another but once the nerves wore off, it turned into a memorable evening.   

Do you remember what drew you to each other initially? 

Jim: Her eyes and her humor (and her willingness to go out with me).

Kara: He was cute and during the phase where we only said hello to one another, I found his shyness endearing.

What made you decide you wanted to get married?

Kara: We had so much fun together.  We shared a lot of common interests and common goals for the future. And being together was easy because we enjoyed a lot of the same things: movies, television, pop culture, countdowns, etc. No one has ever made me laugh like Jim does.

Before getting engaged, did you know what you wanted for a ring? How did you select the ring you originally had?

Kara: I had ideas, but he never asked what they were. Jim completely surprised me. We had a discussion about a month before he asked me to marry him in which we decided to wait a year or two before getting engaged. The next month, he went to a jeweler, picked out a ring himself, and asked me. He went with a classic diamond solitaire. I like classic so it worked.

How did you propose? Was it a surprise?

Kara: Total surprise. I had no idea  It was the day after my birthday and we went out for a nice dinner about a half hour away. This was 1993. Jim’s car had a cassette player. He had timed the cassette perfectly so that Bruce Springsteen’s “Little Girl I Want to Marry You” was playing when we drove into his driveway. He opened the door, turned on the lights, and let me go inside first. Hanging over the stairwell were a bunch of balloons and written on them was “Kara, will you marry me?” Then he gave me a pin. My ring was inside one of the balloons. I had to pop them until I found it. I hate popping balloons so I kept yelping and laughing and kissing him and it was just fantastic. We kept that night for ourselves and we spent the night planning it all out before falling asleep. We told our friends and family later in the weekend.  

What is the strongest memory you have from your wedding? Is there anything you would have done differently in retrospect?

Kara: We got married at the University of Virginia Chapel. I had grown up in Charlottesville and graduated from UVA undergrad and Jim had gone there for law school. It was beautiful. I will never forget Jim’s smile as I walked down the aisle. It didn’t leave his face all day. The one thing people remember from our wedding day is that Jim never stopped smiling.

What made you decide to redesign the original ring? Tell us about the design process from your perspective.

Kara: At our tenth anniversary, we had the diamond solitaire remade into a ring with three stones. Over the years, my knuckles grew until it no longer fit. I stopped wearing it for about three years, planning to get a new setting. The setting I had was visually heavy and boxy and I wanted something more delicate that highlighted the roundness of the stones. I asked friends in Charlottesville for a recommendation on where to get a new setting but no one had any ideas. I went to a jeweler but they just wanted to make my existing ring larger and I really wanted something else. Jim grew up near Mount Vernon and we were coming to Alexandria for our niece's wedding at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House. Three days before we left, it occurred to me that Alexandria might have a jeweler that could help. I found Alexandria and Company through a Google and Yelp search. When I called the shop and spoke to Laurie, I knew I had found the right place. Given the short notice, I got lucky that Meaghan had an opening to meet with us while we were in town. Our daughter tagged along too. The shop is a special experience in itself.  The decor is modern and beautiful and even though I’ve been married for 30 years this October, it was a very special day.

Any tips for those who are thinking about getting engaged?

Kara: Do what feels right for you. That alone will make it special. Jim didn’t get down on one knee and honestly, I love that. The balloons were special and fun and funny and perfect. There are so many ways to make the engagement special but the most special moments are those where you both get to be yourselves. Also, I love that my ring has evolved over time. The ring is a symbol of your love and our love has evolved too. We started a family, we moved houses, and we weathered illnesses and tough times and good times. Like the ring, we added stones, and the setting changed. But, the original stone is still in there. 

Just the experience of re-designing mine felt personal and special. Going to Alexandria & Co. is a special experience and so much more personal than standing at a counter in a jewelry store. And my ring is unique and made just for me.

Original Wedding Details from Kara:

Engagement date: April 9, 1993

Wedding date: October 10, 1993 (exactly two years to the day after our first date)

Ceremony: The University of Virginia Chapel

Reception: Alumni Hall at the University of Virginia

The original ring was purchased at Harlan & McGuire in Charlottesville. The couple who owned it retired and closed the business.

Wedding photographer: Jim Carpenter of Gitchell’s Studio. He is also retired.

Dress: Vera Wang. Back then, gowns were heavily beaded. I am no-frills and tend towards classic styles, so I wanted something simple but elegant. My mother and I took a trip to DC to Woodward & Lothrop and that is where we found it. I knew it was the right dress because my mother teared up when I put it on. Also, it was really comfortable.

My veil was my mother’s veil. As a kid, I used to play in our attic, and around age five, I found it up there. I loved the crown of pearls. When I got engaged, I asked her if I could wear it and my mother didn’t realize we still had it. We had a local seamstress restore it.

The cake was made by a friend of a neighbor who just liked making wedding cakes. I had no idea what it would look or taste like. It was an amazing cake.

Thank you, Kara and Jim! We were so honored to be part of your evolving ring story. 

Also, long-time Alexandrians might recognize Jim, who grew up off the Parkway between Mount Vernon and Alexandria and went to Fort Hunt High School! Locals would know him as James in high school.