How did you and your significant other meet?

Gavyn and I met through a mutual friend and our love for photography. Gavyn and I were both up and coming photographers in the Milwaukee Photography scene. So we knew of each other but not personally. So when I found out we had a mutual friend I decided to plan a day for all 3 of us to meet up and take photos together. Gavyn and I haven't stopped talking since that day.

As a couple, what are your interests/hobbies?

We both love photography, animals, the outdoors, and board games. Well I am more into board games but Gavyn has become more into them over time.

When did you know your partner was “the one” and you wanted to get married?

I knew right away Gavyn was going to be my person. Her and I have similar hobbies, upbringings and so many other connections. She cared about my dreams and goals as much as I cared about hers.

What is one of your favorite things about your partner?

Gavyn is one of the most patient people in the whole world.

What was your proposal like (was the ring a surprise or was it collaborative)?

Gavyn and I had always known we were going to marry each other so the proposal was inevitable. I had gotten a random hint from her that she was ready to be proposed to, so the ring hunt began. I then tricked her into picking out her own ring. We had planned our move to Colorado so we planned a photo shoot to get pictures done so we could remember Chicago. I reached out to the photographer and told her I would be proposing at one of the locations for the shoot. All of the sudden our photographer canceled the shoot on us due to health issues and I had to think on my feet and figure it out. So I set up a camera on a tripod and told her we were just going to get our own photos. After taking a few photos I felt I had a good timing of the camera timer and I finally did it and captured the photos perfectly.

Tell us about your wedding (if it has happened yet).

We got eloped in the San Juan mountain range right outside of the town of Silverton Colorado. We invited my sister and brother in law. Then about 2 months before Gavyn's 2 best friends decided to call me and say they had to be there. So we planned a surprise reveal of the 2 best friends the morning of the wedding. We all got ready and headed up to the mountains to get married. After getting married we headed back to our hotel and we had coordinated a dinner to take place in the court yard for our group. Though we didn't have a traditional wedding we did end up having a wedding celebration back in Wisconsin for our family. We planned a beautiful brunch for our friends and family. Though we had this brunch for our family we wanted to make sure our friends felt the love so we had a private dinner with our 30 closest friends. We of course wanted to keep drinking and talking so we walked as a group to the nearest bar we liked and hung out for the rest of the night.

Why did you decide to work with Balefire?

Being a designer I was having a very hard time compromising my needs with the rings I was seeing on the market. Gavyn had Balefire on her list of places for me to go to, and finally after many months we made it there. It was very obvious I had finally come to the right place. I finally was seeing rings I was inspired by and wanted to represent my marriage. Though I didn't find the right one Baleigh could tell I had an idea that needed to come out. So she came over and discussed with me the process of getting a custom ring. After telling her the ring I was dreaming of she put me through the steps of getting my order ready. After a few weeks the ring was done and I was able to finally see it. I couldn't believe my eyes how beautiful it was.

What advice would you give to other couples shopping for wedding or engagement rings?

Don't settle for something just to put on your finger. It's your wedding and your memories. Find a ring that you want to have to remember the best day of your life.