An Engagement Story: Maddie and Ryan

Today, we're chatting with our clients Maddie and Ryan, whose beautiful fall Shenandoah engagement will leave you hankering for a cool hike in the mountains. Join us as we hear about how they met, how she chose her beautiful ring, and how Ryan finally popped the question in a surprise proposal…

How did you meet?

Maddie: We met through friends at a small gathering in Washington, D.C., at Ryan's apartment and then went to a larger housewarming party. Ryan and I ended up by the gluten-free chip bowl, which we were both enjoying immensely, and Ryan offered to take a picture of the packaging so I could purchase the chips later. He then asked for my number so he could send the photo to me but then used my number to ask me out the next day! 

What drew you to Maddie/Ryan initially?

Maddie: Ryan's open-mindedness and keen listening skills. He asked lots of questions and was genuinely interested and is this way with everyone

Ryan: Maddie always kept me on my toes, asking thought-provoking questions on dates, and was interested in my opinions and views. She was very real and not superficial like other dates I'd been on. We hit it off and made easy conversation which made our relationship quite easy.

What made you decide you wanted to get married?

Maddie: We talked about it for at least a year before getting engaged. We both knew we wanted to get married, but the timing was up in the air since Ryan was still deciding when. 

Ryan: I'm not sure, looking back, what I was waiting for. I'm a procrastinator at heart, so perhaps I just wanted to keep waiting :)

Maddie, before getting engaged, did you know what you wanted for a ring?

Maddie: I knew I wanted something unique. I had tried on rings at various jewelry boutiques that featured independent designers. I knew I liked low-profile rings with mixed metal, and I liked the look of an oval shape on my hand, but that was as far as I had gotten when I came to Alx&Co.

Ryan, did you have an idea of what you wanted to create, or did you have help?

Ryan: I just wanted Maddie to be happy, so I stayed pretty hands-off! For my ring, I knew I wanted a simple gold band which turned out great.  

Tell us about the design process.

Maddie: We met with Meaghan once to look at ring designs and diamond shapes. She explained the design process, pricing, and timeframes, so we had a clear picture of the decisions that needed to be made and when. I shared several photos of rings I admired on Instagram and jewelry designer's sites. Meaghan provided guidance on fit/comfort, style, choosing a diamond - which was the hardest part - and metals, etc. Meaghan was incredibly helpful and educated on all things engagement rings and educated us so that we could move forward with decisions. 

We did want some surprise with the ring and proposal, so Ryan actually chose the final diamond. We met with Meaghan a second time and tried on multiple ovals. I narrowed it down to a few, and then Ryan made the final decision. Ryan and I designed the ring together, but I made most of the decisions in the end. Meaghan and Tim developed several prototypes after our first session, and the renderings were very detailed. This helped me to be more confident in the final design. I had a few edits on the bezel style, but otherwise, we moved forward from there. 

Following the proposal, we knew we wanted to work with Alx&Co. again to design our wedding bands, and I had another design in mind that I thought would curve nicely around the engagement ring. This was a really easy process, too. I showed her some photos; we tried on similar bands at the studio and were able to have our rings designed a few months before the wedding. 

How did you propose? Was it a surprise?

Ryan: It was a surprise! I contacted a photographer who had experience taking engagement photos in Shenandoah and planned a morning hike over Labor Day weekend. Everything went according to plan until we reached the top, and there were way more people than I was expecting! After trying to delay to find the right time and backdrop, Maddie was quick to get moving and wanted to get on our way to our second hike (there was no real second hike), so I had to rush things and dropped down to one knee. Our photographer blended in so well that I recall Maddie saying, "there's someone taking photos of us!" while I was down on my knee.

Thank you, Maddie and Ryan! Your ring is gorgeous, and we were so pleased to be a part of your beautiful story.

Photography Credit: Alexandria Monette