There are some people in this world that can literally light up a room with their personalities and love. Imagine what happens when two of those people meet and fall in love! Val an Ryan are such incredible souls. Everything about their wedding showed that as well. As Val was getting ready, she was telling her bridesmaids the significance behind her’s and Ryan’s rings. I thought it was a great story so I asked her to share some more insight on them. Here is what she said:

“When Ryan and I began talking about ring shopping, I was pretty sure I didn’t want a diamond, because I didn’t want to buy into the industry. However, we found Brilliant Earth in San Francisco (where I was living at the time), whose jewelry is socially responsible, ethical, and sustainable. I knew I wanted a vintage ring because I love the intricacy of the designs and the elaborate shoulders that build up to the stone setting. We found The Ring (a beautifully romantic Art Nouveau piece), but it was already sold. However, because Brilliant Earth makes custom rings, they were able to replicate the ring for me. Ryan loved this option because the ring was made just for me: we selected the metal, the ethically lab-created diamond, and made a few other adjustments to the setting. For my wedding ring, I wanted a simple, narrow band that I could wear alone (for situations where I didn’t want a diamond), but that would also match the engagement ring. We found a simple, yet elegant Art Deco ring that pairs well with my engagement ring as it, too, has engravings around the entire band. We also wanted to find something unique and authentically Ryan for Ryan’s wedding band, and we were lucky to discover JewelrybyJohan on Etsy. Ryan’s ring was also a custom design and was handmade by Johan. The band is made of titanium and the beautiful inlay is crushed turquoise and redwood. The turquoise represents the ocean—as we both love the beach and turquoise is my favorite stone— and the redwood represents the forest —another of our favorite places, especially Ryan who is quite the adventurer and mountain man. Redwood is also important to us and we love and hope to return to Northern California one day as it is one of our favorite trees. I really appreciated that Ryan designed a ring that represented both of us and our relationship.”

Val also went on to describe more of her feelings about her wedding day. “We were both go glad we decided to do a first look (Thank you for the advice, Shelly!). It eased our anxiety and we really enjoyed  being able to talk to each other after the anticipation that built the entire day and then spend more time with our wedding party during the bridal party photos before the ceremony. Also, it was wonderful for Ryan and I to express how amazing we thought the other looked in a more private setting. By the time I got to the ceremony, most of my nerves were gone and i just felt elated. This also allowed us to make it to cocktail hour where we had time to talk to many of our guests and enjoy the sunset, good music and drinks before heading inside for the reception. We both had so much fun at our wedding and thought it was perfect—just what we wanted. Our favorite part though, was the ceremony. Our Pastor, Nolan, wrote the most beautiful, affirming, and encouraging message and it conveyed exactly the kind of love and attitude we want throughout our marriage. And then, the vows. We wrote our own vows, and thankfully, our friend and groomsman, Sava, suggested we didn’t share them with each other before the ceremony. Ryan never ceases to surprise and amaze me and he did it again with his honest, beautiful vows that were so authentically him. He had all the bridesmaids and myself in tears. My favorite part of the reception was the last hour to half hour when mostly family and our closest friends remained and we were all out on the dance floor being silly, having fun, and really enjoying dancing. Near the end of the night, Our DJ, Vynce, played Amy Winehouse’s cover of “Valerie” and everyone surrounded me in a circle. It was so much fun to dance with my parents; new husband; aunts, uncles and cousins; and friends, and just celebrate.”

Congrats to you both!

Coordination: Create Events, Monicah

Venue: Catamaran Resort and Spa

Florist: Classic Blooms Studio, Anna

Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Stacey

Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar

Catering: Catamaran

Dress: Francine Gown, BHLDN

Officiant: Nolan Lee, Grace Church San Diego

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

Cake: Flour Power

DJ/Entertainment: Music Phreek DJ and Lighting

Lighting:  Music Phreek DJ and Lighting

Place cards and table numbers: DIY