Nothing like a true love story to brighten our Friday! We were so happy when Rob got in touch with us to help design the perfect ring for his perfect lady, Jess. This is one of many reasons we love custom designs: they're often a surprisingly cost effective way to create your dream ring. Read on to find out how Rob went about designing their ring, and about this adorable couple's love story!

Q: How did you two first meet?

Jess: We first met through Instagram! I followed Rob first because of his photography, and Rob followed back because of my graphic design work. After months of just following each other, I started posting stories in January 2018 about an upcoming missions trip to Thailand that I was fundraising for. After watching these stories, and hearing me speak so passionately about this trip, Rob felt compelled to donate—and thus prompted the first message! Naturally, that first conversation ended, but I started another conversation soon after. Six weeks after talking every night, in March 2018, Rob drove down to Portland to visit me for the first time, and that's when we started dating long-distance!

Q: When did you know you were with "the one"?

Rob: Well, I knew on May 2nd. I was visiting family in Switzerland, and was away at our cabin for a week with no internet or cell reception. Since we began dating, a week was the longest time we hadn't communicated for. Why May 2nd? May 2nd was the day I went back into the city, got cell reception, and to my enjoyment, Jess had sent me daily video recordings, updating me every day what she was up to, things about her day, and wishing me well (and of course, missing me a lot...). To me, seeing she was thinking of me & letting me be a part of her everyday life just meant the world to me. And from that point I knew I couldn't lose a woman like that!

Jess: When we first began to talk, I already had a hunch that he could be the one. Before meeting Rob, I had never encountered a gentleman quite like him—intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and full of ambition. From early conversations, we found that we shared many of the same aspirations in life. I was immediately interested. Throughout our dating relationship, I had a few moments of doubt, but those quickly subsided. While I was in Thailand, Rob was an anchor for me as I encountered the difficulties of being a missionary overseas. Leaving for two months revealed a lot about his character. In July, another moment of doubt came up and I decided not to ignore it. I discussed the issue with Rob, and he responded with so much maturity and grace. I was astonished and my trust in him grew deeper. Later in the year, the roles were reversed, and he had a similar experience. There was a moment I thought I might lose him, so I told him, “If for some reason you decided to move on, I would let you, but I don’t think I could ever stop loving you.” That was when I knew he was the one. It wasn’t until I thought I could lose him that I realized how much I truly loved him.

Q: What went into your proposal planning process?

Rob: About a month prior I had picked out the location—the Fairhaven train station in Washington. It is the place of joyful pick-ups and bittersweet drop-offs whenever Jess comes to visit Canada, so it certainly has meaning for us. I asked my friends Morgan & Matt McDonald to take photos, and my friend Bryce Koebel to shoot video. We showed up about an hour before the train arrived, picked out the spot, and waited for the her to come!

Q: Was it a surprise or did you plan it together?

Rob: Jess knew a proposal was likely to happen on this trip (we had been talking about engagement for a while up to this point), but she was completely shocked and surprised that it would happen as soon as she stepped off the train. Literally the first words out of her mouth were, "you're doing this now?!"—before she had even said yes! We laughed about that for a long time.

Q: How did you decide on a ring design?

Rob: I knew the style of ring Jess was interested in, and I had been looking at rings for months, but when I came across an old, vintage ring on Etsy, I just knew that it was the perfect one. Unfortunately, this one-of-a-kind vintage ring wasn't exactly what I was looking for—wrong band colour, wrong size, wrong type of gemstone... I knew I would need a custom design made in order to replicate the style but to the specifications I was looking for.

Q: What was important to you in designing a ring?

Rob: Besides the custom specifications I was looking for, I really wanted to shop locally—I wanted a business that I could visit, get to know the staff, and have any services needed to be done on the ring in the future. I was also interested in using a moissanite gemstone as an alternative to a diamond.

Q: What drew you to Evorden?

Rob: A lot of Evorden's own ring designs had initially caught my eye! I found them through Instagram, and I loved the look of the Chloe, Amelia, and Adah rings. The prices were within my budget, and I loved that they are a small, local, but reputable company. Evorden's website is what really sold me though—I spent my time reading the Information & Process pages, and before even contacting them, I knew I would be in good & trustworthy hands. When I emailed and asked if they would be willing to make a custom design, replicating this vintage ring, they were thrilled with the idea! I sent them images and specifications, and shortly later, Evorden got back to me with a quote for this custom design. The process time was on-time (even a little faster than expected!), and I was able to go pick it up in-store when it was ready. The ring was more beautiful than I could have imagined, and Evorden designed this perfectly. I couldn't be more happier with the finished product and services provided by Evorden, and Jess can't stop looking at it!

Q: What excites you the most about being married?

Rob: I'm excited about not being long-distance anymore! Being able to live together and truly do life together will be beautiful and challenging, but so worth it.

Jess: I’m with Rob about not being long-distance. We’ve learned a lot about communication from our time apart, but I’m ready to live in the same country. I’m also excited to always have someone I can comfortably be myself around—someone I can trust with my deepest insecurities and who will love me on my worst days.

Isn't this sweet? And these photos are straight out of a romance film. We just can't get enough of these two. Happy wedding planning, Rob & Jess!