Design Story: Maria & Bo

This is the real life story of how Maria and Bo got engaged with a stunning custom ring, and a surprise proposal perfectly tailored to Maria.

Photo credit (left): Cassie Rosch

How did you two meet?
Bo and I met on Tinder! We were each others’ first Tinder dates. We happened to match while we were separately visiting Chicago, and it turned out we lived 10 miles away from each other in Wisconsin! Honestly, I never believed it when people told me “when you know, you know,” but I totally knew after about three weeks that he was the one (but I didn’t tell him that!). That was in July 2014, and we’ve been together ever since.

Tell us your proposal story!
Right before Christmas, Bo and I went on vacation to Disney World with my family. Bo said he needed to get back home early to get things done for work, which was a bummer, so my parents decided to end the trip early and head back home to spend Christmas as a family.

The day we got home, Bo’s family was having a Christmas Eve party (which was secretly going to end up as an engagement party!). My parents and I arrived early to help set up before the party, and I was immediately sent outside to turn on the twinkle lights that Bo and his dad had set up by the lake. Twinkle lights are one of my favorite things, so I almost understood why I was asked to go out into the freezing weather to turn them on. I was totally oblivious that this was all a set up!

I made Bo take some selfies with me under the lights, and then he grabbed my hands and got down on one knee. I immediately started bawling and I have no idea what h¬e said, but I said yes! My best friend was hiding in the bushes taking photos, and before I even stopped to look at the ring I ran to hug her! I remember looking at the ring and saying, “I can’t even look at it, it’s so gorgeous!” It was the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me—and the ring is basically my own Disney castle right on my finger!

Where did the inspiration for the design come from?
Bo wanted to recreate my Grandmother’s ring and also add a unique flair to it. It’s so hard to take a thought or idea and put it on paper, let alone design an engagement ring! Everyone was so talented and knowledgeable that it really helped him feel confident about the final design. I had some wonderful friends to who know me well and helped Bo with the design, too! It is really amazing to have a custom-designed ring, and it has made this experience even more special. Knowing that some of my favorite people were part of making our engagement and ring perfect is an amazing thing.

Did we meet all of your expectations from designed image to finished piece?
Bo’s experience was nothing less than amazing! He loved getting to be hands-on during the design process, and felt that everyone listened to his ideas and thoughts. Even the packaging was so special and beautiful, and will probably be sitting on my dresser for the rest of my life!